The 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake strongly affected the geysers of this group, as it did many of the other geysers in the park. Pink Cone Geyser, for instance, went from an infrequent performer with intervals of over 50 hours to almost nonstop activity for the weeks following the earthquake. The geysers of the the group were also significantly affected by the 1983 Borah Peak earthquake. This was the only group significantly affected by that earthquake. Eruptions often occur within seconds of the current average.
Bead is a fountain-type geyser.
Intervals range from 28 to 36 minutes. Heights reach about 25 feet. Bead was named for the bead like geyser-eggs that were found around the geyser. Geyser-eggs are loose spherical pieces of geyserite. The geyser-eggs at Bead Geyser are long gone.