Long-Dormant Yellowstone Geyser Spews 60 Years Of Litter

Yellowstone’s most famous geyser, Old Faithful, blows its top every 1-2 hours, but there are other geysers that aren’t quite as frequent. Most people don’t even know about the Ear Spring Geyser, but that’s probably because it hasn’t erupted in nearly 60 years. Sadly, it turns out that during that time, tourists have turned the dormant steam vent into a natural trashcan. That’s why, when it did blow on September 15th, the steam and water that shot out of the geyser were accompanied by 30-feet of garbage.

If there is a positive in the fact that people have been throwing garbage into a hole in a national park for the last 60 years, Yellowstone National Park’s official Facebook page issued this statement:

“After Ear Spring erupted on September 15, employees found a strange assortment of items strewn across the landscape around its vent!” A few of the items dated back to the 1930s. “Some are clearly historic,” the post read. “They’ll be inventoried by curators and may end up in Yellowstone’s archives.”

Some of the items found on the ground after the eruption included: Cigarette butts, plastic utensils and straws, film wrappers and other random articles, including a baby pacifier from the 1930s.

Source: Inhabitat