[Geysers] Rototiller Geyser

[jacross]

On 23 September 2006 I was surprised to find a new geyser erupting in Shoshone 
Geyser Basin's South Group.  The vent is located at the eastern edge of Blue 
Glass Spring.  The crater enlarged considerably throughout the afternoon, 
morphing from a long fissure to a round crater over a 5-hour period.  
Eruptions came about every 20 minutes and lasted 4-5 minutes.

Because of the interesting way in which the eruptions fragmented the sinter 
and then churned the particles, I suggest the name "Rototiller Geyser" for the 
feature.

On 25 September, the geyser was still active, erupting to 6 feet.

On 01 October, the geyser had fallen dormant.  A sinkhole had formed at the SE 
corner of Blue Glass and most of Blue Glass's runoff flowed into it, 
apparently quenching boiling in the reservoir under Rototiller.

Jeff Cross
jacross at lamar.colostate.edu