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Yellowstone's Steamboat geyser breaking records with 34 eruptions so far this year

Steamboat geyser in Yellowstone National Park, pictured here, has broken its own record of 32 eruptions set last year with 34 so far this year. Park Service officials said the geyser's eruptions are unpredictable.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Yellowstone National Park's Steamboat geyser is breaking records with 34 eruptions so far this year as of early September.

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The famous attraction is the world's tallest active geyser and has broken its own record for the most eruptions set last year at 32, according to the National Park Service, and there's still months to go before the end of the year.

Steamboat's eruptions are unpredictable, the Park Service said, and over the years have been sporadic, with active years in 1982 – 1983 after being dormant for 50 years, quiet years throughout the 1990s and 2000s, and other years of dormancy marked by a single eruption.

"One thing is known, Steamboat Geyser's future eruptions will continue to be unpredictable, officials said on the Park Service's website.

Old Faithful, on the other hand, another of Yellowstone's famous geysers, has erupted every 44 to 125 minutes since 2000, according to EarthSky.org, making it a much more predictable geyser.

Scientists said the geyser's active eruptions this year are not a sign that the geyser is becoming more active but it is actually in line with its past history.

"The dynamic nature of this geyser basin, and the geology of Yellowstone as a whole, keeps everyone guessing," park officials said.

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory monitors the seismic activity in the park and in the wider Norris Geyser Basin.

Yellowstone National Park includes the planet's largest and most diverse array of natural geothermal features, EarthSky reported, including geysers, hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles.

These remarkable natural wonders prompted the United States government to designate Yellowstone as the nation's first national park in 1872.