[Geysers] Norris The Gap

[TSBryan at aol.com]

On Friday while on tour we noticed that the Gibbon River at Elk Park was  
clear in the morning but quite muddy in the mid-afternoon. There had been no  
rain. So thinking that "something had happened" at Norris, I went up there early  
this morning, Saturday, August 12.
 
There has been no disturbance. Indeed, a great many of the features in Back  
Basin either have clear water at a low level, or no water at all. Yellow 
Funnel  Spring, as one example, is active as a steam vent. The largest eruption 
seen in  that area was from one of the new vents across the boardwalk from Pearl, 
which  was (probably) perpetual with splashes 6 to 8 feet high and very heavy 
 overflow... Steamboat was mostly north function. Echinus was overflowing at  
0710, and overflowing still (or again) at 0905... A view from below the 
Museum  gave me no reason to go down into Porcelain Basin. Because...
 
At 0744, from near Porkchop, I saw a very large steam cloud rising from the  
area of The Gap. I saw it again at 0758, and that's when I decided to make the 
 trek out there. What I found is that one of the larger features near the far 
 southwest end of The Gap is erupting quite powerfully. In sum, either 
directly  or via i.e. steam clouds, I saw eruptions from it at 0744, 0758, 0810 (on 
site,  d = 2m 20s), 0826 (on site, d = 2m 05s), 0843 (in view at a distance), 
and 0858.  The eruptions I had in sight included bursts at least 25 and likely 
over 30 feet  high. The water was clear. (Is this what was called "Elk 
Geyser" a few years  ago? I don't think so.)
 
Another small spring in The Gap also proved to be a geyser, with 2-3 foot  
eruptions repeating every 2 minutes or so and lasting 15 or 20 seconds. Of  
course, there were many perpetual spouters out there along with a few thousand  
bubblers.
 
Cinder Pool was about 1/3 covered with cinders.
--------
Yesterday on the tour (I was a passenger, Northern Loop) I saw a spring a  
short distance upstream and across the river from Beryl Spring splashing  
probably 2 feet high. Today it was barely bubbling.
 
Scott Bryan
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