[Geysers] Geyser question -- Imperial Geyser

[Lynn Stephens]

Marler mentioned Imperial Geyser in his 1966 August monthly report:

 

            Imperial Geyser:  The most signal geyser activity to occur during the year was the rejuvenation of Imperial after 37 years of dormancy.  Due to its isolated location on the south side of the south Twin Butte in the Lower Basin, no sustained observations have been made.  Neither the beginning nor the end of any eruption has been observed.  However, it has been observed that an eruption lasts for several hours.  Observations made in 1928 and 1929 by Allen and Day indicate that an eruption lasted from two to five hours.  Current eruptions seem to be of equal length and are judged to be 30 to 40 feet in height.
            How long the current cycle of activity lasts no doubt depends on how soon the eruptions open up the fractures in the bottom of the crater permitting gas leakage, which gas is necessary to bring about an eruption.  Imperial’s crater is in glacial gravels.  The same is true of Excelsior’s, resulting in active cycles being of comparatively short duration with dormant phase lasting for many years.
 

Eruptions of "30 to 40 feet in height" combined with no observation of either "the beginning nor the end of any eruption" plus subsequent information included in Marler's Inventory indicates this was/is probably the same vent that is currently erupting.  

 

Lynn Stephens 


Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 17:49:32 -0800
From: conanvandt at yahoo.com
Subject: Re: [Geysers] Geyser question
To: geysers at lists.wallawalla.edu


Imperial.

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 2, 2009, at 2:48 PM, Andrew Hafner <geyserhound at hotmail.com> wrote:




Hello all,
 
  I'm wondering if you can help me with a geyser question from someone's visit to Yellowstone a long time ago.
  My mother and her family visited Yellowstone in early to mid-June of 1966, as part of a larger swing through the western U.S. She, along with my late grandfather, have told me stories about their time in the park. My grandfather mentioned that they saw a "big, unusual geyser" erupt while there. The rangers told him it was the first time the geyser had erupted in a while. This has intrigued me ever since, and I'm curious as to just what geyser it might have been. I know that Steamboat had some eruptions that year, but not much else. Suggestions, anyone?
 
Thank you.
Andrew Hafner



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