[Geysers] Giant etc. last week

[Graham Meech]

Well I got back from my first winter trip to Yellowstone last night.  What a
trip, two Giant eruptions and a Steamboat 'something'.  Shame I didn't see
any of them!  Well truthfully I did see some of the steam from Steamboat on
Saturday 24th from the roadway in the snowcoach but it's not the same as
seeing it up close and early in its steam phase or even better during water
phase..

 

As Kitt reported, I went right down to Giant when I arrived and found the
signs washed around 1330 on Sunday Feb 18th.  I called on the radio hoping
the signs hadn't been replaced after the Feb 12th eruption but they were and
Giant had erupted sometime overnight the 17th-18th (while I was at Mammoth
waiting to come down to OF).  That was exactly what I hoped would NOT
happen, making it unlikely Giant would erupt again before I had to leave on
the 24th.  Here's the activity I saw at Giant and Grotto during the week.

 

Sunday 18th 

Giant overnight (or maybe as Kitt was sitting at Grand or in the snow
lodge.)

Grotto 1336ie, still ie at 1730

 

Monday 19th

Grotto off, looks like it's post-marathon in the morning.

Giant Hot period between 0920 and 1400 - weak, snow still on India

Grotto Fountain 1433 d=28m - No Grotto eruption!

Giant Hot Period ~1457, d~7m during the Grotto Fountain solo, snow washed
off India

Giant Hot Period 1655 d=4m50s, India almost covered but not quite

 

Tuesday 20th

Grotto Fountain 0622

Grotto 0632, still ie at 12:30 when I left to go on the Firehole River
Snowcoach tour.

Giant Hot Period 0901 d=3m10s, included Feather Satellite but no significant
Mastiff overflow

 

Wednesday 21st

Grotto 0623ie, off ~0930

Giant Hot Period 0654, d=4m10s, minor Mastiff overflow

Giant Hot Period 1208 d=3m35s, India got a little wet but not much

Grotto 1410ie, still ie at 1745 when I left the area (I missed the start
getting lunch)

Giant Hot Period 1435, d-8m - this hot period started with some nice
vertical surges in Giant to the top of the cone but they stopped a couple of
minutes into the hot period.  India 2/3 covered, Feather attempted to
restart but failed.

Bathtub 1600

 

Thursday 22nd

Grotto 0612ie, off by 0716.  Bijou was in a slowdown but wasn't shut off
like it should have been after a Marathon.  Grotto did not erupt again
during daylight making it look like it had marathoned but there was a lot of
snow in Spa's runoff channel.  Rather strange.  I didn't see any activity
from Grotto Fountain, S. Grotto Fountain or Startling all day either.

Giant Hot Period between 0745 and 1000, weak, India still mostly snow
covered - definitely not your usual strong marathon recovery hot period and
very early (and during my breakfast break)

Giant Hot Period 1213, d=9m, India completely covered.  There didn't seem to
be much Mastiff surging and nothing from Giant, even in the afterplay.

Giant Hot Period 1528 d~4m, some overflow from Mastiff but not much

Giant Hot Period 1712, d-5m55s, India 1/3 wet, again not much surging

No Grotto or Giant steam clouds seen before I went in at 1830

 

Friday 23rd

Giant sign washed down to India at 0630, so Giant went sometime before 0500.

Grotto 0630ie

I spent most of the day on the hill feeling not to happy about Giant.  If
the last two eruptions had each been 12 hours later I might have seen them
both...

 

Saturday 24th

Grotto Fountain 0658ie

Grotto 0726 - I thought this might be another Grotto Fountain solo but
Grotto eventually started.

Grotto was on for less than 28 minutes.

Giant Hot Period 0747, d=3m35s - this is the only hot period without the SW
Vents and it looked like Feather Satellite erupted but it was hard to tell
through the steam.

Left for Mammoth by snowcoach and flew home on Sunday.

 

The Grotto Fountain solo on Monday, 8 minute hot period on Tuesday with
early vertical surging in Giant, post-marathon'ish behavior and 9 minute hot
period on Thursday were all a bit strange.  The hot periods all developed
rapidly with Feather Satellite and Rust starting very fast.  Rust was
splashing much more than I have seen before, frequently about a foot (but
it's hard to judge at that distance).  I did not think there was much
surging at any time in Mastiff and Giant did very little surging except for
the 8 minute hot period and even then it was surging at the start, not the
end of the hot period!  So I was surprised it had gone when I came out on
Friday morning but given the general strength of the hot periods (i.e. no 1
minute courtesy Feathers seen)  I was not surprised that it went on a short
interval.  I just hoped it would have waited until daylight!

 

Go Giant....I will be back in May.

 

Graham

 

 

 

 

 

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