[Geysers] Closing Week Report 2012 West Thumb

[Stephen Eide]

Hello again,

Here is the trip report for West Thumb on 11-2-12.  To start out with there
is some increased activitiy in the West Thumb mud pot area.  There
were three active mud pots in the mud pot area (two mud volcanos and one
thick bubbling pool) and then under the boardwalk in front of Seismograph
pool there is another active mud pot.  The Boardwalk down by Lakeside
Spring and Lakeshore Geyser is new and they did a good job on it.  The
geyser in the water to the south of Lakeshore is still slightly underwater,
it looked like if the lake drops another 4 to 6 inches it may have a chance
to heat up and erupt.  Lakeshore Geyser bubbled with no change in strength
and did not erupt while I was around.  Fishing Cone did bubble out of its
side vent, perhaps with some periodic change in the strenght of the
bubbling.  Big Cone sounded like it had bubbling/boiling in the vent but
nothing was visible.  Black Pool was very hot as usual.  King Geyser had
some periodic increase in its boiling, it was flat some times and then
every few minutes it would boil to a couple of feet in height.  There was
no way to tell if it was doing more.

I have a question on Skinny Geyser or Skinny Man Geyser, which vent is it?
I remember seeing it a few years back but I cannot remember if it is the
first spring above Black Pool or the second spring.  Anyway, it would not
erupt for me so I could not learn first hand.  Abyss pool continues to be
warm but growing cyanobacteria mats on the sides of the pool.  Hillside
Geyser did have some gentle bubbles but that was all.  Twin Geyser's vents
were low, the North vent is quiet, the South vent bubbles lightly.  The
little steam vent across from Twin Geyser is still there but it is weak, it
is more of a sigh of steam than a hiss of steam.

Across the flat from Twin Geyser there is mostly quiet and calm.  Blue
Funnel Spring is hot but has no overflow.  Ephedra Spring is just warm,
below overflow, and growing algae mats.   Perforated pool is hot and has
overflow but is doing no bubbling at all.  Percolating Spring has almost no
water but the little bit of water in the bottom of the pool does appear to
be hot and it is bubbling.  Thumb Geyser appears to be warm at best.  Ledge
Spring may be active, when I walked up it was just a little below overflow
but the runoff channel had some wider areas of wetness.  I watched it
overflow slightly, then gradually get stronger however it then seemed to
stablize at that level with steady overflow.  I left after watching it for
about 30 minutes.  The runoff channel did look like at least some of the
time Ledge overflows stronger and maybe it could erupt at those times.
Collapsing Pool is warm, not hot, and well below overflow.  Surging Spring
is boiling or bubbling heavily but is an inch or so below overflow and the
level did not change for the 30 minutes I was in the area.

I did not see Occasional or Lone Pine.  I did stop to look at Potts, but
saw nothing of note.

Stephen Eide
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