Earthquakes are one of the most important factors that affects geysers, and occur quite frequently in Yellowstone. In fact, there are tens of thousands of quakes in Yellowstone each year. They happen all the time. On average, each year Yellowstone feels about 12-18 of them. And it's very rare that an earthquake is strong enough to cause damage.
Earthquakes cause shifts in the plumbing systems' circulation and as a result, temperatures change.
As long as there are earthquakes, there will be geysers, says Hutchinson. If there weren't any earthquakes, the geyser expert says the geysers would clog and dry themselves up. For 50 years, between 1911 and 1961, Steamboat Geyser didn't have a single eruption. It was an earthquake at Lake Hebgen in 1959 that triggered a heat shift making it possible for Steamboat to once again come to life, Hutchinson says, and in 1961, it again erupted. It's guaranteed because it's guaranteed there are going to be more earthquakes.