[Geysers] more on Giantess 1/30

[Lynn Stephens]

Pat asked "has Vault ever drained before Giantess Geyser started erupting (thus being somewhat of an indicator of an impending Giantess eruption)? Or is it most always simultaneous or shortly after the start?"

 
I have never heard of Vault draining before Giantess Geyser started erupting such that it would act as an indicator of an impending Giantess.  (But I haven't done an exhaustive search of the literature so someone may have information otherwise.  Also, I wasn't gazing in the years Giantess was really active--1975-1977, 1980-1983 so if some of you who were have different information, I'd appreciate learning about it.)
 
Marler [1973] never saw Vault and Giantess erupt concurrently.  Marler stated "An eruption of Giantess causes rapid subsidence of water level in the other named springs [Vault, Teakettle and Infant]."  To me, Marler's statement Giantess caused Vault's water level to drop, indicates he didn't see Vault's water level drop prior to Giantess.
 
Hutchinson [1975] says "Every eruption of Giantess is always accompanied by a drop in water level of Vault.  All of them except, possibly the ones on August 15th and November 20th had eruptions of Vault occurring also."  Although Rick uses the phrase "accompanied by a drop in water level of Vault", I think Rick would have pointed out observations contrary to those Marler had observed if the water level of Vault dropped prior to Giantess.  Regardless of my inferences, Rick did not say anything about a drop in Vault's water level acting as a indicator of an impending Giantess.  
 
Landis [1988] included a list of features that showed "changes in normal behavior prior to Giantess' initial eruptions."  He did not include Vault in that list.  He also prepared a list of "other thermal features definitely affected by Giantess' eruptions."  Vault was included in this list.  He noted "Eruptions of Giantess caused Vault's pool to drop.  This drop began immediately upon Giantess' starting to erupt."  Again, Phil did not note that this was anything other than the ordinary course of events.
 
(For those of you who don't know, Phil Landis was Rick's assistant in 1987 and 1988 and Phil prepared extensive reports of his observations.  He once told me he tried to pattern his 1988 report after Marler's Inventory.  The majority of the report dealt with observations in the Upper Geyser Basin although he did include selected other features as well.  His 1987 report was about 80 pages of text + ~40 pages of figures; the 1988 report was ~205 pages of text and ~145 pages of figures.))
 
Although Pat didn't ask, all the information I've ever read or heard or seen indicates that Vault's independent active cycles start from a full, overflowing pool, with subsequent eruptions coming from water levels about five feet or so down in the crater.  Does anyone have any information indicating otherwise?  
 
Lynn  
 
  		 	   		  
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