Rare eruption from world's largest geyser in Yellowstone

The world's largest geyser exploded into life at Yellowstone National Park for the first time in eight years, sending a high-pressure burst of steamy water 90 metres into the air, a park official said.

The stream of 71 degrees Celsius water released by the so-called Steamboat Geyser lasted for roughly 10 minutes, delighting a small number of geyser gazers who have waited years for such a show, said Yellowstone spokesman Dan Hottle.

"There are a lot of people who wait hour after hour, day after day, for things to erupt," he said.

Yellowstone visitors could potentially wait a lifetime for Steamboat Geyser, which has gone as long as 50 years between major eruptions. Steamboat Geyser last sent a superheated torrent of water into the air in May 2005.

Yellowstone, which stretches across the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, is the oldest and arguably best known US national park, attracting more than three million visitors a year.