[Geysers] Trip Report 4-27 to 5-5-13 Norris

[Stephen Eide]

Greetings,

I was in Norris on 5-1-13.  There was still some snow here and there mostly
on the north side of the Museum and on the hillside near Steamboat.  Other
than that the walkways were clear.   Congress pool was about half full of
slightly opalescent water.

The eastern or upper part of the Porcelain Basin was more active with some
changes.  The hill above where the trail to the Norris Campground starts
had several strongly steaming thermal features.  The Cave above the end of
the Boardwalk continued to be full and overflowing with blue opalescent
water.  On the far north of this ridge one of the springs appears to be a
perpetual spouter to about ten feet or so.  I have a hard time estimating
height at that distance.

On the flat below the hill there are two new or reactivated steam vents in
basically a line from the end of the trail past congress pool and ending
just to the east of Blue Geyser.  I have never seen Feisty Geyser but one
of the vents is about where Scott Bryan places Feisty.  The springs/pools
just against the side of the hill where the flat of the Porcelain Terrace
hits the slope are now just quiet light blue opalescent pools.  Blue Geyser
was several feet below overflow.

Hurricane Vent and Sunday Geyser were quiet and cool.  Over the last
several years it appears Ledge has remodeled it vent significantly.  If an
when it does erupt again, I suspect the eruption will look much different.
The usual steaming features beyond Ledge were active.

On the lower flats I did see Arsenic (I forgot to write down the time),
Fireball at 1205, and Constant at 1219 and 1240.  Constant had three rises
at about twenty minute intervals before the first eruption.  And I almost
saw Whirligig.  I was watching a Constant rise aw 1158 when at 1159 with no
warning Whirligig started to roll and boil and the rooster tail splashed to
about a foot.  But then it stopped.  I waited for an hour with no repeat
appearance.  Other than that Whirligig was in steady light overflow.

Sputter Pot, Pinwheel, and Pequito were all quiet when I passed.  On the
other side of the boardwalk from them one of the brick red perpetual
spouters is nearly a geyser.  It splashes up about a foot and is quiet
every few seconds for one to three seconds.  So I think you could call it a
geyser.

No activity at Ebony or Bear Den.  The activity at Glacial Melt Geyser,
Cat's Eye Spring. and Teal Blue Bubbler is all weak with only some springs
with overflow and no eruptions.

Forgotten Fumarole looked like it was only a Fumarole.  Minute Geyser is
unchanged.  The two perpetual Spouter to the West of the walkway between
Minute and Monarch have changed a bit.  They are both active to about a
foot high but one is orange creamcycle colored and the other is a dark
tan.  Sorta of like twin sons of different mothers.

Monarch had no signs of any recent eruptive activity.  From the water line
on the side of the pool it did look like it may have intermittent overflow
but nothing happened in the few minutes I watched it.

Fearless Geyser was boiling and Palpitator Spring was Palpitating.  Rubble
Geyser showed no signs of recent activity.  Corporal was low when I first
looked at is and when filling did bubble nicely like a weaker version of
Spindle Geyser.  As it filled Dog's Leg Spring drained and gurgled.  Just
when Corporal was about to reach overflow the bubbling stopped and the pool
drained.  However, all around Dog's Leg Spring there is a new splash zone
where the spring has washed away loose sinter.  I did not see it erupt, but
it looks like Dog's Leg spring was active through the winter.  I think
Karen Low mentioned it erupting during the winter on the List Server.

Veteran Geyser was only doing minors for me but the pool was about half
full with nice opalescent water.

Vixen was not erupting for me and made no noise for the few minutes I
waited on it.  Pearl was full of opalescent water with moderate overflow
but no bubbles and no eruptions.

It appears UNNG-NBK-5 or Bastille Geyser has reactivated.  I am almost sure
that was the feature acting as either a perpetual spouter or a short
interval geyser.  The height is 1-3 feet high and it does get quiet for a
second or two every 5-10 seconds.

Perhaps related is that the springs across the Boardwalk from Pearl are now
almost quiet, they have no visible water and no overflow but they do steam
lightly and from a couple of them you can hear water gurgling down in the
vent.

No changes were seen in the Porkchop area.

In the area between Orbicular and the raised Boardwalk to the south
there were three active geysers all erupting at different times to 1-3 feet
high. The close geyser to the West has a long interval but the close geyser
to the East and the geyser closest to Orbicular had intervals of about a
minute and durations of 10-15 seconds.  It has been years now since I have
seen Orbicular and the crater this time did not appear to be wet or show
signs of recent activity.

Son of Green Dragon was not active but did have a pool of water.  Yellow
Funnel Spring is a grey, muddy perpetual spouter.   Blue Mud Spring was
active but only rarely threw drops of mud above the rim of the spring.

Green Dragon is about as quiet as I have ever seen it.  It is cooler with
much less steam.  From here to Echinus there was little to report, all is
normal or quiet.  Arch Steam Vent has not changed since it had that little
expansion a few years back.

Echinus does not appear to have had any recent eruptions.  Sigh...

At Cistern Spring you may notice the boardwalk and overlook area are now
farther back from the pool and the interpretive signs are new.

Steamboat was having mostly duals but only to about 1/4 to 1/2 tree
height.  I did not watch it that long.

Emerald Spring was normal.  I noticed that the walkway up to Bathtub spring
is gone, I don't usually go up there so this could be very old news that I
am just catching on to.

No activity from Harding Geyser and Steamvalve Spring was quiet and over a
foot below overflow.

In the parking lot, the bathroom with flush toilets continues to be
closed.  I do hope it will open sometime.

Stephen Eide
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