[Geysers] Geyser Report: Giant/Grotto, May 26-June 1

[Tara Cross]

A message from Tara Cross <fanandmortar at hotmail.com> 6/3/05

This is a summary of events in the Giant/Grotto area for May 26-June 1.  
This is all based on notes and my memory; if I left something important out, 
I would welcome additional information.

May 26

0631ie Grotto (marathon, duration around 22 hours, give or take)
0742ie Rocket major

May 27

0910 Giant hot period, d=10m20s.  First after marathon; Mastiff surging to 4 
feet, India completely covered.
1510 Giant hot period, d=6m.  Mastiff surging to 1-2 feet.
1625ie Grotto Fountain
1636 Grotto

The first Grotto after the marathon was--yes--another marathon, duration 
unknown.  Grotto was still erupting when Kitt left Grand around 2230, but 
was long done when the first gazers made it out the following morning.

May 28

0701 Giant hot period, d=2m50s.  Probably not the post-marathon hot period.
0926 Giant hot period, d=3m50s.  Feather & Feather Satellite, but no 
Southwest Vents.
1240 Giant hot period, d=9m30s.  Nice Mastiff surging to 4 feet, India 
completely covered.
1639 Grotto
1650 Giant hot period, d=7m50s.  Mastiff boiling to 1 foot, India 2/3 
covered.
2014 Giant hot period, d=8m56s.  Mastiff to 18 inches, India 2/3 covered.

May 29

0704 Giant hot period, d=7m40s.  More droolage.
1040 Giant hot period, d=7m25s.  Even more droolage; Mastiff barely boiled 
at all and India was dry.

I somehow missed writing down the Grotto that was in progress for these two 
hot periods, but it also turned out to be yet another marathon, after only 
two normal Grotto eruptions.

May 30

1202 Giant hot period, d=10m15s.  This hot period was the real deal.  
Mastiff surged to 4-5 feet in the first few minutes and then to 2-3 feet 
later on.  At the end of the hot period and continuing after Feather had 
stopped, Turtle splashed to 1-2 feet.
1732ie Giant hot period, d>5m.  Mastiff surging to 1-2 feet.
1845 Grotto Fountain
1859 Grotto
2045 Giant hot period, d=8m50s.  Mastiff to 2 feet maximum.

May 31

0811 Giant hot period, d=8m55s.  India was about 2/3 covered, but Mastiff 
never boiled to more than a few inches.
0849 Grotto Fountain
0852 Grotto
0951 Bathtub.  The Southwest Vents sputtered but Feather did not start.
1250 Giant hot period, d=8m58s.  Mastiff surging to 4 feet early in the hot 
period, then 2-3 feet later on.  India was completely covered.

When we left the area, Grotto Fountain was boiling.  I never heard a start 
time on Grotto but it was i.e. when I returned from the Lower basin a little 
before 1500.  And, as if I hadn't gotten enough Grotto over the weekend, 
this was another marathon.

1709 Giant hot period, d=8m04s.  Mastiff to 3 feet, India 3/4 covered.

June 1

Grotto finally quit around 1230 for a duration of roughly 23 hours.  I left 
the basin before the post-marathon hot period.

My general observations are that while there were bona fide "strong" hot 
periods mixed in, the longer durations seen on the 28th and after weren't 
really indicative of more energy on the platform.  Note the total lack of 
durations under 5 minutes after the 28th.  It was almost as if Giant wanted 
to have one long hot period that expended roughly the same amount of energy 
as two weak ones.  "Mastiff is flat but still overflowing" became a very 
common call for the latter part of the weekend--at least when Grotto WASN'T 
in marathon.  Based on some rough extrapolations, there were zero, 2, and 2 
Grotto eruptions, respectively, between the 4 marathons I saw.  As 
encouraging as the recovery hot periods were, this still doesn't strike me 
as a good formula for Giant eruptions.

I shall refrain from further prognostication.

- Tara Cross
fanandmortar at hotmail.com