[Geysers] Giant hot periods 6/9-6/13

[Graham Meech]

Well I just got home from a short spur of the moment trip to Yellowstone (I
decided to go on Saturday 6/3 and was in the park late on Thursday).  As a
September gazer it was nice to get the extra sunlight but the birds make way
too much noise at 0400!  One day had the bugs around but then the wind blew
them away.  It’s nice not having any bugs around in September.

 

On Friday June 9 I arrived in the UGB and wandered down to Giant.  There was
a bathtub at 0746 and then a wonderful hot period that lasted all of 1
minute with only Feather erupting.  Ok, Grotto was in a marathon.  Lynn has
previously reported on the earlier hot period that lasted at least 4 minutes
at 0512ie that day.

 

Saturday June 10

 

Grotto quit about 0830 so the marathon lasted at least 27 ½ hours.

1140 Giant had a nice vertical splash.

1313 Mastiff had some splashing in the front vent.

1745 the GIP water level rose from low to decent.

2013 Giant hot period d=9m35s.  Mastiff came up boiling in both vents and
peaked at about 4’ after a couple of minutes.  Feather tried to restart at
2026 but failed.  No vertical surging in Giant or activity until the
afterplay.

 

Sunday June 11

 

Grotto 0435ie

0527 Giant hot period, d=3m20s, Feather and SW vents only.

0733 Giant hot period, d=3m42s Feather and SW vents only.

Grotto quit after a short marathon around 1300

[I went up to Norris to look at Ledge in steam phase and got back and
wandered down basin only to hear Kitt calling ‘Water rising in Mastiff’]

1542 Giant hot period, d=8m54s.  Mastiff came up quietly but the hot period
never looked like it was going to lead to an eruption.

1934 Giant hot period, d=4m30s.

Water levels in the GIP stayed high.

2147 Giant hot period, d=6m15s.

2223ie Grotto Fountain

2237 Grotto d=36m!  A very weak short eruption right as a storm came in.  I
stayed even though the wind was whipping the rain around because the GIP was
even higher then it was earlier.

2306 Giant hot period d=2m10s.  Feather and SW vents only.

After this hot period the GIP water level dropped so I walked back to my
cabin in the driving rain.

 

Monday 6/12

 

Grotto 0440ie, turned into a marathon

~0500 Giant weak hot period.

0745 Giant hot period, d~5m.

Mastiff depth charged for an hour until the water level rose in the GIP and
it quit.

2036 Grotto marathon ended (thanks Warren).  We all hoped it would keep
going through the night so we could get some sleep but no such luck.

 

Tuesday 6/13

0059 Giant marathon recovery hot period, d~9m.  Mastiff 2-3’ but Mastiff
dies around the 7minute mark.

0530 Giant hot period, d=6m.  Not much surging from Mastiff.

0724 Giant hot period, d=6m10s.  Mastiff 2-3’.

0908 bathtub.

0948 Giant Hot period, d=8m45s.  Mastiff stayed up for ~7 minutes.

Mastiff depth charging after this hot period 2-3’ above the rim.

1001ie Grotto Fountain d-22m.  Big eruption!

1016 Grotto (really slow start with no big splash out the back).

1051 bathtub

Mastiff depth charging died down about 1138 (duration of depth charging
~1h50m)

1214 Giant hot period, d=3m25s.  Some vertical surging in Giant ¾ height of
the cone before this hot period.

1228 Grotto quit.

Giant had some very big splashes during the quiet period, more volume than I
have seen before.  Mainly left to right but an occasional vertical splash.

1445 Giant hot period, d=7m50s.  Mastiff 2-3’ with some vertical surging in
Giant during and after the hot period.

 

Then I had to leave to drive to Jackson and come home :-(

 

While there were a lot of hot periods on Tuesday, none of them looked like
they would develop into eruptions.  Mastiff just didn’t do much surging and
Giant did nothing much during the hot periods.  The depth charging, volume
of water in the Giant splashes and the occasional vertical surges were
promising though.  The best hot periods were the post-marathon ones.

 

I hope Giant goes again soon and continues till my trip back at Labor Day.
Thanks to everyone that kept an eye on Giant and reported the activity, it
certainly helps with several people watching.

 

Graham.

 

 

 

 

 

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