[Geysers] Otts Heart Lake

[jacross]

Regarding spring identifications:

Rustic Group:

Photo #3 is NOT Prometheus Spring.  This feature developed into its present 
state in the late 1970s-early 1980s.  There are two vents that erupt: the 
north vent is currently a perpetual spouter, while the long, fissure-shaped 
south vent formerly gave major eruptions.  I have never seen it erupt.  In 
your photograph, the margins of the eroded area excavated by the large 
eruptions clearly extends off the right side of the picture.  Now that the 
major activity has ceased, the old splash basin sports a profuse growth of 
grass and flowers.  This information is from Rocco Paperiello's 1987 report on 
Heart Lake.

Prometheus Spring itself is between the one in photo #3 and Trapezoidal 
Spring.  It is nearly invisible, and nothing more than an old post-hole nearly 
obscured by vegetation.

Photo #4: actually Paperiello #17.  A nice pool.  Rocco lists it as a geyser, 
but I have not seen it erupt.

Lower Group:

Photo #3 is Ivory Geyser.  It is the only dependable geyser in the Lower 
Group.  At a whopping 4 feet high, it is also the group's largest.

Upper Group:

Photo #1: This WAS Deluge Geyser.  Very sad to see its current state.

The other photographs are all correctly identified.

Jeff Cross
jacross at lamar.colostate.edu