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Geyser Erupts Trash And Tells A Story

Yellowstone National Park staff show off objects that erupted out of the Ear Springs Geyser.
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park staff show off objects that erupted out of the Ear Springs Geyser.

In September, Ear Spring Geyser in Yellowstone National Park erupted. At 20 feet, it was the largest eruption in over 60 years. But it wasn't just water that spewed out.

Coins, soda cans, beer bottles, and kids' toys exploded out of the geyser. This occasionally happens since visitors in the past did not treat the park with respect and would throw trash into geysers.

During a Facebook live event, Beth Horton, an archaeologist with Yellowstone National Park, said one of the most interesting finds was a children's pacifier dating back to the 1930s. Most other objects ejected out of the geyser are more related to adults like a Kodak film roll and a cigarette holder. Horton said these objects can actually tell a story about what people did in the past.

"The other stories that people may have done with these objects that are not as well known or not recorded in the literature. And that way we can keep this history and information for the future," she said.

Some of the objects will be displayed at the Heritage Research Center in the park.

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