[Geysers] Geyser report September 25

[TSBryan at aol.com]

While in the park today, I spent most of my time down-basin. There was some  
interesting stuff at Grotto and Giant (but no Giant).
 
Grotto Fountain was at 0940 and seemed perfectly normal, except that it was  
accompanied by a full-force Startling and the Central Vents before Grotto  
started at 0943. Grotto turned off at 1115, so a duration of 1h 32m. South  
Grotto Fountain was occasionally active throughout Grotto's eruption, but then  
appeared to quit completely when Grotto shut off. That in itself seemed  odd.
 
Giant had a hot period at about 0900 -- I just missed it but found the  
platform steaming and Mastiff depth-charging at 0905. I had a near  identical 
experience at 1002. But then, during the 1037 Oblong, I caught a  hot period in 
progress at 1042. Yes, a 40+ minute hot period interval.
 
This hot period was followed by exceptionally strong depth-charging in  
Mastiff which went on and on. It was at 1130 when I got a bit excited, for then  I 
saw something I personally had not seen before: the depth-charging finally  
stopped as back Mastiff underwent what I must call an eruption -- for about 20  
seconds it was jetting steadily 4 to 5 feet high with a very significant  
volume of water put onto the platform. Then the depth-charging began again, but  
this time from a water level visible while standing on the cage boardwalk. Yes. 
 At 1144, very abruptly with a rapid rise in water level in Mastiff, a hot 
period  started. At first, Mastiff was 3 to 4 feet high and wide, with a 
prodigious  overflow. Feather and the Feather Satellite came on quickly. Rust was 
splashing,  Cave was bubbling, Turtle was overflowing. Giant had vertical surging 
that  sloshed onto the platform.
 
Then somebody pulled the plug. After all that, the hot period duration was  
3m 37s. Sheesh. (Well, yeah, it had been only about 3 1/2 days...)
 
Daisy was at 0924 and 1149ie.
 
Fan and Mortar's marker was in place at about 0930.
 
Grand was at 2113E last night, then at 0716ie this morning. Today's  
electronic time, per Andrew, was 0710E, but the eruption did not end until 0725  (-2Q).
 
At 0736, Tilt's Baby had a really fine, jetting eruption.
 
I learned that on Saturday, at 1730vr, Black Diamond had a powerful  eruption 
that visitors caught on camera. The report is that the images indicate  an 
eruption height of 100 feet. I was also told that the eruption put a lot of  
debris onto the boardwalk, but this afternoon I could see no sign of that  
whatsoever.
 
In the Lower Geyser Basin, on the drive in, I caught Gemini in full  eruption 
at 0651. No indication of anything out of Crack, though, and no sign of  
overflow by Pebble.
 
Scott Bryan
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