Examples of geysers in this setting are found in Iceland , Nevada , and Kenya . While most volcanic activity and related geyser development occur along the plate boundaries described above, sometimes volcanic activity can be found far from these boundaries. Yellowstone and the Hawaiian Islands are examples of these types of areas. It is theorized that these areas are due to hot spots or localized thermal convection in the mantle of the earth called plumes. The hot spot is stationary and the plates move over them.
Much controversy still is found among geologist about hot spots.
Little is known about the mechanism that causes them to form. The geysers in Yellowstone lie in a large volcanic feature called a caldera . Return to Wyo's Geyser Page WyoJones Geyser Page. 1999 Gregory L. Jones. All rights reserved.