[Geysers] Gibbon Geyser Basin, 03 July

[jacross]

Phoenix Geyser is active, with one duration timed at an 83 minutes.

At Geyser Creek, Avalanche Geyser was active as usual.  The steam vent under 
the large rock between the geyser and Geyser Creek was also active.  I was 
able to confirm, during 2 hours of observation, that the steam vent's 
eruptions are NOT related to those of Avalanche.  Its intervals are regular, 
but are just a little longer than Avalanche's, so that they occur 
progressively later and later in Avalanche's cycle as time passes.

Subterranean Blue Mud Geyser was also weakly active, cycling every 2 minutes.  
Tiny Geyser, Anthill Geyser, and the UNNG in the black pool next to the sand 
pile upstream from Anthill (how about "Sand Pile Geyser"?) all looked dormant.

Bullseye Spring was splashing to 3 feet as usual.  Bat Pool was also boiling 
as usual, and the bats are in residence.  Bone Spring is ebbed 4.5 inches.  
Its water level seems to be rising slowly from year to year.

I also found an old tree stump, perhaps 100-200 feet from the lower margin of 
the thermal area.  The stump was steaming.  It was 8 inches across, flush with 
the ground, and had a temperature of 169F at a depth of 4 inches.  However, 
the activity didn't look thermal.  Perhaps lightning had struck the stump and 
ignited the roots, which were still smoldering underground.  Weird.

Jeff Cross
jacross at lamar.colostate.edu