[Geysers] Giant sign confusion

[Mike Keller]

Tara is correct.  I replaced the signs on 3/17, but they were in place on
4/04.  My mistake.

 

MK

 

-----Original Message-----
From: geysers-bounces at wwc.edu [mailto:geysers-bounces at wwc.edu] On Behalf Of
Tara Cross
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 7:05 PM
To: geyser observation reports
Subject: [Geysers] Giant sign confusion

 

Hi All,
 
I think Mike Keller may have gotten the date wrong in this most recent post:
 

 
 

  _____  

From: KSCOPE_YNP at peoplepc.com
To: geysers at wwc.edu
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 22:08:07 -0600
Subject: Re: [Geysers] Giant signs replaced

 

I replaced the signs at Giant on 4/04.  They had rolled off the slope and
were half way between the base of the platform and the cage.

 

MK

 

 
I have copied and pasted various listserv reports on the Giant signs from
early April in an attempt to clarify the issue.
 
Mike K posted the following report on April 4:

"Giant does not appear to have erupted since the 3/22 eruption (I may have
the date wrong here as I am typing this from memory).  Grotto appeared to be
in the early stages of a marathon at 1455, and there was evidence of a
recent hot period at Giant."

 

Then on April 5, Matthew McLean posted the following:

 

"Giant - signs still in place.  Platform wet all the way down to India but
it appeared that it was quite a way into drying (meaning puddles in the
middle of stretches of dry rock).  Bijou on . . ."

 
Mike K's report from April 6 says:
 

"Giant/Grotto-Grotto had just ended a marathon eruption at 1615.  Giant was
dead and the signs were still in place.  The marathon recovery hot period
started at 2134 and lasted 9m 30s.  Mastiff had several periods of surging
up to 3 feet in the first few minutes, but was mostly flat but overflowing
heavily for the last 2-3 minutes of the hot period."

 

Mike then reported hot period activity on April 7 and 8, and Paul Strasser
speculated on the placement of the signs after the 3/22 eruption, which was
done by Katy Duffy according to Carolyn Loren's recent post.  Paul said:

 

"But - the Giant sign had been in a location that IMO would make it very
difficult to dislodge in a "normal function" eruption.  And the "danger hot
ground" sign was also in a very peculiar place.  

 

Normally, both of these signs are perched on the gently sloping - almost
rounded - sinter directly in front of Giant's cone.  The first huge wash at
the start of a Giant eruption is good enough to get both of them tumbling
down the slope of the platform.  However, neither sign was anywhere near
there.  The Giant sign was in a place that seemed strategically designed to
keep it in place - on a "step" in the platform about 6 or 7 feet to the
north of its normal position.  Giant's sign wasn't simply on this "step" -
Its back end was tucked in tightly against the rear of this sinter step.
The huge wash from Giant could easily IMO just flow over the sign rather
than moving it - what the first Giant wash does is also lift the sign, not
just push it (the signs float, after all).  In addition, the "danger hot
ground" sign was even farther to the north, in that area south of the
Mastiff overflow area, directly west of the Mastiff sign on a flattish
region of the platform.  How many times have you seen a Giant eruption in
which the Mastiff sign didn't move?

 

I understand the Giant sign was moved yesterday back to its typical location
on the rounded slope in front of the cone, the place where it's been for the
last several years.  The danger hot ground sign is, I believe, still on that
flat ground to the north."

 

 

Based on the information posted to this listserv, Mike K moved the signs on
either April 7 or 8, and an eruption MAY HAVE occurred between 3/22 and that
time.

 

 

--Tara Cross

fanandmortar at hotmail.com


 

 

 

  _____  

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