[Geysers] Yellowstone 4-28 to 5-6

[Stephen J. Eide]

Greetings and Salutations,

I'm sorry I'm late in posting this report.  I was in Yellowstone from
4-28 to 5-5 and a half day on 5-6.

I did spend a lot of time down near Giant and did not see the one
eruption that occurred while I was in the park (I left at sunset on 4-30
before the eruption at 2210) and this is what I saw down there.  For the
whole time I was in the park Grotto only had one "normal" eruption on
the morning of 5-5.  Otherwise it erupted about once a day and went into
marathon.  After several hours Giant (and Bijou) quieted down and shut
off.  After the marathon ended there was a 6-10 hour recovery period,
then Giant usually had a reasonable to great hot period.  Then Grotto
started again, sometimes almost the same time as the initial Giant hot
period, sometimes a few hours later.  Giant had one or two additional
weaker hot periods during the start of the next Grotto marathon, then
quieted down.  So, you had only one good hot period each day with a
chance for Giant to erupt.

I also noted that Oblong was more active and more regular.  Almost all
the closed intervals I know of that occurred while I was in the park had
an interval of 3.5 to 4 hours.  I think there was one interval of 3
hours 19 minutes and there was one just over four hours, but nearly all
were in the 3.5 to 4 hour range and very dependable.  Also, the time
period between "rises" on Oblong's pool before the eruption were in the
5-15 minute range with most in the 5-10 minute range.  So it appears
Oblong has more energy along with Grotto and Giant.

Here I the Oblong times I either saw or recorded out of the log book at
the visitor's center.  For many of these days I was the only gazer in
the basin during the day, so I was up looking at Beehive or out at
Fountain then no Oblong's were recorded.
    4-28    701    1122    1506    1836ns
    4-29    906ns    1240    1621
    4-30    1010ie    1349    1726
    5-1      952     1746    (I don't think this was a closed interval,
I was up on the main hill from about 1020 to 1500)
    5-2      913    1313    1659
    5-3      838    1223ns    1542ie    1914
    5-4      642    (I spent most of the day on the main hill and out at
Fountain)
    5-5      923    1253    2000

Marathon pool was usually about one to two inches below the pink
shoulder after a marathon, but oddly enough I noticed it was lower after
a ten hour marathon that it was the next day after a approximately
fifteen hour marathon. Variable spring would drop about a half inch to
one inch by the end of a marathon but I never saw it below that while I
was in the park.

The Grotto starts I saw were relatively normal.  There may have been a
few more minutes of time between the start of Grotto Fountain and the
start of Grotto than was usual for the 2005 season but that was the only
difference I got to see.  I know others have reported more abnormal
Grotto starts but I wasn't lucky enough to see them.

Several of the good Giant hot periods had Mastiff to the top of Giant's
cone for several minutes, and as wide as it was tall.  I did get to see
one of the hot period with Mastiff twice the height of Giant's cone.
Most hot periods were Feather, Feather satellite, Southwest vents, and
Mastiff. Sometimes Rust would join in, and once Turtle joined in to a
few inches.

I never saw Solstice while I was in the park.

Now for the rest of the geysers.  As others have said Beehive was very
kind with regular daytime eruptions.  They were:
4-28 1347,        4-29 (I think in the morning while I was in Norris but
I didn't write it down),        4-30 1751,        5-1 1231 (with no
Beehive indicator),        5-2 1117,        5-3 1111,        5-4
1233,        5-5 1044,        5-6 938.
Twice I was on the main hill prior to the start of Beehive indicator and
saw the western bubbler on 5-4 start 38 minutes prior to Beehive and on
5-5 it started 94 minutes prior to Beehive.

Riverside was normal.

Most closed intervals for Aurum were in the 3-4.5 hour range.
Improbable was only having minors, but it is developing a colorful
runoff channel. I saw Little Squirt twice while I was in the park.

There is a new hole (new for me at least) near Doublet Pool, about a
meter to the right of the Doublet Pool sign and about six inches from
the boardwalk.  Matt said he noticed it last fall.  It appears to be a
perpetual spouter 2-4 inches high but it does have a nice little gravel
cone built up around it.

About two-thirds of my Grand eruptions were one burst but everyone else
I asked said they were about evenly divided between singles and doubles.

I saw three Uncertain eruptions and had to walk away from it two other
times when I though it was close to eruption.  I did catch Penta once.
I did not manage to catch the duration (a nice Grand pool about the time
of Turban's eruption distracted me) but it was about 40 minutes.  And I
saw two Bulger Major eruptions while I was in the park.

Three times while I was in the park I passed by Topsoil Spring and
noticed it was bubbling moderately with mild overflow but with
"Thumping" that could be heard and felt just like Doublet pool.  I think
all three times were several hours after Grand had erupted.

Daisy eruptions were between 2.5 and 4 hours.  One windy day I saw two
back to back 2.5 hour intervals.  The next day I saw two back to back 4
hour intervals.  I did notice when waiting on Daisy that Brilliant Pool
would rise (and often overflow) then drop about a centimeter on a cycle
of about one minute fifteen seconds to two minutes thirty seconds.  The
shorter intervals appeared to be more likely to cause overflow.  Well,
it was something to do while waiting for Daisy.

I checked the intervals for Jewel and East Mustard Spring.  Jewel
appears to have shorter intervals this spring. On 5-5 I timed Jewel at
1924:15, 1929:33, 1934:42, 1941:02, and 1946:34 for a duration of about
5 and a half minutes
For East Mustard the intervals were in the seven minute range but
subjectively they appeared to be longer in durations.  Here are the
times:  on 2000:30, off 2003:03, on 2007:57, off 2014:02, on 2014:13,
off 2016:43.  Every time I saw the new vent below black opal pool it was
perpetual.  I did not see the new Geyser that Scott mentioned erupt but
I did not know of it until I was out of the park.

I saw two Fountain eruptions, both times I started my observations at
about the middle of the Interval.  They were both essentially normal
Fountain eruptions.  Spasm started out by coming up boiling, then the
boiling stopped and Spasm dropped.  I did at least four of these "rises"
prior to starting to erupt and staying full.  Both Fountain eruptions
started from a low pool, but no lower than I have seen in the past and
after the eruption the water in Fountain dropped below sight.  Durations
were 34 and 33 minutes.  There was little data to show the interval but
what little I had showed intervals in the 6.5 to 7 hour range.  Super
Frying pan erupted prior to Fountian on one eruption and just after
Fountain stopped on the other eruption.  Morning's Thief erupted a few
minutes into the Fountain eruption and after about two minutes gave two
or three bursts to over 20 feet.  Bearclaw was doing series.  I did not
see Twig or Jelly in eruption.  Silex is quietly overflowing with no
boiling on the pool.  Celestine was having occasional boiling periods,
once to at least 3-4 feet high.

Little Brother was erupting my first few days in the park but from about
5-1 it appears to have stopped, or at least it did not erupt while I was
watching it,  Tilt will fill and "bump" then drop about half a
centimeter every few minutes, however it still has runoff from Crested
pool running into it, and the Algae appear to be growing in the throat
so it appears to be too cool to erupt soon.

Norris was quiet.  I did catch a Constant series.  Pearl is still a pale
beige color and it now has clear water with no opalescence that it had
in the past.  I did talk to a ranger who said she had not seen Echinis
erupt since at least January.

Thats about all I can remember.

Stephen J. Eide