[Geysers] Any word on Splendid?

[Pat Snyder]

Again, thank you, Paul.

It was, unfortunately, getting dark at the time it happened. I had  
just photographed an eruption of Pyramid, Daisy was boiling  
vigorously, getting ready to go. It happened so fast I did not have  
time to raise my camera and get a shot. My apologies on that one, I  
am usually "camera ready" anytime I am gazing. I did notice quite a  
bit of runoff after the boil, though. That I remember fairly clearly.  
Maybe that helps clarify?

Pat S.


On Aug 5, 2006, at 5:21 PM, Paul Strasser wrote:

> Pat Snyder wrote:
>>>>>
> Not sure about other Splendid reports, but on the evening of June 2,
> near sunset, I was waiting for Daisy and saw a huge boil from
> Splendid, probably three or four feet high. It was pretty fast, a few
> seconds, if that. Then nothing. It startled me, though. It happened
> about five minutes before Daisy erupted.<<<<
>
> One factoid in understanding Splendid is that there are two sources of
> water/energy within its main vent.  This results in a lot of  
> confusion about
> what is and isn't going on there.
>
> As you look at the crater of Splendid from the north boardwalk, you  
> see a
> large pool of water on the left, separated by a septum of sinter  
> from a
> smaller pool on the right.  (The right pool is Not the side boiler,  
> as will
> be explained.)
>
> Within the left pool lies the vent of Splendid.  It is not  
> centrally located
> within this pool, but lies slightly south of center (you can see it  
> as a
> slightly darker area of water when its pool is quiet, or  
> immediately after a
> Daisy eruption).  Its vent is quite deep and steeply sided beyond  
> the funnel
> shape near its surface.  About a foot down the main vent, on its  
> northern
> side (the side closest to the boardwalk) is a separate water  
> source.  This
> is the "Side Boiler," so named by Marie Wolf in the 70s.  The side  
> boiler is
> the source of just about all boiling and activity I've seen since  
> 1997.  For
> the uninitiated it is extremely difficult to tell whether the  
> source of the
> boiling is the main vent or the side boiler - especially because  
> the side
> boiler is actually more centrally located within the left pool  
> (remember -
> the main vent it located south of center; the side boiler is on the  
> northern
> edge of this off-center vent.)
>
> People with some experience at Splendid can quickly tell the two  
> apart = and
> its rather easy when both vents are active simultaneously.   
> Generally, the
> main vent's activity can fill the pool very quickly, even prior to any
> surging.  Its action is much more violent and agitated than the  
> Side Boiler,
> which can continue low-grade boiling for many minutes.
>
> It's quite possible that Pat saw some action from the Main Vent  
> rather than
> the side boiler - there's just no way of knowing (without photos).   
> Even a
> couple of occasional splashes from the main vent still happen,  
> though.  I'd
> suspect that a shift of energy would reveal itself in a far more  
> agitated,
> angry Splendid, with water pouring out of its crater in almost every
> direction.
>
> When's the last time there was even a "false start?"
>
> Paul Strasser
>
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