[Geysers] Geyser Report 6/4 Stephens

[Lynn Stephens]

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FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE, INCLUDING PUBLICATION IN THE SPUT.

 

If I had taken a detour to go to the Visitor Center to delog this morning, or if the geyser fog on the road had been any thicker, I would have missed the start of Great Fountain this morning (0559).  I had just pulled into the parking lot, directed a stare toward the one other vehicle in the parking lot, which had its engine running and a large dog that stuck its head out the open window to loudly bark at me.

 

I didn't stay long, but went over to Pink Cone.  Luckily, it hadn't erupted yet.  While waiting, I saw, or rather mostly heard, Labial (0614, double interval 13h49m or average 6h54m).  I didn't get back for this afternoon's eruption and when I left Great Fountain, Labial was doing its post-eruptive splashing (every few seconds) at 1815, for a double interval less than 12 hours.

 

On my way back to the Upper Basin I saw the bull elk with the velvet antlers that I assume still have some growth yet to add in the meadow of the main highway across the road from the entrance to Firehole Lake Drive

 

While I was spending some time in the office, I heard Steve Eide call "Beehive just had a 6 foot splash."  I immediately shut down the computer, and started driving toward the Lodge parking lot, assuming this was a "Herb Warren" splash.  Sure enough, before I got to the parking lot Steve called "water in the Indicator" and a minute later he called the Indicator.  As I was walking quite rapidly up the trail to Geyser Hill after crossing the bridge, Rod Post passed me and said, "Whatcha running for."  I replied, "Indicator" and kept on going, asking a few visitors along the way if they knew about the Indicator.  One couple replied they did, but they were going off Geyser Hill so they could go around to the river overlook.  A few moments later I noticed Rod had turned around and was also trying to collect visitors as he made his way back up geyser hill toward Beehive.

 

Risking a dousing, I stood on the Plume side of Beehive, but we didn't get a rainbow.  Thankfully we didn't get doused either.  

 

Each season I have at least one instance where I am reminded that sometimes things I take for granted as being "common knowledge" haven't been transmitted to other gazers and/or NPS personnel.  I mentioned the fact that Riverside's overflow is the variable in Riverside's interval to another gazer this morning.  He indicated he was not aware of that, even though he knew that overflow varied from about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.  I then qualified my statement by indicating that at least that has been the case the last time I had looked at data and that visual observations from the 1980's (and also prior knowledge) had been confirmed by Ralph Taylor's electronic data.  This evening before starting this post, I checked Ralph's discussion of Riverside's behavior pattern at http://geyserstudy.org/geyser.aspx?pGeyserNo=RIVERSIDE and his data still shows that the eruption duration and quiet period following the eruption are both constants; that the length of overflow is still the variable.  (Thank you Ralph for making the data available and your write-ups of the analysis.)

 

Following some administrative time, I went out to Flood to time some intervals while waiting for Till.  The two intervals from major to major eruptions were 51m0s and 59m10 seconds.  Durations of the three eruptions varied from 6m19s to 6m25s.  The difference between the two intervals--51 minutes into the second interval, Flood had a minor eruption lasting almost 30 seconds.

 

Till erupted at 1326, a triple interval of 27h07m, or 9h2m average.  Jeff Cross asked about my comment on a connection between rain and Till and I gave a brief response.  Probably the reason he hadn't heard about a possible connection before is because I probably hadn't mentioned it and I don't think anyone, other than myself since Bob Hoffman left the park in 1989, has gathered data on Till as an ongoing project.  (Some people do ask for my predictions so they can see an eruption or two, and people will give me times for Till.)  I hadn't mentioned a possible connection before because I hadn't been able to collect data to support (or disprove) my theory.  I think I have data to suggest a long run connection, but this is the first season I have been here early enough in the season to collect data on what happens with Till intervals coming out of spring into summer.

 

While I was waiting at Flood, I was treated to two aerial displays.  While I've seen several osprey this season, this morning was the first time this season I had seen one flying with a fish in its talons.  Next time I want to actually see the bird dive and catch the fish.  I also saw a mature bald eagle (the only type of eagle I can positively identify) circling overhead between Till and Flood.

 

My concluding project today was this afternoon's Great Fountain (1715, of=71, p=6).  Because I round the 70-100 minute window to start or end on a "0" or "5," the opening of my window just barely caught the eruption.  Of course, most visitors didn't realize that because the 6 mintue pause pushed it a few minutes further into the window.  When Great Fountain started overflow, we were having a heavy downpour of rain in the lower basin.  (We had rain storms off and on all day).  The sky cleared during overflow and we had plenty of sun on the eruption.  

 

I heard another version of predicting Great Fountain this afternoon.  "It overflows 1-1/2 to 2 hours.  When it's finished erupting, the overflow stops."  As I told one of the new law enforcement rangers the other morning, it will continue to have trickling overflow off the first terrace for awhile after the eruption ends. (Maybe one of these days I'll stay to time how long it does continue)  If you hear overflow and the pool is full, then it is pre-eruptive.  If you hear overflow and the pool appears empty, it may be in a pause between series, or it may have already ended.  

 

I watched a mother solve the problem of her 18-24 month old child who seemed determined to throw rocks into Great Fountain's runoff channel even after she had gently told him "No" several times.  She held out her hands so he could pour rocks into her hands over and over again.

 

One other piece of information--Dave Leeking reported Lone Pine was an empty pool at 1736 this afternoon.  Barbara Lasseter spent several hours there on June 2, until she ran out of reading material, while it bubbled and periodically overflowed.  Even though the price of gas is about $2.00 less than it was last summer, I don't think I'll be running back and forth very often this year trying to catch an eruption.

 

Lynn Stephens

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