The picture above is a picture of Bead Geyser, a small fountain geyser in the Lower Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. There are only a few other areas on the planet with thermal features like those found at Yellowstone, and most of these areas have been destroyed by human exploitation. Because it is a national park, Yellowstone has been protected from degradation and remains a premiere place to study geysers and the ecosystems that develop around them.

Bead Geyser is named for its collection of "beads," small loose spheres of sinter that formed in the geyser crater. Bead Geyser erupts for about 2.5 minutes every 30-35 minutes and jets up to 25 feet high.