[Geysers] Fan & Mortar details, 8/30/09 and 9/4/09

[Tara Cross]

Sorry for the delay in posting these.  Unlike the two eruptions that followed, these eruptions had typical pre-eruptive behavior.





August 30, 2009 @ 2331

2234 River on
2240 Main Vent roar
2244 River off (River pause)
2247 Main Vent splash, continued for about 20 minutes during the pause
2254 Bottom (d~10m)
2311 River on (pause length 27 minutes)
2315 Gold on
2316 Angle on
2325 Upper Mortar surge
2327 lock
2331 Main Vent surge, then East Vent

Main Vent splashing was on the short side, starting only 44 minutes before the start of the eruption, but it was strong and persistent.  Water levels in the minor vents were excellent, and then Upper Mortar had a strong, juicy surge only 14 minutes after River.  The vents built into lock at 16 minutes.  When River came on at 2311, I mis-read my watch and accidentally called the start as "2331."  When the others chuckled, I told them that I was merely anticipating the start time.  They weren't as impressed with my prediction as I thought they should be....


September 4, 2009 @ 0323

0205 River on
0212 Main Vent roar
0215 River off (River pause)
0229 River on (pause length 14 minutes)
0244 River off (River pause)
0245 Bottom Vent (d~18, with 2 pauses)
0302 River on (pause length 18 minutes)
0307 Gold on
0311 Angle on
0316 Frying Pan on
0319 lock
0323 Upper Mortar surged to 5-10 feet above the cone
0323 East Vent

It was too steamy to tell exactly when Main Vent splashing, but it was strong through the first pause.  It weakened some when River came on again, but finally won the battle for a second pause.  Then Bottom Vent started, and eventually Main Vent's activity waned.  Water levels in the minor vents never waned, and lock occurred at 17 minutes.

The eruption was backlit by a full moon, so flashlights were not needed.  After Mortar went into steam, I started watching for one of my favorite things--East Vent stopping and then starting up again.  But East Vent completely stopped and did not start up again until after the first pause in Main Vent's eruption.  I'm not sure I've ever seen that before.  Believe it or not, I had seen 75 eruptions but none by moonlight.  I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful eruption as my first.

--Tara Cross
fanandmortar at hotmail.com

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