<div>Salutations,</div><div> </div><div>Here is a short report on Norris Basin on 11-1-12 Unfortunately I did not have much time in the basin, but here goes. The little steam vent below the Visitor's center on the way to Ledge that caused the boardwalk to be moved is now just barely warm. On the way to Congress pool just by the sign on Solfaterra hillsides the sinkhole that appeared a year or two ago is getting bigger It is about a foot and a half to two feet across now. Congress Pool is 5-6 feet below overflow and it appears to be lukewarm. The upper (eastern) part of the porcelain basin appears very hot with lots of steaming vents and water. From the end of the boardwalk where the trail to the campground starts as you look up the hill there is a cave or grotto that sometimes has a spouter or geyser in it. Well now it is full of opalescent water which overflows down into the basin. There is one geyser at the bottom of the hill just near where the Boardwalk ends on the flat just before it hits the incline. It erupts out of a pool to a few feet high. On the slightly higher table to the northeast there are many steaming vents and some small perpetual spouters. This area is as active as I have ever seen in the last decade. Unfortunately besides Blue and maybe Feisty I don't know the names of any of these features for sure, and Feisty and Blue did not erupt for me. </div>
<div> </div><div>Ledge geyser has changed greatly over the last decade. You'll need a report from someone who gets to Norris more often to describe all the changes. There are two strongly steaming vents uphill to she south of Ledge that are very active. Also the little perpetual steamer/splatterer below Ledge closer to the trail (to the East) is quiet active. On the other side of Ledge is a roaring steamer (Dark Cavern?). Nothing else was active in this area for the short time I was around.</div>
<div> </div><div>I know Whirligig has been active this year but it was not for me during this visit. In fact not much on the flat was active for me. Constant rose once and dropped but did not erupt. Something erupted as I was almost out of eyesight of the basin, perhaps Africa but i am not sure. Again, I am not the best person to identify the vents in this area. Bear Den and Ebony has some light steam on this cold afternoon. The area around Glacial Melt and (?Cat's Eye?, I hate it when I can't find my book to check names) was as quiet as I have seen in years. Most of the little vents in this area were below overflow and there was almost no bubbling in the entire area. </div>
<div> </div><div>Forgotten Fumarole was not active as I passed. The perpetual vent of Minute Geyser continues to be active. There are a couple of perpetual spouters on the flat from Minute to Monarch that get six inches to over a foot high. One has changed to a creamsicle color. Monarch Geyser is quiet with a slight steady overflow. I know sometimes in the past it would occasionally have periodic overflow but from the edges of the pool it did not look like that had happened recently. </div>
<div> </div><div>Fearless is boiling and Palpitator Spring is Palpitating. Rubble Geyser showed no signs of recent activity. Corporal Geyser did nothing while I was there but the runoff channel was wet. Dog's Leg had some light periodic bubbling. The pool of Veteran Geyser has over half full of opalescent water but the eruptions were all minors. </div>
<div> </div><div>I did not see or hear any activity from Vixen. The Boardwalk by Vixen is complete, you no longer walk on the ground in this area. In fact the Boardwalk is closer to Vixen and you have a much better view of the vent. My only fear is that it will be much easier to throw things in the vent. You see, I believe in the overall goodness of humanity, but I also know we spawn way too many fools. I did hear MA Bellingham did catch some activity from Vixen on closing day. The vent that appeared about a year or two ago between Vixen and Pearl to the east of the boardwalk about 30 feet from the boardwalk continues to be active but with less strength. It barely splashes above ground level. Pearl Geyser was quiet with almost no overflow and the darker coloring of the pool continues. On the other side of the Boardwalk from Pearl the springs that popped up about a decade ago are weaker with only one of the springs splashing strongly. Also the colors have been changing, only one of these features still has the creamsicle color, the others are getting darker brown. I saw no changes in Porkchop or the springs around Porkchop. </div>
<div> </div><div>I did not see Orbicular erupt, however there are three other geyser vents between Orbicular and the raised boardwalk to the South and all of them did erupt for me. Son of Green Dragon was quiet this trip as was Daughter of Green Dragon. Yellow Funnel Spring was muddy brown and constantly bubbling. The blue mud hole to the west of the boardwalk was nicely active. </div>
<div> </div><div>Green Dragon Spring was very quiet with little steam on this cold day. There is a little pool that the runoff from Green Dragon runs into that is acting as a drain, both the runoff from Green Dragon and a bigger pool to the West flow into this pool from both sides so it must be a drain. The bigger pool to the West of Green Dragon appears from the steam to be very hot with its own water supply. The walk to Echinus from here was uneventful. The area above Arch Steam Vent where the thermal area extended up the hill continues to be hot. Collapse Crater Spring was quiet and below overflow with what looks like some sulfur crystals in the pool. Echinus wasn't even boiling strongly, it just has quiet, steady overflow. It also did not steam that strongly either. </div>
<div> </div><div>Cistern Spring appeared normal with no changes. At Steamboat I did not stay long, I saw some North starts and some South starts with no good height. There was a little mud volcano feature below the lower platform and it has lost its side, now you can see intermittent bubbling with small overflow a couple of times a minute out of the break in the cone. But that was the most exciting thing at Steamboat. Emerald Spring was not erupting.</div>
<div> </div><div>I hope to send off a Fountain Area report tomorrow. Alas, Morning eluded me again. </div><div> </div><div>Stephen Eide</div><div> </div><div> </div>