A rainbow of colors splashes across the outside of this mound. Though Fly Geyser, located in the Black Rock Desert, may seem other-worldly, it is most certainly from here, and Nevada no less! But how could such a thing form from nature? Well, it isn't exactly all Mother Nature's doing.
Back in 1964, a farmer drilled a geothermal well but didn't cap or maintain it correctly. The boiling hot water began spewing from the hole. Since then, calcium carbonate deposits have been growing several inches per year – in other words, this Jabba the Hutt-like Geyser could continue to get larger! The incredible coloring on the outside is due to the algae that thrives under the geyser's conditions.
The geyser used to be open to the public, but the owners of the private ranch where it lives closed it due to vandalism and safety concerns. Now, members of the Burning Man organization have created the Fly Ranch Project in an effort to buy the ranch and start a community, an art park, and other components that will help promote and protect the property and it's phenomena.