[Geysers] Giant eruptions

[Tara Cross]

I didn't invest much time at F&M (given my very short Memorial Day trip), but the one thing I did notice was that the two times I had a brief look, Bottom Vent's runoff channel was completely dry.  I understand from other reports that Bottom Vent was putting out discharge prior to June 5, but what caught my attention was the difference from last year, when that channel was damp a good share of the time.  This means that it is at least *possible* that Bottom Vent stopped acting as a perpetual release valve for the system.
 
> I'd need to go through my notes from other "first eruptions," but I really> don't recall a time when people were saying, "Hey - F&M look pretty darn> good" and it erupts a day, week, or whatever later. Like I told some people> in Mem Day - it's just gonna go one day. 
Two comments here.  First, the reactivation of 2000 actually started in the middle of winter, so it would be even more unlikely that someone would have seen a change in F&M's behavior prior to the first eruption.  Second, the only time I ever remember hearing about any change prior to a long-interval Fan & Mortar eruption was in 2003, when F&M took a 43-day break between April 26 and June 8.  It was reported to me, but not observed by me personally, that in the 3-4 days prior to that eruption, the minor cycles had gotten visibly stronger with more discharge.  Obviously this was not the same thing as the a long-term dormancy, but I thought I would at least mention it.
 
--Tara Cross
fanandmortar at hotmail.com
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