Fly Geyser

Small geothermal geyser in Nevada

Fly Geyser, also known as Fly Ranch Geyser is a small geothermal geyser located on private land in Washoe County, Nevada, about 20 mile (32 km) north of Gerlach. Fly Geyser is located near the edge of Fly Reservoir in the Hualapai Geothermal Flats and is approximately 5 feet (2 m) high by 12 feet (4 m) wide, counting the mound on which it sits. In June 2016, the non profit Burning Man Project purchased the Fly Ranch, including the geyser, for $6.5 million. The Burning Man Project began offering limited public access to the property in May 2018. The geyser contains thermophilic algae, which flourish in moist, hot environments, resulting in multiple hues of green and red, coloring the rocks.

Fly Geyser is located on the Fly Ranch in Hualapai Flat, about 0.3 mile (0 km) from State Route 34 and about 25 mile (40 km) north of Gerlach, Nevada. It is east of Black Rock Desert.

The source of the Fly Geyser field's heat is attributed to a very deep pool of hot rock where tectonic rifting and faulting are common. The first geyser at the site was formed in 1916 when a well was drilled seeking irrigation water. When geothermal water at close to boiling point was found, the well was abandoned, and a calcium carbonate cone formed. In 1964, a geothermal energy company drilled a second well near the site of the first well. Dissolved minerals in the water, including calcium carbonate and silica, accumulated around the new geyser, creating the cones and travertine pools. when water well drilling accidentally penetrated a geothermal source.]]

A prior well drilling attempt in 1917 resulted in the creation of a geyser close to the currently active Fly Geyser; it created a pillar of calcium carbonate about 12 feet (4 m) tall, but ceased when the Fly Geyser began releasing water in 1964.