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Fountain Paint Pot Tour

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Fumaroles

Gases hiss and roar as they escape from a fumarole, or steam vent.

The hiss and roar of a fumarole comes from gases - steam, carbon dioxide, and a little hydrogen sulfide - rushing from the earth through the vent. Its channel system reaches down into the hot rock masses, but it contains very little water. When water contacts the hot rock, it flashes into steam. Its volume increases 1,500 times and drives the gases from the vent.

Fountain Paint Pot Nature Trail Tour

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