Sawmill Geyser

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Sawmill Geyser
Yellowstone sawmillgeyser.jpg
Sawmill erupting
Name origin Named by Antoine Schoenborn during the 1871 Hayden Survey[1]
Coordinates 44°27′56″N 110°50′12″W﻿ / ﻿44.465553°N 110.836618°W﻿ / 44.465553; -110.836618Coordinates: 44°27′56″N 110°50′12″W﻿ / ﻿44.465553°N 110.836618°W﻿ / 44.465553; -110.836618
Type Fountain geyser
Eruption height up to 35 feet (11 m)
Frequency 1 - 3 hours
Duration 30 - 50 mins
Temperature 92 °C (198 °F)
Sawmill Geyser location in southern portion of Upper Geyser Basin.

Sawmill Geyser, named for the whirring sound it makes during its eruption, is a geyser in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. The geyser was named by Antoine Schoenborn of the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871.

Sawmill is the largest geyser in the Sawmill Complex, a region of geothermal features located in Upper Geyser Basin approximately 10 feet off the path.[2] This geyser has an irregular pattern of eruption due to the structure underground plumbing of the geysers, but has a delay around 1 to 3 hours between eruptions. It tends to erupt after Spasmodic Geyser, but only if Penta Geyser does not erupt first. If Penta Geyser erupts before Sawmill gets a chance, Sawmill is cut off from water, and cannot erupt until Spasmodic erupts again. Another eruption indicator is when Sawmill fills with the rest of the geyser's water in the Sawmill Complex or starts to overflow, bubbles tend to rise to the surface. This indicates that an eruption is near. Sawmill drains after its eruptions, and if it had a large eruption prior, unusual behavior can occur in other geysers in the area.


Images of Sawmill Geyser
Approaching Sawmill - July 5, 2010 
Near Sawmill - July 5, 2010 
Sawmill Geyser spout - September 17, 2010 

See also[edit]


  1. ^ Whittlesey, Lee H. (2006). Yellowstone Place Names. Gardiner, MT: Wonderland Publishing Company. pp. 221–22. ISBN 1-59971-716-6. 
  2. ^ GOSA - Sawmill Geyser, GOSA's page on Sawmill