<html xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml"> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)"> <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> From my personal experience of seeing Steamboat, the violent part of the steam phase started about 12 minutes into the water phase and was *violent* for a good hour or so, but, to be fair, by 30 minutes you could tell it was already “weakening” compared to when it first went into steam phase.  From about 12 minutes to about 18 minutes it went back and forth between water and steam, and by 25 minutes or so was mostly steam although there were some wispy jets still coming from it for a couple of hours.  I have seen Steamboat in steam phase for 2-3 days, but by the end, it is really forced rolling steam with occasional grumbles.  The best part of the steam phase is the first 30-60 minutes.  It is still better than most geysers several hours later.   Nothing about the Steamboat major made me think of Beehive.  If Beehive’s cone ever exploded one day and sent rocks and silica muck across the trail it would be a start, but still not even close.   MK   -----Original Message----- From: geysers-bounces@lists.wallawalla.edu [mailto:geysers-bounces@lists.wallawalla.edu] On Behalf Of Jeff Cross Sent: Sunday, May 11, 2008 11:51 PM To: Geyser Observation Reports Subject: [Geysers] Steamboat Steam Phases   In my continuing quest to better understand Steamboat Geyser, I have another set of questions:   How long does Steamboat’s steam phase last?   One might qualify this by asking:   1)      How long does the *violent* part of the steam phase last—the part that is deafening?  10 minutes?  30 minutes?  100 minutes? 2)      How long does the rest of the steam phase last?  1 hour?  3 hours?  6 hours?  24 hours?   I have always had a hunch that the progress of a Steamboat eruption might most closely resemble that of Beehive, although at twice the height, 10-20 times the power, and perhaps 3 times the duration.   Hopefully, I will someday know these answers from personal experience, but until then, thank you for filling me in.   Jeff Cross Jeff.cross@wallawalla.edu </div> </body> </html>