Cold-water geysers are geysers that have eruptions whose water spurts are propelled by Шаблон:CO2-bubbles, instead of the hot steam which drives the more familiar hot-water geysers: The gush of a cold-water geyser is identical to the spurt from a freshly-opened bottle of soda pop.
Cold-water geysers look quite similar to their steam-driven counterparts; however, their Шаблон:CO2-laden water often appears whiter and more frothy.[1]
Mechanism
In cold-water geysers, the supply of Шаблон:CO2-laden water lies confined in an aquifer, in which water and Шаблон:CO2 are trapped by less permeable overlying strata. The more familiar hot-water geysers derive the energy for their eruptons from the proximity to (relatively) near-surface magma. In contrast, whereas cold water geysers might also derive their supply of Шаблон:CO2 from magmatic sources, by definition of "cold-water", they do not also obtain sufficient heat to provide steam pressure, and their eruptions are propelled only by the pressure of dissolved Шаблон:CO2. The magnitude and frequency of such eruptions depend on various factors such as plumbing depth, Шаблон:CO2 concentrations and refresh rate, aquifer water yield, etc.
The water and its load of Шаблон:CO2 powering a cold-water geyser can escape the rock strata overlying its aquifer only through weak segments of rock, like faults, joints, or drilled wells. A borehole drilled for a well, for example, can unexpectedly provide an escape route for the pressurized water and Шаблон:CO2 to reach the surface.
The column of water rising through the rock exerts enough pressure on the gaseous Шаблон:CO2 so that it remains in the water as dissolved gas or small bubbles. When the pressure decreases due to the widening of a fissure, the Шаблон:CO2 bubbles expand, and that expansion displaces the water above and causes the eruption.
