Fly Geyser

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Small geothermal geyser in Nevada, United States

title: "Fly Geyser" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["burning-man", "geysers-of-nevada", "hot-springs-of-nevada", "bodies-of-water-of-washoe-county,-nevada"] description: "Small geothermal geyser in Nevada, United States" topic_path: "general/burning-man" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly_Geyser" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Small geothermal geyser in Nevada, United States ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox hot spring"]

FieldValue
nameFly Geyser
photoFly_geyser.jpg
photo_width325px
name_originNamed after Fly Ranch
locationFly Ranch, Washoe County, Nevada
coords
elevation4014 ft
hot_spring_typeCone-type geyser
height5 ft and growing
durationConstant
frequencyConstant
temperature93.0 C
mapNevada#USA
map_width200
::

| name = Fly Geyser | photo = Fly_geyser.jpg | photo_width = 325px | photo_caption = | name_origin = Named after Fly Ranch | location = Fly Ranch, Washoe County, Nevada | lat_d = | long_d = | coords = | coords_ref = | elevation = 4014 ft | hot_spring_type = Cone-type geyser | height = 5 ft and growing | duration = Constant | frequency = Constant | discharge = | temperature = 93.0 C | depth = | map =Nevada#USA | map_caption = | map_width = 200

Fly Geyser, also known as Fly Ranch Geyser, is a small geothermal geyser located on private land in Washoe County, Nevada, about 20 mi north of Gerlach. Fly Geyser is located near the edge of Fly Reservoir in the Hualapai Geothermal Flats and is approximately 5 ft high by 12 ft wide, counting the mound on which it sits.

In June 2016, the non-profit Burning Man Project purchased the 3800 acre 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 bacteria and archaea, which flourish in moist, hot environments, resulting in multiple hues of green and red, coloring the rocks.

Location

Fly Geyser is located on the Fly Ranch in Hualapai Flat, about 0.3 mi from State Route 34 and about 25 mi north of Gerlach, Nevada. It is west of Black Rock Desert.

Origin

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 10 - 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.

The geyser has multiple conic openings sitting on a mound: the cones are about 6 ft, and the entire mound is 25 to tall.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Fly_Geyser,_near_Gerlach,_Nevada.jpg" caption="archive-date=2011-07-14 }} 2009 photo."] ::

Characteristics

The temperature of the water exiting the geyser can exceed 200 F,

Carolina Muñoz Saez, who was hired by the Burning Man owners to study the geyser, reported that the geyser contains "a really high amount of silica." The silica combined with the temperature has caused quartz to form inside the geyser extraordinarily quickly. Quartz typically takes up to 10,000 years to develop in geysers. Saez said the Fly Geyser is unlike any other geyser she has studied.

Water is constantly released, reaching 5 ft in the air. The geyser has formed several travertine terraces, creating 30 to 40 pools over an area of 74 acre. The water produced by the geyser contains thermophilic algae, which flourish in moist, hot environments, coloring the rocks with brilliant hues of green and red.

Public access

Fly Ranch is open to small, guided three-hour nature walks from April to October of each year. The geyser is part of the nature walk. Tours are managed and led by the Friends of Black Rock-High Rock.

Payments for tickets for the walk are considered to be donations and are used to support Fly Ranch and the Friends organization.

Other local geysers

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 ft tall, but ceased when the Fly Geyser began releasing water in 1964.

References

References

  1. "Fly Ranch - Burning Man Project". burningman.org.
  2. "We Bought Fly Ranch". Burning Man Journal.
  3. (October 2025). "Fly Ranch - Burning Man Project".
  4. https://landartgenerator.org/lagi2020/FlyRanch-Microbial-Biogeochemistry.pdf, p. 17 and p. 20–23
  5. "Fly Geyser". CmdrMark.com.
  6. [https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/fly-ranch-geyser Fly Gerser]
  7. Richard Moreno. (4 November 2008). "Nevada Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff". Globe Pequot Press.
  8. (2003-08-23). "Fly Geyser". CmdrMark.com.
  9. Leininger, Merrie. "Playa playground - indulge your primitive side at Northern Nevada's Black Rock Desert". Nevada Magazine.
  10. Rinehart, John S.. (2012-12-06). "Geysers and Geothermal Energy". Springer Science & Business Media.
  11. "Fly Geyser". FlyGeyser.org.
  12. Zee, Brenda (April 6, 2018) [https://www.kunr.org/post/fly-geyser-opens-public-first-time-two-decades "Fly Geyser Opens To Public For First Time In Two Decades"] [[KUNR]]
  13. [https://localadventurer.com/fly-geyser-nevada-tips-for-visiting/ FLY GEYSER NEVADA TOUR – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO]
  14. "Fly Geyser".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

burning-mangeysers-of-nevadahot-springs-of-nevadabodies-of-water-of-washoe-county,-nevada