[Geysers] Trip report 9/2-9/17

[Graham Meech]

I have been slow to get around to writing up what I saw during my trip this
year but now I have the time to get to it.

 

I had my first trip to Shoshone on 9/6.  The significant news is that Velvet
was active, intervals mostly 12-17 minutes, durations around 2 ½ minutes.
There was one minor in the 7 eruptions I recorded that lasted less than a
minute and had intervals of 9m before and 6m after it.  The eruptions were
great to watch, with the big bubbles coming up in one vent and bursting from
the other.  A great geyser to watch and photograph.  It was a bit smokey
while I was there so the lighting was not great to get good pictures of the
bubbles.

 

Knobby was active with most eruptions ~6’ high, lasting ~1 minute and with
intervals of 8-12 minutes.  There was one longer eruption lasting 5 ½
minutes and reaching about 12’ high which has an interval of 20 minutes
afterwards.

 

I saw one Lion eruption at Shoshone, ~8’ high, 20’ horizontal splashing,
duration 5m.  The eruption sounds just like Whirligig, real nice.

 

To the north of the North Group, the double spring that Steve Eide reported
as active in August was still active (Steve suggested it was Rocco’s number
15 a and b).  The large pool slowly rose and bubbled a lot but I didn’t see
any splashes from it.  The grass was washed about 4’ around the pool and in
the runoff channels.  There was some boiling at the edge of the large pool
and in some small vents a couple of feet away.  The second vent was active
all the time, cycling between a low boil and splashing up to 3’ every couple
of minutes.  This vent stopped for 5 minutes when the large pool reached
overflow and then resumed its activity as the large pool water level slowly
moved above and below overflow.  As it was getting late I left without
seeing if there were further changes.

 

Lots of other activity at Shoshone but my notes are rather inadequate.  Well
worth the long hike though, although next time I will not start the day with
my usual walk down basin to Giant/Grotto/Riverside/Daisy!

 

In the LGB, Fountains eruptions I saw had durations of 35, 35, and 31
minutes.  The first two were from a ‘mid level pool’ – not the really low
pools seen this year but not as high as I have been seeing the last few
years.  The last one had Spasm empty throughout the eruption and started
from a very low water level.  Clepsydra paused 16, 19, and 13 minutes past
each eruption for 3, 5, and 4 minutes respectively.  Mornings Thief was
active for the first two eruptions but not the third one where the water
levels were very low.  I didn’t see any really big burst though.

 

I saw a single Gemini eruption on Sept 16th and the intervals must have been
at least 40 minutes.

 

Pocket Basin geyser was active (intervals 50m, 49m, and then >2 hours).  An
UNNG was active in the flats above Fortress, intervals ~19m, duration 3m,
height ~2’.

 

At Norris things were pretty quiet.  Constant was quite variable, intervals
of >35m, 52m, 15m, all single burst eruptions.  Arsenic was active, and has
a strong eruption with duration 9m.  I watched Veterans pool rise slowly
with each successive cycle and it finally had a major eruption after 3 hours
waiting, duration of the heaviest water was 90s but the bursting and side
vent activity slowly declined over 30 minutes so it was worth the wait.
Vixen was dry round the cone whenever I saw it but it might be active as it
was gurgling at depth.  Pearl and the UNNG across the boardwalk were active
although the UNNG on the edge of Porkchop was dry and inactive.  Yellow
Funnel Spring and the mud geyser nearby (by the turn in the new boardwalk)
were both active splashing up muddy water.

 

And then of course there was GIANT, GIANT, and GIANT so it was a really
great trip for me!

 

Graham.

 

 

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