[Geysers] Geyser report 6/26-6/27/2010

[David Schwarz]

   Beehive continued its series of sub-11-hour intervals today (6/27) with
eruptions at 0715 and 1649.  Yes, that's a 9h 34m interval.  I was
half-expecting a false indicator.

   Churn had a single eruption 6/26 around 11:00 or noon--sorry, I was on my
bike and didn't write down the time.  The eruption came about 15 or 20
minutes after Spasmodic dropped below overflow during a Tardy cycle in which
Penta had overflowed heavily.

   The Sawmill Group seems to have been in a weak Tardy mode for the last
couple of days.  Sawmill erupted 6/26 at 1547 and in the early morning of
6/27, but has otherwise been quiet.  Penta has made at least a token attempt
to erupt, with overflow and bubbles in the side vents, on almost all
observed Tardy cycles.

   Depression continues on two-and-a-half- to three-hour intervals.  The
character of the one eruption I watched up close was very different from any
I saw from the start between 1991 and 2005.  In the past, I've seen it have
cycles of overflow and ebb at 10-15-minute intervals.  As the eruption
approached, small clusters of bubbles would start rising over the vent
during the overflows.  The first sign that an eruption was starting was
spilling of water over the rim nearest the boardwalk, accompanied by
intensification of the bubbles.

   Today, I watched it have _much_ more intense cycles of overflow and ebb.
During the overflows, it completely flooded its runoff channels.  The ebb
brought it down well below the rim--easily a foot, maybe more.  The eruption
began during one of the overflows with a sudden torrent of bubbles, followed
many seconds later by a rise in pool level spilling water over all rims.
The eruption itself was weak, lasting three minutes, with all bursts after
the first minute less than a foot above ground, and many barely breaking the
surface of the water.

   A circular hole across the boardwalk and toward Depression from the
Scissors Springs, in which I've seen clear, boiling water in the past, is
periodically having strong enough splashes to throw water a foot or so above
the rim (more than 2 feet above the pool), and has started to clear gravel
from around the edge of the crater.

   Also on Geyser Hill, "Exclamation Point" Spring appears to be hot and in
continuous overflow, which I've never seen before.

   Oblong continues to have consistent three-ish hour intervals.

   Giant still has not had any hot periods.  Bijou is pausing, but usually
only for a few seconds.  There was one report of a 90-second pause with no
activity of interest by Mastiff or the platform vents.  Giant is splashing
frequently in the cone, and Mastiff is splashing frequently from the back
vent.

   Grotto has been having very few long-mode eruptions, but, for what it's
worth, the eruption that began 6/27 at 1412 was still going when I left the
basin at 2000.

   I lucked into a Gemini series this evening, and saw the  following:

   Gemini: 2032ie (steam from Great Ftn), 2041, 2051, 2100, 2109.  After the
2109 eruption, the right vent began having independent splashing, indicating
the end of the series.

   While I was watching Gemini, White Dome erupted at 2037, 2057, and 2122.

   Great Fountain was in early overflow at 2030 on 6/27.  It had not erupted
by 2125 when I left the area.

   Artemisia was ie at 1946 6/27.

   At West Thumb, Surging Spring was muddy and having periodic heavy
overflows when I passed through on the way in on 6/25.  There is a ring of
dead and pulled-down grass on the side towards the boardwalk and to the
right of the pool when facing it on the boardwalk.  The ring of dead
vegetation is a couple of feet above the pool level, and many feet out from
it.


Animal jams:

   A herd of bison with lots of calves is slowly migrating from west of
Madison Junction toward the Lower Basin.  People have reported it taking as
long as an hour and a half to get past during mid-day traffic, and I can
personally vouch that it took 30 minutes to get from 1/4 mile south of
Madison Junction to the first pullout west of Madison on Friday night.
Today they were reportedly uphill from the turnoff to Firehole Canyon Drive.

David Schwarz
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