[Geysers] Norris May 7

[TSBryan at aol.com]

I was down at Old Faithful for a while this morning but Grand was about all  
I "saw" as a massive steam cloud. Cold rain pretty much all day, a bit of snow 
 mixed in at times. I did talk a bit to Mike Keller and he says that the odd  
Grotto-Giant behavior we saw (and I described) the other day sounds similar 
to  what he's seen following consecutive Grotto marathons.
 
Then there was today's bear. After the bear (a griz) made its journey  
through virtually all parts of the Upper Basin (starting behind the Lodge and  
finally affording me some pretty good photos near Biscuit Basin), I headed for  
Norris. I went there because of reports about Vixen being active. What I found  
makes me wonder about what might be going on in the Back Basin -- I don't think 
 it's a disturbance, but something:
 
Echinus -- I was over by Steamboat when I heard it splashing, so I zipped  
over. What I found was a bunch of people leaving. From the one person who stayed 
 I learned that he'd been there for about 1 1/2 hours and what I'd heard was 
the  third episode of two or three bursts 8 or 10 feet high during that  time. 
The pool was about 6 inches below overflow. The water level hadn't  changed. 
I suppose Echinus finally erupted sometime, but not within the next  hour.
 
Veteran -- I do not recall ever seeing Veteran with anything other than  
clear water. Today it was richly opalescent blue with colloidal silica AND  
appeared to be in perpetual eruption, jetting outward from the top vent never  
farther than 10 feet or so. Here's a photo:
 

 
Corporal -- About as ugly as it can be, a dark gray color to the formation  
and the water. But erupting quite strongly -- I saw a burst of over 2 feet --  
and pouring out enough water to flow all the way to, under, and past the new  
boardwalk at the trail junction and even (though I didn't see this, the gray  
runoff channel is there) on to Tantalus Creek.
 
Vixen -- Active, as was reported yesterday by Steve Eide. Interval are 3 to  
8 minutes, durations 20 to 30 seconds. Some jets reach up 10 feet or so though 
 most bursts are much smaller. Some eruptions must be considerably stronger 
than  those I saw, as none of mile formed a pool beyond the sinter "cone", but 
there  was a good-sized pool there when I arrived.
 
Pearl -- eruping violently from a slightly low level. The flat part of its  
formation inside the outer rim is an odd peachy-pink color.
 
Porkchop -- opalescent blue, bursting up to 3 feet.
 
Monarch -- still doing something intermittent. The clay deposits I  described 
two weeks ago are now yellow-green with sulfur, the pool is a  beautiful 
green. On arrival there was only slight bubbling and the clay was  exposed. 
Gradually the bubbling increased. Boiling ensued (the nature of the  bubbles tells 
me it was probably superheated) and some surges/splashes reached 2  to 3 feet 
high. The water level rose and covered the clay. And then it calmed  down. I 
think this is all the thing does, but at least it is something.
 
Perhaps going along with some sort of disturbance/zap/upset, I watched  
Steamboat for about 5 minutes (before hastening toward Echinus) and saw almost  
nothing except rather weak North Vent spray.
 
Scott Bryan
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