[Geysers] Spring notes from Norris

[MA Bellingham]

Hello Gazers - below are general statements of interest that may help you spot change, trends, or just enjoy a visit to Norris over the upcoming holiday weekend.  

Since road opening on April 20, I have made 5 visits to Norris.  If I based my reports on just one visit, I could state certain features were not erupting.  I read a Norris report elsewhere on the internet basically stating that "nothing" was erupting.  I cautioned that person to rephrase that nothing erupted "during the time I was observing."    Change at Norris is what I love about it. 

To the news: 

Constant is cycling.  Yesterday was the first time I finally witnessed a true eruption, a brief single burst.  Norris staffer Nick has seen other eruptions. 

Pinto has been full and overflowing, yesterday was the first time I saw any activity, a one foot splash. 

Fireball appeared dry until my 4th visit, when it played for me, looking as usual.  I had a firm commitment at a set time and had to leave, when I left it was still erupting at >50 minutes.  Yes, you read that right, it continued a full eruption for 50 minutes and was still IE when I had to leave.

Arsenic is active.  I have had visits with no sightings, and a visit with several, a series?  Durations on that day were about 6 minutes, intervals 15 minutes in that case. 

Guardian seems unchanged, as a perpetual steam vent.  An aside, on opening weekend the ice cone this year in the Guardian/Black Growler area was the smallest I have seen in a decade. 

The east end of Porcelain in the Incline area is very interesting!  It is flooded with water, and gathering the suspended blue and cream colored precipitate and deposits.  The Incline area itself is under water, with constant splashing from 5 vents in that area.  The vent area is a pretty blue, the rest is surrounded by the whitish cream precipitate.  It's very striking.  The high pressure vent in the Feisty area continues, although it looks a little wetter than some years.  (If you disagree that Feisty is the predecessor to that vent, take it up with Rocco.) 

Yesterday Blue was observed with heavy boils and good waves, but I didn't see an eruption. 

Carnegie Drill hole is spouting like a drinking fountain, and surrounded by a pool of water. 

There is a new sinkhole near the "Solfatara - Unstable Ground" sign near Congress.  Congress is low and blueish in color. 

Vixen is active, based on Norris staff, and wet rocks.  Durations appear to be very brief.  Runoff channels going toward and away from the boardwalk appear dry, so I would be surprised if it has having majors.  Shards of lodgepole bumper wood where the major runoff used to meet the foot path have not moved in 3 visits. 

There is a new sinkhole across the boardwalk from Vixen, basketball sized, about 4 feet deep, with water at the very bottom.  Sometimes it is calm, other times the water is more agitated. I hope this doesn't herald a new discovery of Thermus Boardwalkitus Closeitovtuous. 

Down at "Sagebrush Lizard"  ("Creamsicle") area, the perpetual play has a whirligig sound, audible from Vixen.  This sound was new since my last visit.  

Son of Green Dragon is splashing muddy water to several feet. 

Something-near-Orby-but I-am-never-sure-what-is-where-over-there is active.  

Yesterday there was active splashing from something in the Pebble Geyser area.  

Rubble was calm, but full of dark grey water in the vent area.  

Veteran minors, but seems energetic.  

Yesterday Palpitator was empty, the first I have seen this season.  The flat on both sides of the boardwalk NW of Monarch is fun to see continued sputtering.

Even on a warm 70 degree day, Forgotten Fumarole had hot, visible, forceful steam puffs. 

With the new boardwalk bypassing the Steamboat steps, I have forgotten to check on the heat movement/tree deaths above Arch Steam Vent, but it seems to me that little strip is more open and visible from the Grand Loop road as you drive past. 

The hillside above Black Growler is heating up, after the last snow storm (May 6) melting, steam and audible gas noises were heard.  The heat is nearer the asphalt path than last year. 

Most Interesting to me was yesterday when I entered Porcelain Basin Black Growler was quiet!!  I visited with Norris Interp Nick about it, and we walked down to Constant.  When we looked back a few minutes later, it had restarted, with water in the system!  It looked like a mini-Fireball.  The newish structure in the Ledge system (the one with the heart shaped orifice) also had more water at that time. 


By the time I left after a few Constant cycles Black Growler appeared to be back to being a wet noisy steam vent.  I will add a photo of that on my FB page of the 'water phase' if anyone is interested.   

Farther north, New Highland Terrace at Mammoth continues to add color to the hillside.  A one foot jetting spouter has appeared at the top.  

That's all I can think of.  I made a flying trip yesterday to the UGB  to visit with friends before the weather changes.  Each visit there are more regulars in the basin.  After a very strange "non-winter" I guess summer of 2012 has arrived. 

See you on the boardwalks,
MA

M.A. Bellingham
mabdepot at msn.com

 		 	   		  
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