[Geysers] GIANT and GIANTESS

[lynn stephens]

THIS MESSAGE IS FOR THE PERSONAL USE OF THE READERS OF THIS LISTSERV AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED FOR ANY OTHER REASON WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT FROM THE AUTHOR. 

08:20 10/11/05 

After answering email this morning, I got in the pickup to drive down to the Lower Basin to check Great Fountain, which I heard in eruption at 06:44 (it was still dark and there was too much steam to see anything.)

As I drove back to the Upper Basin, the north end was still shrouded in fog, but I could see part of a steam cloud in the wrong place at the north end of the basin.  As I pulled into the Lower parking lot, I could clearly see a steam cloud on Geyser Hill that was also in the wrong place.  I asked Steve, who was getting dressed for morning geyser gazing on a crisp, COLD morning, if Giantess was in eruption.  Then I saw water and saw Vault ie at 0708.  Seismograph reading showed Giantess started at 22:13 (electronic).  Steve checked Beehive about 8 am and said it had apparently already erupted.  Steve has been watching some springs on the hill and will file a report later.

Steve was going to go check Grand so I went to the north end of the basin to check that steam cloud, which turned out not to be Grotto but instead was Giant in its waning stages.  We both got down there in order to see the final few water bursts--last water was 07:22.  Estimated start time of 5:40 would give an interval of approximately 11d21h40m.  The stay on walk sign was washed a few feet toward the platform.  The Giant sign was washed almost around the bend of the runoff channel toward the river.  Water from the eruption coated the boardwalk/jugwalk with ice, and left a large wet patch about 50 feet long on the bike path to the south of Grotto.  I had said that Giant didn't look interested during the hot periods--not much vertical surging, we never saw Cave do much more than burble a couple inches high, no sustained Mastiff surging--but we were still watching hot periods through yesterday afternoon just in case.  Unfortunately, Giant decided to erupt before dawn.  Grotto 
 was not ie at 7:10.  Solstice was still ie this morning at 7:40.

Other news--Sawmill Complex is operating on Penta/Churn mode some days.  Saturday morning, 10/8, I saw at least part of a Churn series, with eruptions at 08:24, 08:28, and 08:34.  Yesterday morning Penta and Churn were both in overflow when I walked to and from Grand, but I didn't stay to watch.  Tom Kearney reported Penta ie at 9:44.

This will probably be my last daily report, at least until late October when I hope to return for about 10 days.  Although we have a clear blue sky, where it isn't obscured by geyser fog, I think I'll take the rest of the day to do some things I don't get around to doing when I'm geyser gazing, and may even leave the park today instead of tomorrow.

Lynn Stephens

 
 
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