White wrote about the experience: ‘Within seconds, the top cool water was followed by a mixture of boiling water and steam, and the well erupted into a violent eruption – a devastating experience for all of us! platform and hide the control levers … “
However, the scientists learned quickly enough how to manage these eruptions, even though they could not be stopped.
Their boreholes reach depths of 215 to 1081 feet, with an average depth of about 520 feet.
The drilling enabled scientists to describe the mineral composition of Yellowstone’s subsoil.
Most boreholes were plugged, but some were left open for future water samples.
One of these boreholes erupted in 1992 with water and steam in Yellowstone’s Biscuit Basin.