[Geysers] Geyser report Wednesday May 9

[TSBryan at aol.com]

First of all, more about The Grotto and Giant activity of yesterday. Since  
the Grotto mini-marathon that ended sometime pre-dawn on Tuesday, Grotto had 
had  three short, normal eruptions: Tuesday 5/8 1730ie and off at 2008; 
overnight  5/8-9, and then Wednesday start 1112, off 1310.
 
When I first got out to Giant and Grotto Wednesday, I found Bijou strong  and 
Grotto long off (runoff channels essentially dry at 0730). Almost  
immediately I realized that some "weirdness" was taking place, as Grotto  Fountain would 
rise and boil, then South Grotto Fountain would erupt as Grotto  Fountain 
dropped. Throughout all of this, too, Spa was full, boiling a little  (boiling, 
not just bubbling), and pulsating, discharging a good stream of water.  It was 
doing so at 0745, and it was doing so after Grotto started, as late as  about 
1130.
 
The cycles repeated roughly every 10 minutes; each was accompanied by  
attempts to erupt by Startling, and one time it did play briefly to about 10  feet. 
Specifically, I saw South Grotto Fountain at 0758, (Startling 0806), SGF  
0808, 1818, 0829, 0838, (break in observations), 1036, 1047, and 1102. Finally,  
at 1110 Grotto Fountain came up very quickly, erupted and had Grotto follow at  
1112.
 
Meanwhile, it had been obvious since Tuesday that Giant wanted to erupt.  
Although I don't have the specifics, suffice to say that that day's hot periods  
were uniformly "better than average", especially later in the day when  
(apparently, as I was not there) there were back-to-back hot periods of 10  minutes 
and one of about 15 minutes including a Feather restart. All in all, we  were 
really surprised when Giant had not erupted overnight.
 
So Wednesday morning, the first observed hot period started at 0847. Part 1  
lasted 8 minutes, during which there was moderate overflow from Mastiff that  
occasionally surged to 3 or 4 feet, Feather was as tall as the cone, Cave  
reached a foot or so high, and etc. Then Mastiff dropped, everything else  
dropped, and 2 minutes later, Feather ans Satellite restarted. The restart  lasted 
about 5 1/2 minutes, during which there was strong surging in Giant  (pretty 
much filling the cone several times). Shucks, but in retrospect we had  far 
better viewing that afternoon.
 
Subsequent hot periods were quite weak and hourly: 0956 (d < 1 min),  1057 (d 
= 2m 18s), 1159 (D = 3m 52s), and 1256 (d < 2 min but with remarkably  strong 
surging in Giant).
 
Then, of course, Giant at 1413, about 9 minutes into a hot period that  
itself did not start until about 6 minutes after water was first seen rising in  
Mastiff, and which had Feather and Feather Satellite continue for 6 minutes  
after Mastiff dropped and for 2 minutes after Bijou came back on.
 
Gorgeous and fun, but we did see some other things, too.
 
Daisy back to longs: 0704ns, 1030, and 1337.
 
Riverside 0759 and 1359.
 
Artemisia 1005ie. (Jim had called it as 0904, but he was with a group of  8th 
graders from Florida, and we think he must have seen a steam puff from some  
distance -- but is it possible that it had an hour-plus long eruption as an  
effect of Tuesday's magnitude 4.6 earthquake near Sheridan, MT? [probably  not])
 
Oblong 0904 and 1348.
 
Grand started at the same time as the morning's first, big hot period,  0847, 
and though seen from afar, it had 3 bursts. The next Grand was at 1526,  
during Giant, and it apparently had 2 bursts.
 
As had happened the day before, Castle had a minor eruption in the night,  at 
0109E. The major restart was at 0800, so again a rather long minor interval  
of 6h 51m.
 
Lion had a series of at least 2 eruptions, 0709 ini and 0840.
 
Never saw Aurum; never saw Depression; heard only one Plume called;  
Beehive's Indicator and surroundings remain orange.
 
Scott Bryan



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