[Geysers] Giant and Norris September 9

[Karen Webb]

I sent this to Scott off-list then wondered if anyone
on the list can 
help, since Scott is in the middle of moving and I
know there are a 
number of people very familiar with Norris:

We didn't get into Norris but kept driving past it.
The over look from 
the Norris-Madison Road is now pretty well overgrown
with new 
lodgepoles, but as we were driving I did see several
eruptive-looking 
steam clouds in the woods just south of the Grey Lakes
area. I had 
always thought the first one you came to was Medusa
(which may not be 
right), but there were at least two more, plus one up
the incline and to 
the west of the area of what I think is Medusa. Are
you familiar with 
them, or do you know if Rocco or Smokey or anyone has
mapped this area 
as intensively as Rocco and Marie did other places
like Kaleidoscope and 
Shoshone?
Thanks!
Karen Webb

TSBryan at aol.com wrote:
> I see that the news about yesterday's Giant has not
yet been posted. I 
> wasn't there -- I was at this computer working on my
book manuscript. 
> However, I am told:
>  
> It was marathon recovery, with Giant at 1532,
following about 2 
> minutes of Mastiff. This makes the interval 9d 05h
15m. A new chart is 
> attached.
>  
> Today I made a long-overdue visit to Norris, overdue
especially since 
> there WAS a disturbance of some sort last
Wednesday-Thursday, 9/5-6. I 
> noted previously that Ledge had erupted. Now I
understand that there 
> certainly was a water phase before the steam phase
set in so loudly 
> that it awoke campers at the Norris Campground.
Today, Ledge was one 
> of the deadest things at Norris -- not that there
was a whole lot of 
> activity. I'll be brief.
>  
> BACK BASIN
>  
> Minors by Steamboat were not impressive. I saw
nothing higher than 
> about halfway up the background trees, and nothing
I'd call concerted.
>  
> Echinus was bubbling and overflowing, as it has been
since the last 
> known eruption on June 6, 2007.
>  
> Probably the most impressive thing about Back Basin
was North Gray 
> Lake, which was erupting with violent surges to
maybe 8 feet high.
>  
> The new spouter near Porkchop was vigorous, spouting
opalescent water 
> up to 6 feet or so.
>  
> I saw one eruption by Vixen. After an interval of at
least 25 minutes, 
> at 1037 it had a duration of perhaps 20 seconds and
squirted thin jets 
> up to about 10 feet.
>  
> If this continues, the vent into Veteran's side pool
will be sealed 
> off within another year or so. It will be
interesting to see if that 
> causes any change in the activity (I doubt it).
While there today, I 
> saw nothing but frequent minor splashes from the
main vent.
>  
> Minute was producing some of the tallest jets I've
seen in recent 
> years. Some probably high 4 or 5 feet high.
>  
> Forgotten Fumarole was gently steaming, with a deep
rumbling sound 
> coming from way down in.
>  
> PORCELAIN BASIN
>  
> Aside from the above note about Ledge, there was
little to see. 
> Constant and Arsenic are clearly active, but I
didn't see either erupt.
>  
> Guardian was steaming powerfully and noisily, as was
the modern 
> incarnation of Black Growler.
>  
> One of the larger of many small spouts was what I
think is Fan Geyser, 
> reaching perhaps 3 feet.
>  
> Incline was splashing within its crater as the
nearby superheated 
> steam vent spouted with a whistling sort of sound.
>  
> Interestingly, the sintered-over rock pile at
Carnegie Drill Hole was 
> intermittently spouting (!) as high as 2 feet. Would
this be 
> Yellowstone's only geysering well?
>  
> Congress Pool, low and quiet and greenish, was
emitting a horrible 
> smell. Didn't seem to be sulphurous, but it sure was
positively terrible.
>  
> That's all for that. As those still in the park
know, I now have too 
> many things on my plate -- when it rains, it pours
-- and some of this 
> stuff really _requires_ that I be in Arizona. So,
sad but true, 
> tomorrow (9/10) will be my last day in the park for
this year. (Well, 
> shoot, I've only been through the gate on 108 days
this year.)
>  
> Scott Bryan
>
>
>
>
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