[Geysers] Trip report, Black Sand, Biscuit, and Midway

[Stephen Eide]

Greetings and Salutations,

My apologies for being so slow here with the report of my park visit April
16-24 2011.

In the Black Sand Basin there are very few changes.  Spouter and Cliff
appear to be normal.  Ragged and Jagged only had small eruptions for me, but
that is not unusual.  I only saw weak splashing out of Sunlight Geyser.
The fumarole between Spouter and Iron Creek is still active but slightly
weaker.  Green Spring does not look like it was active recently, it is not
boiling and the wash area around it has unwashed buffalo droppings.  UNNG
BSB-2 was just a quiet pool, it did not even vary in level when I watched
it. Emerald Pool looks even cooler.  The little spring to the east of the
boardwalk to Emerald is still hot, maybe boiling, with a steady overflow.
Cinnamon Spouter (UNNG BSB-3) was its usual self, perpetual to 2-4 feet.
Handkerchief Pool and Handkerchief Geyser were both just bubbling, UNNG
BSB-5 was erupting to a few feet.  The perpetual spouter just under the
boardwalk in front of Rainbow pool is much less active, barely bubbling at
all.  Rainbow Pool and Sunset Lake are beautiful and hot, but not erupting.
Nothing but light steam and a little overflow from Whistle Geyser.

In the Biscuit Basin my report is much like what Gordon Bower noted. Island
Geyser is active, the water levels in the river are still low.  Salt and
Pepper are still active perpetual spouters, if anything they are about a
foot taller than I noticed last year.  There does appear to be a small vent
below Salt and Pepper just a few inches above the river level that bubble,
perhaps erupts to 1-2 inches.  Most of the time it was hard to see through
the steam from Salt and Pepper.  Black Diamond was warm and getting clearer
and the small algae mats between it and Black Opal are intact so I doubt it
has erupted recently.  As Gordon noted Jewel had intervals of 10-11 minutes
and the eruptions were longer and appeared to be to be a bit higher.  Shell
Spring was ie when I was in the area.  Avoca Spring was boiling strong and
occasionally erupting to six feet but only rarely, with minutes to tens of
minutes between the big eruptions.  The pool level of Silver Globe is
fluctuating, rising and falling as much as three centimeters.  At first I
thought these rises were in relationship to Avoca Spring but as I watched
more I think the action was independent of the activity in Avoca.  I did not
see any other action in the Silver Globe group.  East Mustard was normal
with intervals in the seven to eight minute range.  I caught a closed
interval for Outpost Geyser of four minutes and saw one eruption of Green
Bubbler,  That was all I saw in the Outpost area.  From the sound of it
Black Pearl and Coral were bubbling/boiling deep in the craters but that was
all I saw.  Sapphire Pool was normal.

I did not see Mercury Geyser erupt for the week,or ever catch an eruption of
Artimesia.  I did see Atomizer once from the road.

In the Midway Basin I think Till is active from the wash marks after it
snows but I did not catch any eruptions.  Flood Geyser appeared to be normal
for the short time I watched it.  Turquoise Spring is full and it looked
like during the winter it was overflowing into Excelsior.  The water was
very clear.  Opal pool was full with very light overflow and the water was
also clear with only a slight hing of opalescence.

Stephen J. Eide
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