[Geysers] Geyser Activity at Canyon?

[Mike O'Brien]

On Sep 18, 2012, at 5:26 PM, JEFFREY CROSS wrote:

> Although the Canyon and Lower Falls are viewed by millions of people each year, the geysers found in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone almost never get mentioned anywhere.
> 
> I've heard only one comment made in the last 25 years about these geysers, and that was that the name "Phantom Bridge Geyser" was proposed for a geyser in the bottom of the canyon.  Its eruptions sometimes span the Yellowstone River, and appear as a ghostly bridge of spray and steam, hence the name.
> 
> Does anyone have recent (or any) information on the thermal features at Canyon?
> 
> Jeff Cross
> jeff.cross at utah.edu
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> 
> 

This year, I saw a hot spring seemingly about 200 feet down and to the right (i.e. the side away from the falls) from the Artist's Point lookout in the canyon.  Last year, from the same lookout, I saw what you refer to as "Phantom Bridge Geyser down in the bottom of the canyon, on the side toward the falls and rather close to the lookout.  It took me quite a while to process what I was seeing.  At first I thought it was a spray cloud from severe rapids.  Only gradually did I make out what looked like a silver bar crossing the canyon in the middle of the cloud, at which point I realized I was seeing quite a large geyser shooting fully horizontally across the canyon.  The cloud was steam.  I had an injured knee and quite a lot of photo equipment so I didn't hang around for a duration; it was i.e. when I saw it anyway.  I've not seen it before or since.

Mike O'Brien