A Bimonthly Publication of The Founded September 12, 1988 Observation and Study Association

by Dan Miller

Giantess Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, July 6, 2009

Letter from the President Fan and Mortar Starts in the 2000S Letters to and from the Editors Observations and Comments on Selected , Geyser Gazer News Late June 2009 GOSA Store News A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That-- Celebrating an Area Comparative Activity of Selected Geysers Seventieth Anniversary Before and After the 1959 Hebgen Lake Activity of Selected Geysers -- June and Early July 2009 Geyser Activity Early Summer 2009 Season August 2009 Volume 23, Number 4 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT by Mike Keller Greetings again from Yellowstone! like to remind everyone to consider I hope the summer has treated you well submitting articles in the future for the and that you have been able to make it Transactions. to Yellowstone by now to spend some Our annual GOSA Board Meeting time with your favorite geysers. If not, I will be taking place on August 1st. I will hope you will be making a visit in the have an update on the matters dis- The Geyser Gazer Sput near future. cussed in my next President’s Letter. The Newsletter of The The deadline for submission of I wanted to pass along my thanks Geyser Observation and Study articles for our next edition of the again to Don Might for managing the Association GOSA Transactions has passed, and our GOSA website. We have recently editors, with the help of several extended our domain name for our Volume 23, Number 4 volunteers willing to review articles, are website. If you haven’t had an opportu- June 2009 currently working on piecing together nity, please check it out at ©2009 GOSA, All Rights Reserved our edition. We are still aiming www.gosa.org. ISSN 1524-5497 to have volume XI published by the end The Madison to Norris roadwork of the calendar year, with a call for continues to progress. I wanted to pass Editors: Tom and Genean Dunn papers for volume XII taking place along another reminder that this road th Geyser Gazer News: Bob Berger early in 2010. The editors continue to will close for the season on August 17 tell me that they are excited about the for the remainder of the fall, but will Geyser News: Tara Cross-Monteith materials they have received towards reopen for the winter in mid-December. Ben Hoppe our next Transactions. If you are I hope you have been able to get to interested in assisting with the review Yellowstone already this summer. It was Production Manager: Udo Freund of articles, please contact Tara Cross, great seeing everyone over the July 4th Transactions Editors: Jeff Cross Jeff Cross, or Pat Snyder for further holiday, and I look forward to meeting 315 Highland Park Drive information. As the majority of articles the “fall crowd” in August, over Labor College Place, WA 99324 for the Transactions are submitted by Day weekend, and into October. the geyser gazer community, I would Tara Cross Monteith Pat Snyder Transaction Editors can be reached at: by Dan Miller [email protected]

Website: www.gosa.org

Send submissions/comments to: Tom and Genean Dunn 6965 El Camino Real, Suite 105 #463 Carlsbad, CA. 92009 (760) 415-7992, or send to both [email protected] and [email protected]

For Geyser Gazer Sput subscriptions and information contact: GOSA 39237 Yellowstone St. Palmdale, CA. 93551-4155 [email protected]

The Geyser Gazer Sput (ISSN 1524-5497) is published bimonthly for $20 per year by The Geyser Observation and Study Association, 39237 The big news on July 6, 2009 was the early morning eruption of Giantess Geyser, Yellowstone Street, Palmdale, CA 93551-4155. Non- Upper Geyser Basin Profit Periodicals Postage Paid At Palmdale, CA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Geyser Gazer Sput, 39237 Yellowstone Street, Palmdale, CA 93551-4155. 2 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS by Tom and Genean Dunn We received a request from visitors from the Charles and Diane Stamey Collection to help identify the geyser and location of this photo. “Greetings from Boze- man, . I got your email address from a Ranger at Old Faithful. The attached picture was taken at a Yellow- stone geyser in 1956. I do not know which geyser it is. My wife and I talked with two Rangers at Old Faithful who have each worked in the Park for 35 years. Neither knew which one it might be. But they told us about your organi- zation and they felt certain you’d be able to identify it. We would certainly appreciate any information you could give us. My family was on a vacation to Yellowstone that summer from North Carolina and I was six years old! I would love to return to this exact location. We sent the picture to the list serve. Mike Keller summed up the consensus, Mystery Photo from 1956: “The geyser in the photo is Clepsydra. We sent this information to the YOU so much for your willingness to Jelly Geyser is the feature in the visitors and received the following help us find “our” geyser!!! Indeed it is background. This photo was taken pre- note: Clepsydra. We regularly go into the 1959 (before the Hebgen Lake - “To Tom and Genean Park and last week we made a special quake), when Clepsydra was a true Subject: Re: Yellowstone geyser trip to check out Clepsydra!! It was sure geyser erupting at 3-ish minute inter- Date: Wed, 01 Jul 2009 fun to see the geyser that is pictured in vals. The remains of this boardwalk can our family photo taken in 1956. Please still be found around Clepsydra.” Please forgive us in our tardiness in thank Mike Keller also for us. responding to you folks! THANK Charles and Diane Stamey

June 3, 2009 June 20, 2009 Please accept my apologies for the error! Tom and Genean, Thank you to everyone who helped The electronic gremlins must have put together and publish the June Sput. invaded my Hebgen Lake article. I I have a comment on an article in the When I sent abbreviated versions checked my file and the duplicated June 2008 of The Geyser Gazer Sput. of the April and May logbooks to Tara, paragraph in the Sput article was not in The article was “ July 19, 1999 -- A Day I must have made a mistake on the Old the file I attached to the email I sent to to Remember” by Andrew Hafner. I Faithful times for May 2. (I didn’t do Tom and Genean. At least the gremlins enjoyed his telling of his day’s activities my normal mechanical screening for didn’t eat the complete file as happened among geysers. I am a novice geyser errors. Next time I won’t send anything to me recently on another project. gazer who spends 3 days in July at the out before I’ve thoroughly checked it Lynn Stephens Upper Geyser Basin. Please let Andrew even if it means a deadline is missed.) know that his article was very entertain- Thankfully the electronic logbook ing. I do not have a computer or Email posted on the GOSA website is correct. address. Intervals of Old Faithful on May 2 were Thank you, 87, 100, 92, 93, 89, 97, and 91 minutes. Ron Belak There have been days recently when PS I just read his article today. The two and even three “short” duration issue was deep in a large stack of eruptions have been recorded, but no magazines. 33 minute interval. 3 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

LETTER FROM GEYSER GAZER NEWS THE EDITORS by Bob Berger by Tom and Genean Dunn NEW FRIENDS OF We are so appreciative of all our contributors! We now have a library of We have no new FROGs to welcome this time: good photos -- but don’t stop sending — them!! -- that we can select to fit the TADPOLE BIRTHDAYS needs of the articles. For example, we Ian Durrant, September 8th, age 10; favorite geyser: Echinus might need a horizontal photo of one Keturah Dunn, September 22nd, age 5, not selected yet geyser and a vertical of another. Being Malakai Dunn, September 25th, age 8, not selected yet able to chose from cds sent by Andrew Hafner, Ben Hoppe, Dave DeWitt, No NEWTs this time: Graham Meech, Pat Snyder and Dave Whinery is most helpful. Others like LC And finally the adult FROGs: and Nellie Daugherty, Dan and Trisha Destiny Nieto, August 19th Miller, and Scott Bryan responded to Lisa Freund, August 20th; favorite geysers: Splendid and Tilt our request for photos of the Giantess Kristian Wang, August 22nd; favorite geyser: Penta eruption. We now also have access to Barry Leedy, August 30th; favorite geyser: Daisy Mike Newcomb’s online photos, but we Debbie Glasser, September 4th; favorite geysers: Grand and Fountain are still trying to work out a system to Rhonda Pfaff, September 5th; favorite geyser: Pink Cone find and select what we need from Daniel Uhlhorn, September 7th online photos. Sarah Dunn, September 10th; favorite geyser: Grand Of course, our authors always Ann Griffin, September 12th receive our thanks!! Mike Keller for Eric Freund, October 1st; favorite geyser: Beehive keeping us up on GOSA news, Udo Ron Pline, October 3rd Freund for updating us onthe GOSA Marry Miller, October 18th storeBob Berger for reporting on us Christopher Dunn, October 19th, favorite geyser: Morning gazers, and Tara Cross and our newest regular contributor Ben Hoppe who HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALL!!! provide us with a summary of geyser activity. They all give us the backbone If any of you tadpoles or tadpole keepers would like any information updated of each issue. This issue brings an (favorite geysers) or corrected (ages, dates, spellings), let me know, and I’ll update article by Janet Chapple, 2 by Lynn the database. Also, please send information about tadpoles I’m not listing, but Stephens, one by Andrew Hafner, and should. an additional article by Tara Cross. — Thank you all!! Finally, please send gazer related information for “Gazer News” to Keep up the contributions!! Bob Berger 6309 Sundown Road Nine Mile Falls, WA 99026 GOSA STORE Phone (509) 276-7272 NEWS E-Mail: [email protected] by Udo Freund Many of you have used the and suffice to say the details are pretty GOSA Store website to renew your boring. Please visit the online Store via subscriptions and buy items online. We the www.gosa.org website button. appreciate your continued support and Internet access is available at any local hope the experience was quick and, library if you don’t have access at other than the dent to your credit card home. You may also request an Order balance, fairly painless. Nearly half of Form be sent to you. If you have any recent purchases were made with credit questions or comments simply drop us cards but, of course, checks will a note at: GOSA Store, 39237 Yellow- continue to be accepted. We will no stone Street, Palmdale, CA 93551-4155, longer print the Order Forms that have call 661 266-4955 or email been a regular feature in this publication [email protected]. We’d love to hear for many years. The reasons are many from you. 4 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

CELEBRATING AN OLD FAITHFUL AREA SEVENTIETH ANNIVERSARY by Janet Chapple, Author of Yellowstone Treasures: The Traveler’s Companion to the National Park

A year or so ago I realized that that brought Yellowstone visitors from and wealthy Billings banker. The Moss the summer of 2009 would mark Gallatin Gateway Inn to the West family sandstone house was the most seventy years since I first spent a Entrance. elaborate dwelling in our town and is summer season in Yellowstone. From looking through the Yellow- now open for public tours. Something to celebrate! I told myself. stone Park Company payroll books held Melville played string bass and also Since a large part of the memories of at Yellowstone’s archives, my sister harp, but I think she left the harp at my four summers in the park as a small Joan Orvis and I learned that my father, home. Other members of the ensemble child center around Old Faithful Village L. Worth Orvis, was employed as were Jean Todd, viola, Mary Vaughan, and its geysers, I thought perhaps Sput Assistant Transportation Agent for Old clarinet (if I remember correctly), and readers would be interested in my Faithful Inn in 1939, and that he Elsie Spencer, violin. Mother was the experiences from 1939 to 1942. I also advanced to be Transportation Agent in pianist when they played for tea in the invited a few old friends for a day-long 1940. We were surprised to be re- afternoons, and she hastily learned to celebration in the Old Faithful area in minded that we stayed at Old Faithful, play the drums so she could be part of late July. not just in 1941, but also in 1942, when the dance band in the evenings. There A longer version of these memoirs the war had begun to cut drastically into was a sixth lady who covered the piano was written at the instigation of Park people’s summer vacation habits. part for dancing: Marguerite Behrendt. Historian Lee Whittlesey and is I cannot remember which events The first five women I named are preserved in the library of the Yellow- and impressions took place in which immortalized in a picture I found in stone Heritage and Research Center. years, except that 1939 was quite about 1998, while researching for Living within Sight of Old different from the others. I believe we Yellowstone Treasures. I was reading Faithful Geyser stayed in one of the tourist cabins that the June, 1940 issue of the National Residing in Billings, MT, my year in the group of cabins that were Geographic in my local library. There parents both made their livings as music east and south of the ranger station/ on page 777 (plate III) is a picture of teachers when I was a small child. In museum, long since torn down. with eight people. the summers they found jobs near The main difference for us in 1939 Five of those were members of the Yellowstone Park, including managing was that that summer Mother (Margaret Ladies’ Ensemble, the one seated at the the 320 Ranch in the Gallatin Inabnit Orvis) played in a small musical right being my mother and next to her one year and working in the office of group they called the Ladies’ Ensemble. Elsie Spencer, a good family friend and the Gallatin Gateway Inn another. That was a group of musicians from Joan’s violin teacher. Imagine my Around 1937 and for either one or two Billings, probably organized by amazement in finding my mother in an summers, they ran the “Gallatin Camp” Melville Moss. She was a daughter of old Geographic! way station to service the park buses the P. B. Moss who was a prominent While the musicians rehearsed in the Inn during the quiet time of late from Janet Chapple Photo Collection morning, Joan and I would sometimes make the halls our playhouse, hiding from each other and trying to be invisible to the maids. The Ladies’ Ensemble did not play from the “Crow’s Nest” near the top of the lobby as some musical groups did. Naturally, they could not hoist a piano up there, so they set up near the fireplace. I believe that at that time there was no depressed floor area around the fireplace—the floor was restored in 2006. For only that first summer did we stay in a tourist cabin; the other years we had a room in the bunkhouse. It was a long narrow building divided into Yellowstone bus at Gallatin Camp way station, 1937. Janet is on the right, small rooms that primarily housed bus her sister Joan is in the center and her cousin Judy on the left. drivers for the Yellowstone Park 5 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

by National Geographic Magazine but the illumination usually took place too late for us little ones to stay up. It was thrilling to see. Another item of Inn furniture that made a big impression on me was the desks on the balconies. Joan and I would often sit at these and play—or perhaps she would read to me by the light of the center lamp. The desks there now are not the originals designed by , but they are very similar to those I remember. Sometimes we would watch Daddy as he got out his large red megaphone and called out the names of people who were to ride in the big yellow buses. I remember feeling that he was a very important person indeed with that responsibility. The Ladies Ensemble of Billings at Morning Glory Pool, Returning to the Inn many years National Geographic Magazine, June 1940, Volume 77, page 777. later, I realized that the area around Daddy’s transportation office had been Company. As I recall there were four to was often lit in the huge stone fireplace. changed. Where you now find a large six doorways on each long side of the A few times during our summers in the window and the porters’ stand was a building. In our room, which, I think, park, we were taken up the many stairs door to the back of the Inn and the had a window on one or both sides of to the top of the lobby and out to the place where we could find Daddy the door, there was just room for two roof. I remember the many flags always during working hours. I am sure the double beds, one or two chairs, and a snapping in the wind and the unique change to having the back door around small with a wash basin and some two-person wicker chairs, shaped like the corner where it is now located was sort of one- or two-burner cooking an S lying down. From the roof I saw an to improve traffic flow in that corner of element, where Mother improvised Old Faithful Geyser nighttime eruption the Inn. meals for three, since Daddy ate with lit by the Inn’s spotlight a few times, the other employees. A chamber pot was kept under one bed. I believe we had two such rooms one of those years. The bunkhouse was located behind the ranger station and away from the back door of the Inn, an area now part of the big west parking lot. I was happy to find the exact location of it on a map of Old Faithful’s buildings from about the 1950s. It had been torn down by then so is indicated by dotted lines on the map. I snapped a digital photo of it during Lee Whittlesey’s, June 2006 Southern Park History class. Calling Our Home Some of my most vivid memories center around the Inn. We spent relatively little time inside the lobby, in fact, I believe Mother made sure that we were never in the way of the tourists or of the employees of the Inn. But I remember that occasionally a bellhop would pop some corn in an oversized Old Faithful Village map, center section, 1950s. The bunkhouse was the small corn popper, cooking it in the fire that building SW of the museum and amphitheater, marked “YPCO,” on the map. 6 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

Other Old Faithful Area Memo- ries Joan was a life-long games person, becoming a fine contract bridge player and a tournament Scrabble player in her later years, besides making games out of every chore in her life—including the routines she recommended to her piano pupils. She could make a game out of anything, including something as simple as balancing on the logs that surrounded the Old Faithful Ranger Station and Museum. We would collect state names on license plates to see if we could find at least one car from each of the then-forty-eight states. And we played lots of card games and board games, too. As often as Mother would allow it, we would go into the museum to mosey around and talk to the rangers. One of the rangers called us “Dimples,” and The Old Faithful Museum and Ranger Station, Haynes Guide 1953 perhaps he was the same one who gave us a copy of Cubby in Wonderland by In back of the ranger station and Geysers Frances Joyce Farnsworth and signed it: museum was an amphitheater with a The bunkhouse room we slept in From Ben Lundquist, 1942. We loved screen (now part of the huge west faced Old Faithful Geyser. Of course, that book and its sequel, Cubby parking lot). I don’t remember the we watched it often, but we rarely went Returns. Some years ago I read those pictures shown on the screen or the close. I do not know whether other books to my grandsons. subjects of the rangers’ talks given predictable geyser eruptions were I remember the specimens of park there, but I do remember well the sing- posted in those days, and we never went rocks in the museum and the samples of alongs that always ended the evenings. I to wait for Grand or Riverside. I see plant matter such as the cones and know we sang “Home on the Range” from George Marler’s Inventory of needles from the different evergreens of and “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Thermal Features of the Firehole the park. There were a few small stuffed ,” and many others, but my Geyser Basins that Grand’s average animals. I think there was a large favorite was the song about the states, eruption interval was something like 38 stuffed bear, too, but I’m not sure about which had innumerable verses like: hours in those years, so of course it was that. I would have stayed well away “Oh, what did Ida hoe, boys / Oh, not the same as in recent years. from it. what did Ida hoe? (these two lines Two geysers we did see quite often I also remember the model of a repeated twice) when I got to live at Old Faithful were geyser, but I don’t think I ever saw it I ask you now as a personal friend / Great Fountain and Lone Star, both working. (I have read somewhere that Oh, what did Ida hoe? accessible by road in those days. We Jack Haynes built a geyser model, and She hoed her Mary land, boys / She would take a lunch and a book or our perhaps it is still in the archives, but in hoed her Mary land. (repeated) game of Parcheesi and drive out north a copy of Yellowstone Nature Notes I tell you now as a personal friend / or south to wait for these geysers to dated July 30, 1926, I also found a She hoed her Mary land.” erupt. It seems to me we would often reference to models made by Chief I marveled that so many of the have them to ourselves. Naturalist Ansel F. Hall and placed at states’ names could be made into other The most thrilling geyser-viewing Old Faithful and Mammoth.) In my words this way. experience I can remember was being opinion, such a model would be a much Our local world was bounded by the roused in the night to drive over to see more instructive and delightful item to Inn, the bunkhouse, the museum, and Giant erupt. Daddy took me on his have in the planned Old Faithful Visitor the geyser, but I remember that a shoulders so I could see over the crowd. Education Center than all the computer- favorite place where Joan and I played Somehow, the group excitement made ized interactive things I expect them to was around the bridge over the Firehole more of an impression than the actual put there. However, it would require River behind the geyser. To this day I eruption! According to the Marler precious man- (or woman-) hours to am strongly attracted to that spot, and I Inventory, the first half of the 1940s keep it functioning. always spend a little time there early in was a relatively quiet time for Giant, so the morning when I visit Old Faithful. I was privileged to be there at an 7 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4 eruption. And the next time I got to see erupted after the 1959 Hebgen Lake stone Caldera—is also, if one takes one was on July 3, 2006—again with a earthquake. sensible precautions, one of the safest. lot of excited viewers. I now realize how extremely Our months in the park were some of Besides going to Lone Star or Great fortunate I was to spend so much time the most benign and happy of my life. Fountain geysers, we often visited during formative years in the magic No doubt this is why in my later years I Biscuit or Midway geyser basins. I environment of Yellowstone. It is ironic have become thoroughly engrossed in remember that the surrounding “bis- that one of the most potentially danger- learning and writing about the park I cuits” at Sapphire Pool were outstand- ous places in the world—the Yellow- love. ing; they were destroyed when the pool ACTIVITY OF SELECTED GEYSERS—EARLY SUMMER 2009 SEASON by Lynn Stephens

Most of the analysis contained in initiated by Grand continues to de- number of bursts would vary two or this report is based on data collected by crease such that fewer than 15% of the more than during other seasons. myself between May 21 and early July, eruptions were initiated by Grand from There have been short periods when 2009. I’ve included some historical April 17 through June 30, 2009. There as many as 15 to 17 bursts would be information from 1969 from George D. has been an increase in the proportion recorded. On one occasion in 1947 I Marler’s “Hot Activity In The of eruptions where Vent & Turban observed an eruption that lasted for Geyser Basins Of The continued after Grand, with Vent & an hour and a half, during which For The 1969 Season.” Comparative Turban continuing after 51.5% of the there were 44 major bursts. data, where available, for 1959, the eruptions. On June 2nd an eruption was year of the Hebgen Lake Earthquake The average number of bursts observed that had but two bursts. will be presented in the “Activity of declined from 1.52 to 1.50. The first one lasted for 11 minutes Selected Geysers—Late Summer 2009 Marler included this information and was characterized by continu- Season” article that will appear in the related to Grand’s eruptive characteris- ous jetting of from 75 to 100 October issue of The Sput. tics in his 1969 report: feet in height. After a brief pause a Some of the analysis is supple- “On June 2nd Grand was major burst occurred, terminating mented by information from the Old observed erupting on a different the eruption. Faithful Visitor Center (OFVC) pattern from anything previously The above pattern of activity logbook. Thank you to all the people recorded since it was first observed continued for the remainder of the who take time to enter information into by the Hayden Survey in 1871. season. During the first 10 days the logbook to make it available for During the years I have observed following June 2 a number of 2 burst analysis. Thank you also to the NPS Grand the average eruption has eruptions were observed. Since mid- and Henry Heasler for providing lasted from 15 to 17 minutes, during June the number of bursts has varied electronic monitors on selected geysers, which there were from 7 to 13 between 3 and 5, with the first burst to GOSA for providing financial bursts. Some seasons the average lasting from 8 to 10 minutes.” assistance to purchase the monitors, and to Ralph Taylor for calculating start Table 1: Descriptive Statistics— times and intervals and posting his Characteristics of Eruptions of for 2008 and 2009 analysis on the GOSA website at 4/17/09 – 6/30/09 4/20/08 – 7/10/08 geyserstudy.org. Initiating Geyser Grand Geyser—Characteristics Grand 14.3% (13) 18.3% (16) of Eruptions Turban 85.7% (78) 81.6% (71) Thank you to all who contributed data to the log book, primarily Mary Vent & Turban Beth Schwarz, to make this analysis Continue 51.5% (48) 47.7% (42) possible. Thank you also to others who Quit 48.9% (46) 52.3% (46) report characteristics of the eruption over the radio or submit that informa- Number of Bursts tion to Mary Beth or myself so we can 1 55.2% (53) 53.3% (48) place the information in the logbook. 2 39.6% (38) 41.1% (37) Characteristics of eruptions of 3 5.2% ( 5) 5.6% (5) Grand Geyser for April 17, 2009 through June 30, 2009 and for April 13, Total (96) (90) 2008 through July 10, 2008 are shown in Table 1. The proportion of eruptions Average per eruption 1.50 1.52 8 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

Note that it appears the June 2, Table 2: Table of Grand’s Activity for the 1969 and 2009 Seasons 1969 eruption was the first two-burst eruption that Marler had ever seen. Time Frame Number Average Now one-burst eruptions account for of (Mean) Maximum Minimum more than 50% of the eruptions, two- Intervals Interval Interval Interval burst eruptions account for 45% of the eruptions, and three-burst eruptions June, 1969 68 9h51m 15h08m 8h22m account for only 5% of the eruptions and it’s been a long time since there July, 1969 74 9h51m 12h30m 8h41m was a five-burst eruption. Marler’s average, maximum, and Week ended 19 9h15m 11h09m 6h28m minimum intervals for the 1969 season 6/30/2009 and Ralph Taylor’s mean, maximum, and minimum intervals for 2009 are Month ended 82 9h07m 11h09m 6h28m shown in Table 2. 6/30/2009 Grand’s average interval in 2009 of 8 hours 44 minutes is much shorter than 2009 Season 373 8h44m 13h12m 6h22m the average interval of about 10 hours for 1969. The range of about 4½ hours in 2009 is also shorter than the range in collection at Cliff was carried out on Features Along the Firehole River 1969, which peaked at 6¾ hours in the May 22, May 31, June 6, 17, and 23. (1972), Marler wrote that, with the month of June. Although Grand is Table 3 shows data for intervals and exception of 1963 and 1967, during the erupting more frequently now than it durations for the total summer of 2007, 1960’s Cliff’s eruptions occurred about did in 1969, Grand is also having fewer data collected on June 25, 2008, and 2 or 3 times per week. This indicates bursts now than it did then. I have not data for observations to date for 2009. Cliff is much more active now than it located data on the 1969 burst average The mean interval continued to was during the 1960s. so have been unable to compute decrease, dropping from 51 minutes in Atomizer Geyser whether the number of bursts that could 2007 to 44 minutes on June 25, 2008, Atomizer’s mean interval during the be seen in a 24 hour period is greater or and to 37 minutes for observations to early part of the 2009 summer season is less in 2009 than it was in 1969. date in 2009. The range, which was 98 15h07m for 5 closed intervals, and by LC Daugherty minutes in 2007, dropped to 28 minutes 15h10m for 5 closed intervals, 5 double for June 25, 2008, and to 23 minutes to intervals, 4 triple intervals, 1 quadruple date in Summer 2009. interval, and one set of observations In his 1969 report, Marler lists Cliff that presumably covered six intervals. as “active” but does not provide any The minimum closed interval is information about intervals or dura- 13h20m and the maximum closed tions. In his Inventory of Thermal interval is 17h34m.

Table 3: Cliff Geyser Comparative Data for 2007, 2008, and 2009

Total Summer June 25, To date 2007 2008 Summer 2009

Intervals: Count 20 7 12 Minimum 30 minutes 34 30 Maximum 128 minutes 62 minutes 53 minutes Mean 51 minutes 44 minutes 37 minutes Median 49 minutes 36 minutes 37 minutes Grand Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, July 2009 Durations: Count 28 7 13 Cliff Geyser Minimum 3 minutes 7 minutes 6 minutes Data for Cliff Geyser is determined Maximum 15 minutes 13 minutes 13 minutes by timing from one “full pool” eruption Mean 9 minutes 9.6 minutes 9.7 minutes to the next “full pool” eruption. Data Median 9 minutes 10 minutes 9 minutes 9 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

Information about the preceding by Ben Hoppe minor is available for 15 major erup- tions of Atomizer Geyser between May 27 and June 29. Quick comeback majors occurred eight times (53.3%). In the other seven cases (46.7%) there was about an hour between the concluding minor and the major. During the 2007 summer season, data was available for 20 major eruptions. That summer 45% of the eruptions were quick comeback majors. Also that summer, the mean interval was 15h24m for the closed intervals, but was much less at 14h49m for all the calculated intervals. The mean for closed intervals that summer was longer than the mean interval to date for summer 2009, but the mean for all calculated intervals (14h49m) in 2007 was less than the mean to date (15h10m) for the summer of 2009. This is probably caused by the longer maximum interval for 2009 (17h34m). (The maximum interval in 2007 was Atomizer Geyser, Old Road Group, Upper Geyser Basin, June 8, 2009 16h57m.) Marler contained this information about Atomizer Geyser in his 1969 by Tom Dunn report: “Although Atomizer is situated on the same embankment as Artemi- sia, I have not as yet recognized any evidence that they might be con- nected subterraneously. During the season many eruptions of Atomizer were observed. The nature of these eruptions is described in the 1968 report.” The 1968 report did not contain any information about intervals from one major to the next major eruption. However, I have not located any information that would indicate Atomizer Geyser’s behavior patterns were any different in the 1960s than they are today. Slide Geyser The one day I went out to time Slide Geyser, it did not erupt while I was there. I did not see any colored algae on the borders of the “slide.” Scott Bryan (geyser listserv) reported on June 14: “Slide had an “eruption” at 1023. I use quote marks because, although it steamed heavily, I could not see any water whatso- Slide Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, Old Road Group, June 29, 1999 ever. On observation, it appears the [Editors’ Note: We received permission to observe and photograph the GIS survey of “slide” is narrower than it used to the Old Road Group. Here a staff member takes temperature readings.] 10 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

be, implying less water discharge by a quadruple interval averaging 9h08m. interval of about 8h45m. In my opinion, the poor thing.” A closed interval of 8h45m on June 8 this is the most likely possibility. The The only other period of dormancy occurred after this quadruple interval. only other interval I have recorded of which I am aware occurred in the This closed interval was followed by a through July 8 is a closed interval of spring of 1991, as reported in the May- quadruple interval averaging 9h14m. 9h26m on July 26. June 1991 issue of The Geyser Gazer The next observation was on June The mean closed interval from May Sput. Slide had recovered by the time 18 when a closed interval of 9h22m 22 through June 26 was 9h10m. The the information was printed. On May was recorded. On June 22 a double mean for all computed intervals from 25, 1991, I observed an eruption, but interval averaging 9h17m was followed May 22 through June 26 was only unfortunately, did not stay to record a by a double interval on June 23 slightly different at 9h08m. The second eruption to get an interval. averaging 9h12m. The next observation minimum closed interval was 8h45m, No information about Slide Geyser was a triple interval averaging 9h17m, the maximum closed interval was was located for 1969. (Slide was not which was followed by a closed interval 9h26m, and the median closed interval named until 1974, so it is doubtful that of 9h20m. was 9h12m. Marler ever reported any information Overnight June 23-24, Till had an Durations of all eruptions times about Slide.) interval between observations that did were 30 to 33 minutes, the same as it Till Geyser not fit anything I had seen before. On has been in all seasons since I started During the first part of the 2008 the evening of June 23 I recorded the observing Till in 1988. The first minor, summer season, Till’s average interval start of a Till major at 19:36. On the or afterburst, occurred 15-18 minutes was 8h42m. About July 9, the mean morning of June 24 I was surprised to after the end of the major eruption; interval increased to 9h25m. see a Till major at 09:40ie, end 09:51, again consistent with data from earlier To date during the 2009 season, Till which, using a 31 minute average seasons. intervals have not shown a consistent duration would have put the assumed On May 24 the last afterburst was pattern, as shown in Figure 2. On May start at 9:20, for an assumed interval 3h40m after the start of the major and 22 through May 24 one double interval between major eruptions of 13h44m. there were 18 minors in the series; on and one triple interval each averaged Scott Bryan [The Geysers of Yellow- June 26 it was 3h39m after the com- 8h54m. From May 24 through May 25, stone, various editions and dates] puted start of the major and there were three closed intervals were 8h57m, mentions that Till can occasionally have 19 minors in the series. (All minor 9h01m, and 9h02m. A triple interval on a 5 hour interval, but I had never before eruption I’ve seen had a duration of 1 to May 28-29 averaged 9h07m. This triple recorded the possibility of one. The 2 minutes. I have not seen any of the 5- interval was followed by a closed assumed interval between major minute duration minors this season.) interval of 9h26m. The next double eruptions of 13h44m seems too long for Marler did not include the name “Till interval averaged 9h10m, followed a a closed interval based on the closed Geyser” in his list of geysers observed double interval that averaged 9h18m. intervals ranging from 8h45m to 9h26m erupting during the 1969 season. His list The next major to major observation that had been recorded so far in the of geysers active in Midway Basin was a triple interval that averaged 2009 season. It also seems too short for during the 1969 season included Catfish 9h20m. On June 2-6, Till’s interval a double interval since the shortest Geyser, East Geyser, West flood dropped to 9h00m, then increased double recorded this season was Geyser, Tromp Spring, Mud Spring, and slightly to 9h07m. On June 6 there was 17h47m. A third possibility is that it River Geyser. Lee Whittlesey [Wonder- a closed interval of 9h18m, followed by had an interval of about 5 hours plus an land Nomenclature, 1988], indicates Rabbit Geyser is “the correct historic name of Till Figure 1: Till Intervals (less 8 hours) Geyser” also states “During the early 1960s, ‘Mud Spring’ erupted 1:40 3-15 feet high for 10-15 minutes 1:26 every 6-8 hours. In 1971, Marler, 1:12 still not knowing of the name Rabbit

0:57 Geyser, named the feature Till Geyser (to prevent confusion with a 0:43 spring called Mud Spring at Norris) 0:28 from glacial till which composes the 0:14 nearby embankment.” On a non-geyser note: Thank you to 0:00 Tim Townsend for forwarding my 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 09 0 09 0 09 09 0 09 0 09 0 09 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 0 0 /2 /2 /2009 /2 /2 /2 /2009 /2 /2009 /2 suggestion about changing signage at 2 8 1/2 /5/2009 7/2 5 1 26 /30/20 6/ 6/3 6 6/ 6/9 13 /17/20 /19 /23/20 25 5/2 5/24/20 5/ 5/2 5 6/11/20 6/ 6/1 6 6 6/2 6 6/ the side road to the Steel Bridge at the entrance to the Fairy Falls trailhead and 11 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4 to Colleen Rawlings for making certain by Pat Snyder the suggestion was implemented. Prior to the change the only sign indicating “Buses, RVs and Trailers Prohibited” was on a small signpost on the north edge of the entrance road itself. Southbound vehicles might start to make a turn into the road, but would see the sign quickly so that they could easily pull back into the southbound lane. However, northbound vehicles frequently did not see the sign until the vehicle had already made the left turn across the southbound lane. The vehicle was then forced to back up across the southbound lane to return to the northbound lane. Several times last summer I had to grab my park service radio, put on my volunteer hat and bright orange and yellow construction Till Geyser, Midway Geyser Basin, May 25, 2009 vest, and help stop traffic so the vehicle could get back into the northbound lane major 2h05m and 4h31m. from a minor to the major vary from of traffic. Now there are “Buses, RVs In 2009, intervals have been much one to six minutes. The one interval and Trailers Prohibited” signs on both shorter than they were in 2008. Major between two intermediate duration of the Fairy Falls Trailhead signposts to major intervals have varied from eruptions that I recorded was 12 out on the main highway. Since the 49m to 1h14m. Shorter major to major minutes. Intervals from an intermediate signs are back from the entrance about intervals do not include minor or to the next major eruptions were 16 and 25 yards or so, traffic in both directions intermediate eruptions between the 21 minutes. has advance warning about the prohibi- major eruptions. The longer major to I have not seen any bursting or even tion. So far I haven’t seen any vehicles major intervals do include minor or any doming activity from West Flood in start to make the turn and then have to intermediate eruptions between the 2009. Every time I have been at the back out into traffic. major eruptions. The 16 major to major Flood overlook to time Flood and every I do believe the number of people intervals I have recorded have a mean time I have driven past, the overflow using the parking at the Steel Bridge of 57 minutes and a median of 58 from West Flood is about the same, entrance to the Fairy Falls trailhead has minutes. Intervals between minors or with no heavy periods of overflow. The substantially increased this year. Part of by Pat Snyder that may be due to the record visitation numbers. But I think the major part of it is attributable to the various Yellow- stone chat pages that advertise the trail to Fairy Falls as “a favorite hike” and the walk up the hills to the west as the spot to get dramatic pictures of . Flood and West Flood Geysers Flood Geyser’s intervals shortened in 2009. Similar to 2008, Flood is having “splashes,” “minor” eruptions lasting 10 to 30 seconds, “intermediate” eruptions lasting 1 minutes to 2½ minutes, and major eruptions lasting about 4¾ to 6 minutes. For June 23 through July 11, 2008, the only intervals I determined were major to intermediate 2h37m and 2h41m, intermediate to intermediate 1h38m and 1h45m, and intermediate to Botryoidal Geyser, Lower Geyser Basin, May 30, 2008 12 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4 water level in the pool has not visibly minutes. With only one data point, the Scott Bryan [The Geysers of varied, unlike 2008 when the water data for 2009 is insufficient to conclude Yellowstone, various editions, various level would drop following a period of that intervals for Logbridge are different dates] indicates “[t]he first recorded bursting/doming activity accompanied from what they were in 2008. eruptions apparently took placer during by heavy overflow. A-0 the early 1970s. Intervals range from as Marler included West Flood and In 2008 intervals for A-0 varied little as 25 minutes to several hours.” It East Flood in his list of active geysers from 25 to 29 minutes. Durations of the appears there has been no substantive for 1969. He also said: eruptions were 30 to 45 seconds. change in A-0’s eruptive characteristics “The fact that East and West As of early July 2009, four intervals in to date in 2009 with intervals in both Flood have on infrequent occasions are recorded in the Old Faithful Visitor 2008 and 2009 at the lower end of been observed to erupt simulta- Center logbook—two on June 14 and Bryan’s range. neously might be mere coincidence. two on July 5. The four intervals vary Great Even though the river separates these from 26 to 30 minutes. Durations of the Ralph Taylor’s 2009 “Current geysers subterraneous connections three eruptions I observed on July 5 Geyser Activity” data for the month are not unlikely. In fact, it is highly were about 50 seconds. ended July 5, 2009 consisted of 119 probable that their roots entwine.” Lack of bursting activity from East Flood in 2009 combined with shorter intervals for West Flood in 2009 Figure 2: Great Fountain Intervals--2009 compared to 2008 may substantiate Marler’s assertion about connections 18 between the two. 16 Lemon Pool 14 Every time I have driven past it, Lemon Pool has been full and overflow- 12 ing. 10 Botryoidal 8 Botryoidal intervals have varied from 3 to 6 minutes. The mean and 6 median for 27 reported intervals are both 4 4 minutes. 2 Marler did not include “Botryoidal” in his 1969 report. Whittlesey [Wonder- 0 <9:00 9:00- 9:30- 10:00- 10:30- 11:00- 11:30- 12:00- 12:30- 13:00- 13:30- 14:00- >14:29 land Nomenclature, 1988] says “The 9:29 9:59 10:29 10:59 11:29 11:59 12:29 12:59 13:29 13:59 14:29 spring was named Botryoidal by park geologist George Marler before 1973. Botryoidal means beaded or nodular. It Table 4: Great Fountain Overflow and Pauses, 2009 is a geyser which erupts to heights of 6-8 feet.” Combined Overflow Logbridge Overflow Pause Plus Pause On July 5 I timed one interval of Logbridge, which was 55 minutes. Number 39 53 39 Durations of the two eruptions were 35- Minimum 71 minutes 0 minutes 77 minutes 40 seconds. Mean 82 minutes 3 minutes 86 minutes Bryan [The Geysers of Yellowstone, Median 82 minutes 3 minutes 86 minutes various editions, various dates] indicates Maximum 94 minutes 10 minutes 96 minutes “Logbridge was known for years but only as a small perpetual spouter. It attracted attention during 1985 when it Table 5: Great Fountain’s Activity for the 1969 Season began having exceedingly regular eruptions.” Intervals in 1985 were 27 Month Number Average Maximum Minimum minutes but intervals since then have of Intervals Interval Interval Interval been as long as 5 hours. Ralph Taylor had an electronic monitor on Logbridge June 68 8h12m 9h0m 7h28m from January 1, 2008 through September July 67 8h30m 9h0m 7h42m 22, 2008. The mean interval during that August 78 8h36m 12h40m 7h23m time was 50 minutes with a median of 48 September 49 9h05m 11h30m 7h48m 13 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4 intervals had a minimum of 8h55m, a by Tom Dunn mean of 11h45m, a median of 11h33m, and a maximum of 16h20m. From May 23 through July 5, Great Fountain has been fairly well behaved, with 80% of the intervals in the three hour range from 10 to 13 hours, as shown in Figure 2. (Data is available for 84 intervals, 78 intervals from Ralph Taylor’s electronic data plus 6 intervals from the OFVC logbook during June 15-June 21 when Taylor’s electronic data was not available.) Adding a fourth hour to the window to make it 10-14 hours captured 89.3% of the intervals. Only 4.8% of the intervals were less than 10 hours and 6.0% of the intervals were greater than 14 hours. When Great Fountain was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid. Three of the five intervals in excess of 14 hours were 16h20m, 17h12m, and 21h41m. Data on overflow, pauses, and total of overflow plus pause is shown in Table 4. From May 23 through July 7, 2009, I’ve recorded length of overflow for 17 eruptions. Overflow has varied from a minimum of 71 minutes to a maximum of 94 minutes with a mean and median that are both 82 minutes. This is more than 10 minutes shorter White Dome Geyser, Lower Geyser Basin, July 7, 1995 than the mean and median overflows for 2008. I’ve generally been using 80 to 85 feet high for a few seconds are not minutes. (The mean and median are the minutes for the mid-point of the half- included in the calculations.) The same as they were in the early part of the hour prediction window. intervals vary from a minimum of 11 2008 season.) As shown in Figure 3, Durations of the 53 recorded pauses minutes to a maximum of 2h06m, with a White Dome’s intervals are skewed between the “1-meter boil” and the mean of 32 minutes and a median of 29 toward shorter intervals with a mode of bursting activity have varied from 0 to 10 minutes, with a mean and median of 3 Figure 3: White Dome Intervals--2009 minutes. When the overflow and pause are 45 combined, the minimum combined time is 77 minutes, the maximum is 96 40 minutes, and the mean and median are 35 both 86 minutes. Marler’s data on Great Fountain’s 30 activity for the 1969 season is shown in 25 Table 5. The average increased across 20 the season from 8h12m to 9h05m, which was still much shorter than the 2009 15 interval to date of 11h45m. 10 White Dome Geyser Through July 6, I have recorded 240 5 intervals for White Dome. (Intervals are 0 for major to major; minor eruptions <=15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51-55 56-60 >60 where White Dome spurts water a few 14 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

40 intervals in the 21 to 25 minute of this writing. small vents…He is the one who first category. The 16 to 20 minute category Marler included this information noticed them erupting. These contains 38 intervals, as does the 31-35 about Gemini, Pebble and Crack eruptions were very frequent, but minute category. There are 37 intervals Geysers in his 1969 report: also very small. They consisted of in the 26 to 30 minute category. These “During July an earthquake-caused only a spurt or two, rarely as high as four categories encompassing intervals crack in the sinter a few feet east of a foot.” from 16 to 35 minutes account for 64% Gemini began erupting. By August its Dilemma may have been another of the total recorded intervals. activity brought about complete one of the unnamed geysers in the Pink In his report for the 1968 season, cessation of activity of Gemini. The Cone Group that Marler reported Marler said “None of the ninety and over new geyser has been referred to as the erupting during 1969. minute intervals which are frequent Crack. The duration and height of its Narcissus and Pink some seasons were observed during the eruptions are essentially the same as The monitors on both these geysers current one. The intervals ranged Gemini. There is a noticeable sympathy were removed by critters during the between about 15 and 30 minutes.” So between Crack and Pebble geysers. winter season and have not yet been far during the 2009 season, four intervals Action of the former always produces replaced. (1.7%) over 90 minutes have been agitation and frequently eruptions of Narcissus continues to exhibit the recorded, which probably would not the latter.” pattern of short durations followed by meet Marler’s definition of “frequent.” Currently, the water level in Pebble long intervals ending in a long duration Gemini, Pebble, and Crack in Pebble drops when Gemini is in a followed by a short interval, i.e., the Geysers series of eruptions with both vents reverse relationship between duration Most of the time when I drive past, erupting, but it also drops when the and interval that is exhibited by Old the small around Gemini’s right vent only is periodically bubbling Faithful, Great Fountain and Flood. north vent is full and the south vent is up. A sympathetic relationship between (Scott Bryan [2008, “Narcissus Geyser bubbly away merrily. Occasionally the the water levels in Crack and Pebble Eruption Patterns June 27 – July 31, south vent will erupt up to 12 inches was observed in 2007 during Crack’s 2005,” The GOSA Transactions, high but I have not recorded these active phase. So far in 2009 there has Volume 10] termed these short mode events as “eruptions.” These periods of been no opportunity to observe the intervals that produce short mode activity from the south vent are easily relationship between Crack and Pebble durations and long mode intervals that visible from the end of the boardwalk at since Crack has not been active. produce long mode durations.) Great Fountain. UNNG in Tangled Creek Descriptive statistics for Narcissus Series of Gemini eruptions have I have seen no signs of eruptive intervals from May 23 through July 6, been recorded on May 24 and 28, and activity from this feature as of July 9, 2009 are shown in Table 6. (Intervals June 3 and 29. There were at least 11 2009. were computed by treating “ns” and eruptions on May 24. The first eruption Dilemma “ie” times as start times, so the data is observed was at 08:01ie. The series So far during the 2009 season, I an approximation of the intervals rather ended with an eruption at 09:23. The have not seen any episodes of heavier than a precise computation.) “Short” first of the 10 reported eruptions in the and have also not heard any intervals are those following a long series on May 28 was seen at 13:35. gurgling from Dilemma. duration eruption; conversely, “long” The series ended at 14:52. On June 3 I Wolf and Paperiello [1986, Report intervals are those following a short saw a series start at 18:44. After on Lesser Known Thermal Units Of duration eruption. I had been using a watching 18 eruptions, with the last one Yellowstone National Park, 1981-1985] prediction of 1¾ to 2¼ hours after a occurring at 21:11, I left even though wrote: long duration eruption and 3½ to 4½ the series had not concluded. On June “Dilema [sic] Geyser”. This hours after a short duration eruption. 29 the first eruption of eight observed name was given by Tomas Vachuda After looking at this data, I will be eruptions was seen at 13:52. The series during the summer of 1984 to two adjusting my prediction model to 2 to ended at 15:00. The June 3 series was the only series where the initial eruption was observed. Unfortunately, the June 3 Table 6: Narcissus Geyser Intervals, May 23 – July 6, 2009 series was also the only series where the concluding eruption was not “Short “Long Presumed Combination observed. Intervals” Intervals” Intervals The water level in Pebble is fluctuating. I have not seen it rise far Count 14 10 5 enough to overflow. Minimum 1h52m 3h02m 5h12m A marker placed on Crack when the Mean 2h20m 3h34m 5h45m road opened Memorial Day weekend Median 2h21m 3h35m 5h42m 2009 has remained in place to the date Maximum 2h47m 4h24m 6h36m 15 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

2½ hours after a long duration eruption by Tom Dunn since the mean and median intervals following the long duration have been about 2h20m and 2h21m, respectively. The five “combined interval” cases were observations where an intervening eruption was presumably missed, although one or more of these could be cases where Narcissus decided to “skip” an intervening eruption, or have consecutive long mode intervals and durations, as reported by Bryan [2008, The GOSA Transactions]. Six closed intervals (two of which were computed using an “ie” time as a start time) for Pink Geyser were obtained between May 23 and July 6, 2009. These intervals were 5h25m, 5h47m, 5h56m, 6h14m, 6h16m, and 7h31m. Using 6 hours as an approxi- mate average, there was one triple interval that averaged 5h45m, and four quadruple intervals that averaged 5h20m, 5h52m, 6h03m, and 6h38m. An overall mean for these 25 assumed intervals is 5h59m. It appears that Pink Geyser’s intervals this summer have varied from just under 5½ hours to just over 7½ hours, with an average of 6 hours. All durations recorded during the 2009 season to date have been about 11 to 12 minutes. Narcissus Geyser, Lower Geyser Basin, June 22, 1993 Ralph Taylor’s electronic data for the four weeks ended September 22, Bead minutes less. 2008 showed a mean of 6h33m, a Table 7 shows descriptive statistics Distribution of the intervals is median of 6h17m, a minimum of for Bead Geyser. Intervals in 2009 to shown in Figure 4. The 28 and 29 5h21m and a maximum of 11h0m for date are shorter than intervals through a minute intervals account for 65.3% of 114 intervals. Although no closed similar time period in 2008 were. The the total intervals. If the 27 and 30 intervals approaching 11 hours have minimum in 2009 (25 minutes) is 2 minute intervals are added, the four- been reported for the 2009 season, no minutes less than the 2008 minimum minute range of 27-30 minutes accounts observation periods of sufficient length (27 minutes). The maximum (34 for 80.5% of the intervals. Only 3.4% to preclude that possibility have been minutes in 2009 and 37 minutes in of the intervals were less than 27 conducted during the 2009 season. 2008) and mean (32 minutes in 2008 minutes. The 31-32 minute category In his 1969 report, Marler said and 29 minutes in 2009) are each 3 accounts for 5.1% of the intervals and “Narcissus … erupted with [its] usual minutes less. The median (28 minutes the 33-34 minute category accounted regularity; Narcissus playing about ever in 2009 and 32 minutes in 2008) is 4 for 11.0% of the intervals. six hours.” Marler did not indicate durations for eruptions of Narcissus. Table 7: Bead Intervals, 2009 and 2009 Marler also said “four unnamed geysers in the Pink Cone group were observed Interval Bead Bead in frequent eruptive activity.” One of Statistic 2009 to July 8 2008 to July 13 these could have been Pink, but since no other information is available there Count 118 73 is no certainty that Pink was actually Minimum 25 minutes 27 minutes active in 1969. Maximum 34 minutes 37 minutes Mean 29 minutes 32 minutes Median 28 minutes 32 minutes 16 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

Figure 4: Bead Intervals--2009 One presumed double interval averaged 6h54m. One presumed triple interval 60 averaged 5h30m. The mean for the closed, double, and triple intervals was 50 5h58. This is comparable to the mean of 6h01m for the first part of the 2008

40 summer season and 5h55m for the first part of the 2007 summer season. I recorded eruptions of Labial’s 30 Satellite Vents on June 6, Jun 21, and July 6. For only the second time in my 20 experience over the past two decades years of watching geysers in the Pink 10 Cone Group, I observed a closed interval of Labial’s Satellite Vents. On 0 July 30, 2008 I recorded an interval of 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 1h51m between eruptions of Labial’s Satellite Vents. On June 21, 2009, I In 1969 Marler wrote that Bead the features in the Pink Cone Group recorded my second case of a closed Geyser erupted with its “usual regular- that has exhibited geyser activity. interval. This interval was 2h35m. ity” and Bead’s intervals varied “from However, he did not include Box These short closed intervals are 27 to 30 minutes.” Although Bead’s Spring among the features listed in his extremely rare occurrences, at least in intervals have varied from 27 to 34 1969 annual report. my experience and based on conversa- minutes in 2009, it probably can still be Labial and Labial’s Satellite tions with other people who spend time said that Bead Geyser is one of the Vents watching features in the Pink Cone more regular geysers in the park. To date I have recorded four closed Group. There have been many days Box Spring intervals for Labial for the 2009 when I have spent more than 12 Through July 7, 2009, I have summer season. These intervals are consecutive hours observing the Pink recorded 126 intervals for Box Spring. 5h25m, 5h37m, 5h47m, and 6h43m. Cone Group without seeing a single Comparative descriptive statistics for the intervals for 2009 and 2008 are Table 8: Box Spring, 2009 and 2008 shown in Table 8. The 2009 intervals have a broader range (68 minutes, from Interval Statistic Box Spring Box Spring minimum of 8 minutes to maximum of 2009 to July 7 2008 to July 13 76 minutes) than the 2008 intervals (54 Count 126 82 minutes, from a minimum of 15 minutes Minimum 8 minutes 15 minutes to a maximum of 69 minutes.) How- Maximum 76 minutes 69 minutes ever, the 2009 mean and median Mean 24 minutes 25 minutes intervals (24 and 22 minutes, respec- Median 22 minutes 23 minutes tively) are each only one minute less than the 2008 mean and median intervals (25 minutes and 23 minutes, Figure 5: Box Spring Intervals--2009 respectively). 45 Distribution of the Box Spring intervals (in 5-minute categories) is 40 shown in Figure 5. “Most” (78.6%) of 35 the intervals are between 15 and 29 30 minutes. Only 6.3% of the intervals are less than 10 minutes in length. Only 25

5.6% of the intervals are 40 minutes or 20 greater. If the 30-39 minute categories, which contains 9.5% of the intervals are 15 added to the 15-29 minute category, the 10 total range from 15 to 39 minutes 5 contains 88.1% of the intervals. In his monthly report for June 1969, 0 Marler indicated that Box was one of < 10 '10-14 '15-19 '20-24 '25-29 '30-34 '35-39 '40-49 >=50 34 17 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4 eruption of Labial’s Satellite Vents let pipe and most of the rocks thrown into Either fewer rocks are thrown into alone two eruptions to get a closed it are disgorged at the time of an Pink Cone now than were thrown into it interval. eruption. Once during the season a during Marler’s day or the geyser is no Marler did not mention either Labial large block of rock was placed so it longer able to disgorge those that are or Labial’s Satellite Vents in his 1969 completely covered the crater. introduced into it because I don’t annual or monthly reports. Again, Although today’s durations of about remember ever seeing Pink Cone throw perhaps one or both of these features 100 to 110 minutes are just slightly out rocks during an eruption. (I have, were among the four unnamed features longer than the 1969 durations of 90 to however, seen a few visitors manage to in the Pink Cone Group that he reported 105 minutes, today’s average interval of toss rocks into the cone.) as active. 21½ to 22 hours is 3½ times as long as Thank you again to all the people Pink Cone the six hour interval in 1969. who report eruption times and/or enter During the first part of the 2008 the times in the Visitor Center logbook. summer season, the mean interval for Pink Cone was 20h51m and the median was 20h42m. This was almost the same by Pat Snyder as the overall mean interval for the summer of 2007 of 20h41m. The only three durations I recorded during the first part of the 2008 Summer season were 101 minutes, 101 minutes, and 108 minutes. For 2009 to date, fifteen closed intervals have varied from a minimum of 20h48m to a maximum of 24h18m, with a mean of 22h08m and a median of 21h35m. (Thank you to Stephen Eide for providing start times on July 6 and 7 to compute one of these intervals.) The mean interval is 17 minutes longer than it was during the first part of the 2008 season and the median interval is 53 minutes longer than it was during the first part of the 2008 season. I have recorded seven durations—100, 102, 102, 103, 106, 107, and 107 minutes. Durations appear to be about the same as they were in the first part of the 2008 Summer season. Marler included this information about Pink Cone Geyser in his 1969 annual report: Pink Cone Geyser has been a very consistent performer since the ’59 earthquake greatly shortened its interval. [Using markers, Marler concluded in 1954 that Pink Cone erupted about every 40 to 50 hours.] Eruptions occur about every six hours and last from about 90 to 105 minutes. During the activity the water column will momentarily subside in height to be followed by renewed vigor in activity. Certain hot springs in the basins are recipients of greater misuse than others. Pink Cone seems to be one that vandals delight in abusing with their malprac- Pink Cone Geyser, Lower Geyser Basin, May 28, 2009 tices. Fortunately it has a constricted 18 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

FAN AND MORTAR STARTS IN THE 2000S by Tara Cross-Monteith It was recently suggested that the “Gold 3”), and consistent bubbling and must start from a series of cone-filling Sput could revive the old “Guide to” overflow from High. High and Gold surges in Upper Mortar, and the articles from past years. I’ve offered to would grow in strength until they were initiating surge must occur when Fan’s contribute some information about Fan erupting constantly to 2-4 feet. When minor vents are NOT having lock and Mortar Geysers. Ordinarily I would Angle joined in this activity and all behavior. Simply having Upper Mortar start with the more basic information, three vents were continuous, High and as the first major vent to start during but the recent Upper Mortar initiated Gold would gradually get stronger until lock does not make it an Upper Mortar eruption on July 8 inspired me to look the eruption was triggered by one of the initiated start; if the minor vents are in at my notes on Fan and Mortar start major vents—usually Main Vent or East lock at the start of the eruption, then it types, and I’ve written a short summary. Vent. Other varieties of this behavior is considered a lock start. The accompanying table shows a were seen in the 2000s. In 2002, lock Lower Mortar minor initiated: breakdown of observed Fan and Mortar was characterized by very strong Lower Mortar minors began to occur in start types for the 2000s. In brief, most activity from High Vent, and sometimes the late 1990s, but observers were observed eruptions in 2001 were High was the only vent that partici- unaware that an eruption could be initiated by Upper Mortar, and the only pated. Starting in 2004, it was not triggered by one until July 11, 2001. known Lower Mortar minor initiated uncommon to see High and Gold drop There were two more observed in 2001, starts occurred in that year. In 2002 and down to normal levels, or even “bottom but the behavior has not been observed 2003, the start types were split roughly out” briefly. Sometimes the vents since. In the two instances when evenly between “lock” and Upper returned to lock behavior and the complete data was taken, Lower Mortar Mortar. Then in 2004, “lock” starts eruption commenced in typical fashion. minor starts occurred during pauses, a became the norm, and no Upper Mortar In one case in 2007, the water levels time in the cycle when it was previously starts were observed through the end of went up and down three times before unknown for Fan and Mortar to erupt. that active phase in 2005. Until the eruption finally began. However, on When an eruption began during a recently, all observed eruptions in the several occasions the water levels Lower Mortar minor, all the vents were current active phase that began in June dropped for good and, frustratingly, Fan quiet except for Lower Mortar and 2007 started with “lock.” and Mortar did not erupt. These “false Bottom Vent. Instead of losing energy locks,” while relatively infrequent, were after 2 minutes, Lower Mortar gained in Year Lock UM LM Total seen in all active years from 2004- strength. Then East Vent suddenly shot 2000 1 1 0 2 2008.1 out of its vent with almost no warning, 2001 1 17 3 21 Upper Mortar initiated starts were quickly followed by the rest of the 2002 15 17 0 32 unusual but not unheard of in the 80s vents. 2003 9 10 0 19 and 90s, but became a common I hope to write a series of short 2004 18 2 0 20 occurrence from 2001-2003, but only 3 articles over the winter about what to 2005 9 0 0 9 have been observed since. Upper watch for at Fan and Mortar before the 2007 5 0 0 5 Mortar starts occur in about the same eruption starts. 2008 21 0 0 21 point of the cycle as a lock start, but (Endnotes) 2009 2 1 0 3 water levels do not need to be high in 1 This brings up the question of the minor vents. In the early 2000s, whether this behavior should be called Definitions of Start Types observers looked for water in Upper “lock” at all. Paul Strasser first used the In the 2000s, Fan and Mortar have Mortar starting 12-14 minutes after term because Fan and Mortar were “a demonstrated 3 ways in which an River Vent began. If an eruption was to lock” to erupt. The term as it is under- eruption can be initiated: “lock” starts, occur, Upper Mortar would have stood now refers to the specific Upper Mortar initiated, and Lower periodic surges 30-90 seconds apart, behavior rather than the concept. Mortar minor initiated. gaining in strength until the surges Until 2001, major eruptions of Fan filled the cone and overflowed over the and Mortar typically started from a sides. The surge that triggered the behavior referred to as Lock or Classic eruption would be anywhere from 5-20 Lock, when High, Gold, and sometimes feet high, last 10-60 seconds, and Angle had strong, continuous jetting inundate the entire cone with water. activity to 3 to 10 feet. During a strong East Vent was the first vent of Fan to cycle, observers looked for indications signal the start of a major eruption, and of high water levels in the minor would begin either during this surge or vents—pooling in Gold, activity of the a few seconds after. For an eruption to small vents next to Gold (“Gold 2” and be Upper Mortar initiated, the eruption 19 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS ON SELECTED GEYSERS, LATE JUNE 2009 by Andrew Hafner

While electronic data is certainly pounding rainstorm. All of the eruptions cone, I got on the radio immediately useful for crunching numbers and that I watched from close at hand had and sprinted to Geyser Hill. Tara Cross, providing summaries of geyser data that five bursts. Ben Hoppe, and Greg Gushwa also give us a general idea of what is A sampling of Plume intervals for made it to the Hill in time for the happening in the basins, there is no the time period of June 21-27 is given eruption. There may have been another substitute for visual observation in in Table 1. gazer or two across the river at the describing the nuances of particular overlook. As viewed from Geyser Hill, geysers. And there are some things that Table 1 the eruption had a gorgeous double don’t fit neatly into charts or tables. Plume Geyser Data, Late June 2009 rainbow. (The morning eruption, at The following is based on observa- 0809, also had a very nice double tions of geysers conducted by myself Date Intervals (in minutes) rainbow). and the many other geyser gazers who In past seasons, I have seen Beehive were present in the basins during my 6/21 64, 60, 60, 67, and 63 have many shorter-than-average week-long visit to Yellowstone from 6/23 79 and 71 intervals around the time of Little June 20-28, 2009. The names of those 6/24 81, 76, 64, 58, and 62 Squirt and high water levels in Silver gazers who passed along data to me 6/25 63, 65, and 59 Spring. I do not think that this is merely will be mentioned in the text or data 6/26 72, 107, 71, 59, and 72 coincidence. tables, where appropriate. Data on Beehive for the week of Some gazers post reports of their Beehive: This geyser surprised June 20-28 is shown in Table 2. Some Yellowstone visits on the Geysers everyone with an interval of only 11 of the longer intervals observed during Mailing List, and these are often very hours 31 minutes on June 25. It the week seemed to occur during the useful in giving us a “sneak preview” of occurred on the same day as Little overnight hours. The Indicator’s lead what is happening in the basins. This Squirt. I was talking with a friend of time on Beehive was remarkably information is being included here for mine on the mezzanine of the Old consistent, except prior to the evening the benefit of those who may not be on Faithful Inn, but taking occasional eruption of June 25. (A few minutes the Mailing List, as well as those who glances out the window, since the were probably missed). are coming to the park later in the possibility existed for another eruption We had been waiting most of the summer. As always, there are some of Beehive before darkness fell. When I afternoon on 6/27 for the eruption that interesting quirks with the geysers, took a glance out the window and saw finally took place at 1817; when water along with trends in their activity, that what was erupting next to Beehive’s finally pooled up in the Indicator’s are worthy of being reported on in a more formal manner. by Ralph Friz Old Faithful: As usual, I did not keep close track of (or notes on!) this one. The average interval still appears to be running right around 91 minutes. At least two short intervals were reported during my week-long visit; otherwise, most intervals and durations were “longs.” From what I heard from the visitor center over the radio, several eruptions had heights of 140 feet. Plume: In a manner similar to last year, Plume’s intervals seemed to vary a bit from one day to the next, but exhibited a fair degree of regularity on any given day. Some of the longer intervals occurred during the early daylight hours, while the air tempera- ture was still cool. The 107-minute interval occurred during the morning hours of June 26, when we had a , Upper Geyser Basin, Spring 2009, 20 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

Table 2 Table 3 Beehive Geyser, June 21-27, 2009 , June 20-27, 2009

Date Time Interval Indicator Date Time Comments Interval lead time on 6/20 2148 Minor ——— Beehive 6/21 0229ie Major 4hr41m Minor-to-major interval 6/21 1352 ———- 13 minutes 1659 Major 14hr30m 6/22 0609 16hr17m 11 minutes 6/22 0645 Major 13hr46m 1945 13hr36m 14 minutes 1949ns Major 13hr04m 6/23 1216 15hr39m 15 minutes 6/23 0913 Minor 13hr47m 6/24 1708 28hr52m 14 minutes 1656ie Major 7hr43m (double interval) Minor-to-major interval 6/25 0809 15hr01m 11 minutes 6/24 0736 Pause at 0741; restart at 0747, eruption was a major 14hr40m 1938 11hr31m 08 minutes 6/25 0630ie Sloppy, minor yesterday P.M., ——— (Indicator observed i.e. for 0945 Major second eruption) 6/26 1432 Major; Double interval, major overnight 28hr47m 6/26 1230 16hr52m 15 minutes 6/27 0700ie Sloppy, minor early A.M., ——— 6/27 1817 28hr43m 15 minutes 0823 Minor, 1535 major (double interval) by Andrew Hafner vent, someone announced over the radio, “Here’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for – there is water in Beehive’s Indicator.” The following sequence is being mentioned here because it is one that makes geyser gazing so easy, and keeps us coming back again and again, even after the worst days: Beehive’s Indica- tor 1931, Beehive 1945, Castle 1949 near start (major), Lion initial 1951. After my departure, Beehive seemed to be settling down into a pattern of shorter and more regular intervals; the four intervals in the days after my departure were 12 hours 11 minutes on 6/28, 13 hours 0 minutes on 6/29, 13 hours 8 minutes overnight 6/29-30, and 12 hours 21 minutes on 6/30 in the daylight. Castle: Not much to say about this one, except that Castle has continued with the temperamental behavior observed over the last handful of years. The data in Table 3 illustrates Castle’s activity for the period of June 21-27 better than I can describe it. Minor-to- major intervals seem to be highly erratic. When minor eruptions are not occurring, the visitor center is using 13 ¾ hours for predictions. The eruption of 6/24, which paused for six minutes and then restarted, gave some of the highest water spikes I have ever seen from this geyser. I saw Penta Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, June 29, 2009 21 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4 several other eruptions of Castle which by Andrew Hafner paused and then restarted in autumn of 2004. Sawmill Geyser Complex: Interest- ing and fun stuff here. Two eruptions by Penta Geyser were observed during my week-long visit. Both of these were full, water-phase eruptions. The first was on 6/21, at 0836, and had a duration of 60 minutes. Jim Schrier (I don’t know if this is spelled correctly!) said that this was the first full eruption of Penta in approximately two weeks. The second eruption, on 6/23, started at 1646, and had a duration of over 3 hours. It began while I was having dinner, and was still in progress when I headed to the Lower Basin at around 1815. One observer reported to me that Penta paused at 1923, restarted at 1931, and continued for at least another 30 minutes, although he said the eruption was only about half as strong as before. He added that Old Tardy erupted at 1930, just before Penta restarted. Eruptions by Uncertain were Uncertain Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, June 22, 2009 reported on 6/21 (the same day as Penta!) and 6/22. There may have been observed. On 6/22, Rift erupted at Table 4 others that I didn’t hear about. Tardy 1525, in the early part of Grand’s Grand Geyser, June 21-27, 2009 cycles were seen on 6/23, the day of window; Grand did not erupt until Penta’s long eruption late in the 1816, nearly three hours later. On 6/23, Date Time Interval Code afternoon. David Goldberg, Tara Cross, the start of Rift was reported at 0944 by 6/21 0226E——— ——— Ben Hoppe, and I waited out one of a visitor, and Grand did not erupt until 1138 9hr12m T1C these, with hopes that something might 1257. On 6/24, Rift was reported in 2039 9hr01m T1C happen. Otherwise, the complex was on eruption at 0520, and Grand erupted a 6/22 0746 1hr07m T1C Sawmill mode, with Sawmill seen in bit more than two hours later, at 0723. 1816 10hr44m x2C eruption several times each day. Finally, on 6/27, Leslie Gushwa 6/23 0344E9hr18m ——— Grand: Grand could also be reported that Rift was in eruption 1257 9hr13m T1Q described as being a temperamental sometime between 1730 and 1800, just 2148 8hr51m 2B performer. During my visit, as well as before Beehive. I do not know when 6/24 0723 9hr35m T1C the several weeks preceding it, erup- Rift started or ended. Grand did not 1618 8hr55m T2Q tions seemed to be occurring in the later erupt until 2023. Those four intervals 6/25 1016 17hr58m G1C half – or even out of – the prediction were 10 hours 44 minutes, 9 hours 13 (double interval) window. There has been some talk minutes, 9 hours 35 minutes, and 10 1805 7hr49m T1C about adjusting the prediction. I can hours 57 minutes. The first and last of 6/26 0308E9hr03m ——— recall sitting through some long waits these four were the second and third 1227 9hr19m T1Q during my visit! For those who are longest intervals of the entire week. 1138E11hr11m ——— coming to the park later this summer, be I don’t know if the longest interval 6/27 0926 9hr48m T2Q prepared to spend some time. on Grand for the week, 11 hours 11 2023 10hr57m T3Q Data on Grand Geyser for the time minutes on 6/26, occurred with or period of June 21-27 is presented in without the benefit of Rift. Udo Freund, Table 4. A few electronic times were No delays were reported during my Jan Freund, and a few others waited at included for the purpose of filling in visit. Rift Geyser appeared to be about Grand for some time past dusk, without data and calculating intervals. The as active as it has in past years; it success. They reported that Grand’s presumed double interval overnight 6/ appears in my notes for 6/22, 6/23, 6/24 pool was not filling well with each 24-25 was due to a malfunction with the and 6/27. There may have been a few Turban cycle. Udo also commented to data logger. overnight eruptions which were not me on how he thinks that when West 22 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

Triplet, Percolator, and Rift Geysers by Andrew Hafner erupt, the focus of the thermal energy seems to shift to that side of the Grand Complex. Here’s a possible idea for someone looking to do an article for a future issue of The Sput or volume of the GOSA Transactions. All but one of Grand’s observed eruptions for the week were Turban- initiated. I was told that there had been more Grand-initiated starts earlier in the season. The afternoon eruption of 6/24, at 1618, began nearly three minutes into a Turban eruption. As seen from the boardwalk below Crested Pool, Turban erupted vigorously, as it often does just before the start of Grand, without anything happening, for what seemed to me a few minutes, before Grand finally joined in with a big, sudden splash-up. Grand’s most spectacular eruption of the week occurred just before sundown on 6/27. As the time for Turban approached, Grand’s pool dropped significantly. It began having waves, however, and then quickly rose and flooded. Grand erupted at 2023, and the low evening sun turned the Grand Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, June 23, 2009 water column a pale shade of gold. When Vent Geyser started, a rainbow to be coinciding more often than usual someone looking to write an article for appeared between it and Grand. The this season. On 6/23, many of us were The Sput or the GOSA Transactions. first burst ended after about 8 minutes. waiting at Grand when water in The energy is in Chromatic rather The second burst went up after a pause Beehive’s Indicator was called on the than in Beauty. of about 20 seconds. This lasted a radio. We headed for Geyser Hill, were Daisy: The average interval here minute or so before stopping, and the able to see Beehive, and made it back seems to be running somewhat longer third burst promptly jetted skyward in plenty of time for Grand, which than it was last summer, but Daisy still only a few seconds later. All three erupted at 1257. On 6/24, Beehive was appears to be a highly regular geyser. A bursts had wonderful height. A large again anticipated while Grand was in its sampling of intervals is given in Table crowd had gathered at Grand, since the prediction window. Beehive erupted 5. The range of intervals observed by eruption took place very late into the about 50 minutes after Grand, so we me is remarkably small, from 2 hours prediction window. Many of these folks were once again able to see both 14 minutes to 2 hours 28 minutes. I had been waiting for several hours, and geysers. Finally, on 6/26, Beehive’s think that the Visitor Center was using 2 they cheered and screamed loudly when anticipated time and Grand’s prediction hours 15 or 20 minutes for predictions. Grand began waving and overflowing, window coincided yet again. Water in and more enthusiastically when the Beehive’s Indicator was called on the Table 5 second and third bursts went up. It was radio, and many of us headed for the Intervals, my final night in the park, so the Hill. This time, however, we were not Late June 2009 eruption was a wonderful send-off. so lucky – shortly after arriving on the The “Sputniks” were reported on Hill, we saw water spikes from Grand Date Intervals most days of my visit. over the trees at 1227. Beehive erupted 6/23 2hr22m, 2hr14m “Dueling” eruptions of Grand three minutes later. 6/24 2hr21m, 2hr25m and Beehive: For what it’s worth, Most of the gazers I spoke with 6/25 2hr23m, 2hr28m during my visit I frequently heard the could find no rhyme or reason to this, 6/27 2hr27m, 2hr21m, remark from other geyser gazers that since the intervals for the two geysers 2hr25m, 2hr17m the prediction window for Grand and this season have been rather dissimilar. the anticipated time for Beehive seemed Here is another possible idea for 23 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

Grotto Geyser and relations: One Riverside is still its usual, dependable Lynn Stephens mentioned to me marathon eruption of Grotto occurred self that UNNG-FTN-2 (“Super Frying Pan”) during my week-long stay in the park, I timed one full-pool to full-pool is exerting more control over Jet Geyser on 6/25. It was reported to be in interval of 43 minutes for Cliff Geyser, this year than in the past. When UNNG- eruption at 0630, and continued all day. in Black Sand Basin. FTN-2 has an eruption some time There was a report that morning of Fountain Geyser and relations: before Fountain, Jet will not erupt. frequent bursts from Spa Geyser to 40 Fountain has thus far been one of the Lynn may discuss this in greater detail feet, or roughly the height of the pleasant surprises of the 2009 summer in a future article. Jet was not active for surrounding trees. season. During my visit, it was perhaps two of the Fountain eruptions I Grotto marathons seem to be the most satisfying of the major witnessed during my visit. In both occurring less frequently this season geysers. Intervals during the spring cases, it managed to have only a few than in the past handful of years, at have mostly ranged from 5 ½ to 7 eruptions near the end of Fountain’s intervals of a few days to possibly a hours. Data on Fountain Geyser from duration. week, and are interspersed with long June 21-27 is presented in Table 6. For the remainder of the Fountain strings of “normal” or short eruptions. Ralph Friz, Maureen Edgerton, Lynn eruptions that I watched, and for which On 6/21, there were two short eruptions Stephens, Jim Schrier, and Scott Bryan Jet was active, Jet’s intervals prior to of Grotto, at 0752 and 1342, for an contributed some of the times included the start of Fountain ranged from 7 to interval 5 hours 50 minutes. On 6/23, here. Note the fairly tight range for 10 minutes. After Fountain began, Jet eruptions of Grotto at 0946 and 1533 some of the closed intervals! From the did what it typically does in response to gave an interval of 5 hours 42 minutes. length of some of the multiple intervals, an eruption of Fountain, by erupting The second eruption started without it seemed that Fountain was tending every 1 to 4 minutes. During one Grotto Fountain. I was watching the toward shorter intervals during the Fountain eruption, where I had told start of when I looked overnight hours. several family groups to stop and over my shoulder and, to my surprise, watch, one person kept saying over and saw Grotto in full eruption. Two eruptions on 6/24, at 1021 and 1621, gave an interval of exactly six hours. Table 6 Grotto was seen in eruption three times Fountain Geyser, June 21-27, 2009 on 6/25, at 0516i.e, 1215i.e, and 1745i.e. Finally, an interval between Date Time Interval Duration Jet Geyser active? Grotto starts of 7 hours 17 minutes was (in minutes) recorded on 6/27. The first of these, at 6/21 0601i.e. ——— ———- ——- 1228, was the first eruption by Grotto 1233n.s. 6hr32m ———- ——- after the previous day’s marathon. One 1854 6hr21m 33 yes of the Grotto starts mentioned here was 6/22 0725n.s. 12hr41m ———- ——- preceded by two “Central Vent delays.” (double interval) Grotto Fountain is certainly one of 1316 5hr51m 30 no the loveliest geysers in all of Yellow- 1907 5hr51m 30 yes stone. The eruptions that I watched 6/23 0558i.e. 10hr51m ———- ——- seemed to reach about 40 feet or so in (double interval) height. 1257 5hr59m 31 yes Major eruptions by Rocket Geyser 1842 5hr45m 30 yes are occurring; two of them were 6/24 0604n.s. 11hr22m ———- ——- reported in the same day on 6/23 and 6/ (double interval) 25. One Rocket major during the week, 1154 5hr50m 30 no as seen from the Castle-Grand area of 1722 5hr28m ———- ——- the basin, sent water spikes over the 6/25 0444i.e. 11hr22m ———- ——- trees near Grotto. (double interval) Riverside: I obtained 5 closed 0959 5hr15m ———- ——- intervals on Riverside during my visit: 1551 5hr52m 30 yes 5 hours 59 minutes, 6 hours 0 minutes, 6/26 0926i.e, 17hr35m ———- ——- 5 hours 55 minutes, 5 hours 58 minutes, possibly and 5 hours 47 minutes. All of these near start were obtained from eruptions seen with (presumed triple interval) the aid of predictions based on single 1510 5hr14m 32 yes intervals. Some longer intervals may 6/27 0932 18hr22m 32 —— also have occurred. In other words, (presumed triple interval) 24 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4 over, “There goes Jet again!” Hill. Large “nursery herds” of bison present in Yellowstone during my visit As was the case last year, were present throughout the week for pleasant conversations, occasional Fountain’s eruptions are beginning from around both the Upper and Lower bits of shared data, and general camara- an empty crater. All of the eruptions basins. One of these herds, estimated at derie. In addition to those who are that I saw began with a sudden splash- 75-80 animals, passed directly around mentioned in the main body of the up from the right-hand side of the both sides of the boardwalk while we article, I would also like to thank Mike crater, and quickly built in force. Since were waiting at Grand on 6/22, just Newcomb, Rob Haker, Bob and Emily there is no sudden rise of the pool’s yards away from several hundred tense Bailey, Jere Bush, Dave DeWitt, Mary water level to gauge, the start may but thrilled onlookers. The boardwalks Beth Schwarz, and Barbara Lasseter. catch some observers off-guard. The were icy on the morning of 6/22, and we Thanks once again to Scott Bryan eruptions themselves were superb. had heavy frosts the nights of 6/22-23 for his daily postings to the Geysers Most of them took place in excellent and 6/26-27. I just missed the chance to Mailing List, which helped to fill in a viewing conditions, with sunny skies see a grizzly bear chasing an elk calf few data items, as well as the first few and a southerly breeze to clear away the across the meadow above Riverside intervals on Beehive following my steam. Many bursts impressed me as Geyser on the morning of 6/24. I was at departure. reaching 60-70 feet high. A few of those Grotto at the time, and did hear the REFERENCE CITED bursts spread out almost equally as baby elk yelping in alarm. Bryan, Scott. Various informal wide. Fountain also showed a certain ACKNOWLEDGMENTS postings, Geysers Mailing List, amount of “bubble blowing” behavior. We have already reached the end of [email protected], 6/22-30, With some bursts, the base of the water June, and as always, the geysers are up 2009. Accessed via Windows Live® column appeared to be very blue. We to their usual tricks. I would like to Hotmail, 7/1 – 7/5. also observed frequent doming of the thank the many geyser gazers who were pool, also very blue in color, which was by Andrew Hafner followed by a pronounced “popping” sound. “Clepsydra’s steam vent” did not activate with any of the Fountain eruptions that I saw. Tara Cross mentioned that it has not been very active this year. Over the years, a number of gazers, Ralph Taylor among them, have remarked to me that they think Fountain is an underrated geyser, and that it does not get the attention that it deserves. It is worth watching. Non geyser-related: With wet weather continuing well into June, the wildflower show in the park should be spectacular this year. There were large patches of fringed gentian and yellow monkey flowers all over the Upper Geyser Basin. Pale orange Indian paintbrush was appearing here and there. Arrowleaf balsamroot was blooming profusely around the “volca- nic tableland” area near Fountain and along the roadside at Midway. There were scattered patches of lupines Fountain Geyser, Lower Geyser Basin, June 22, 2009 around Madison campground. I saw an osprey around the Upper Geyser Basin nearly every day. A family of mergansers was seen every morning in the Firehole River, just upstream from the bridge below Castle Geyser. American avocets were observed in the pond in the meadow across from Geyser 25 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

A LITTLE BIT OF THIS AND A LITTLE BIT OF THAT: COMPARATIVE ACTIVITY OF SELECTED GEYSERS BEFORE AND AFTER THE 1959 HEBGEN LAKE EARTHQUAKE by Lynn Stephens For the August 2009 issue of The the earthquake the activity level to the earthquake—60 minutes after Sput, I have prepared a short summary increased. Intervals between eruptions compared with 138 minutes before the of impacts of the tremors on intervals of decreased significantly in 1960, when it quake. The average interval in 1960— selected “major” geysers, rather than a was erupting every two to three days 143 minutes—was just 5 minutes longer full-length article about the 1959 instead of only once or twice a week. than it had been before the quake—138 Hebgen Lake Earthquake. (Full length However, very few eruptions were minutes. But then Daisy went dormant articles will probably return in the observed in 1961, 1962, and 1963. Five for a few years and by 1964 had only “a December issue.) years after the tremors, in 1964, the few eruptions” during the 1964 season. Activity levels of the six “predicted activity increased such that Beehive Grand Geyser also went dormant geysers” (Castle, Daisy, Grand, Old was seen in eruption about once a following the 1959 earthquake and did Faithful, Riverside, and Great Fountain) week—about half as frequently as it not erupt again until February 19, 1960. plus Beehive and Fountain are shown in had in 1958. The number of eruptions observed each Table 1. The comparison includes data The change in Daisy Geyser’s season from 1960 through 1964 gradu- for 1958 through 1964. Data was taken activity pattern was quite similar to that ally increased until it was erupting from George D. Marler’s annual reports of Beehive. Immediately after the about once a day in 1964 compared with of “ Activity in the Geyser earthquake, Daisy’s eruptions were three times a day prior to the earth- Basins of the Firehole River.” The data twice as frequent as they had been prior quake. generally included data for “the season”—April or May through October, with the exception of 1959 by Graham Meech when post-quake data often extended through December. In some cases post- quake activity in 1959 didn’t stabilize until a few weeks or months after the tremors. In those cases, data from November and/or December 1959 was used where such data was available. Fountain Geyser sustained the most severe drop in activity level following the 1959 earthquake. It erupted on August 18, 1959, then went dormant until the winter of 1962-1963. During the 1963 season Fountain had minor eruptions. The minor eruptions oc- curred about every twelve minutes and lasted four minutes, so Fountain was in eruption about one-third of the time. But the eruptions were only 10 to 15 feet in height. During the 1964 season Fountain had both major and minor eruptions. Intervals between minors lengthened to 12 to 18 minutes; durations remained at four minutes. The frequency of major eruptions was irregular. Some of the major eruptions lasted over two hours. Height of the major eruptions sometimes reached 30 to 40 feet. Beehive Geyser erupted with about the same frequency in 1959 before the earthquake as it had in 1959. Following Daisy Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, September 1, 2007 26 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

Old Faithful Geyser’s average by Pat Snyder interval increased in the months following the earthquake—from an average of 60.8 minutes in 1959 prior to the quake to an average of 67.4 minutes in the remaining months of 1959. Although the average dropped slightly in the 1960-1963 seasons, it was still 67.1 minutes in 1964. Most sources indicate the 1959 earthquake added six to seven minutes to Old Faithful’s average interval. Three geysers—Castle, Great Fountain, and Riverside—exhibited increased activity levels that were sustained over the five years following the earthquake, as shown in Figure 1. Castle Geyser’s average prior to the quake was 15h53m. Following the tremors the average for the remainder of 1959 was 9h03m. In 1964 the average was still 9h07m. ’s average prior to the earth- quake in 1959 was 9h02m. Following the temblor the average for the remainder of 1959 was about 7h30m. In 1964 the average was still 7h45m. Riverside Geyser’s 1959 average prior to the earthquake was 7h27m. After the 1959 earthquake, Riverside’s average interval dropped almost an hour, to 6h28m. The average increased in 1960-1962, Great Fountain Geyser, Lower Geyser Basin, August 31, 2008 reaching a peak in 1962 of 7h12m. The average decreased in each of 1963 and 1964, dropping under the post-quake 1959 average to 6h20m in 1964.

Figure 1: Average Interval of Geysers Whose Activity Increased Following the 1959 Earthquake

27 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

Overall, geyser gazers were treated early part of 1964 and then interspers- Intervals of two of the three geysers favorably by four of these geysers in ing some major eruption amongst the whose intervals decreased following the 2008 than they would have been in the minor eruptions in the latter part of the 1959 earthquake still have intervals early 1960s. In 2008 Beehive, Grand, season. In 2008 Daisy erupted about below those of 1959 before the earth- Fountain, and Daisy were fairly reliable every two hours. Daisy had erupted quake. Castle’s 2008 overall average of performers. Beehive generally had at about every two hours in 1964, but only 11h54m was still four hours below the least five or six daylight eruptions each “during two days when Daisy’s Thief 15h53m 1959 pre-quake average. week during the 2008 season compared was intermittently active.” The rest of Riverside Geyser’s average interval in with one about every eight days in the time Daisy was dormant. Grand 2008 of 6h11m was over an hour less 1964. Fountain erupted three or four erupted about three times a day in 2008 than the pre-quake 1959 average times a day in 2008 compared with instead of only once a day as it was interval of 7h27m. exhibiting only minor eruptions in the doing in 1964.

Table 1: Comparative Intervals of Selected Geysers, Pre- and Post-1959 Earthquake

Geyser Pre Quake Post-Quake Data 1958 1959 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964

Beehive Average 66h No. of eruptions 2 per Increased May-Oct. week 28 activity ~144 95322 Castle Minimum 14:13 13:00 7:38 8:22 8:00 7:00 7:40 Average 14:33 15:53 9:03 9:30 9:28 8:50 9:36 9:07 Maximum 16:05 18:58 10:23 10:35 10:45 10:07 10:30 Daisy Minimum 90m 86m 45m 77 Average 116m 138m 60m 143 A few Maximum 170m 200m 90m 240 in late Few Eruptions Dormant summer Dormant eruptions Fountain No. of eruptions Minor Majors May -Oct. 52 1 Dormant Dormant Dormant Dormant eruptions and minors Grand Minimum 6:49 6:07 Dormant 3d 24h 13h 16h 8-1/2h Average 8:32 9:02 12d 31h28m 24h Maximum 12:40 11:00 31d 9d 125h 101h20m 30h No. of eruptions May-Oct. 28 47 98 125 182 Great Fountain Minimum 9:15 6:07 3:10 5:30 4:55 5:50 6:02 Average 12:24 9:02 ~7:30 7:30 7:50 7:46 7:51 7:45 Maximum 15:06 11:00 9:15 9:40 9:37 9:00 10:18 Old Faithful Minimum 35m 33m 36m 35m 35m 39m 38m 31m Average 62.8m 60.8m 67.4m 66.3m 66.3m 66.3m 65.0m 67.1m Maximum 90m 85m 96m 98m 94m 95m 95m 96m Riverside Minimum 6:46 6:23 6:13 6:05 6:30 6:10 5:30 Average 7:02 7:27 6:28 6:36 7:08 7:12 7:06 6:20 Maximum 7:48 8:04 7:36 7:45 7:34 7:45 7:02

Source: Marler’s Annual Reports of Hot Spring Activity in the Geyser Basins of the Firehole River.

28 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

Only two of the geysers included in this major geyser several times during eruption times. Thank you also to Ralph this comparison were erupting less daylight each and every day of the year. Taylor for computing the average frequently in 2008 than they had prior Generally, it was much easier to see (mean) intervals for Great Fountain and to the 1959 earthquake. Great these geysers in 20081 than it had been Riverside for the 2008 calendar year. Fountain’s 2008 average of 12h11m was in 1959. The 2008 overall season average (mean) about three hours above the 1958 (Footnotes) interval for Castle was computed using average of 9h02m. Additional earth- 1 Thank you to Yellowstone eruption times provided by Ralph quakes between 1964 and 2008 raised National Park for providing temperature Taylor. Old Faithful’s average above 90 data and Ralph Taylor for analyzing the minutes, but it was still possible to see temperature data to convert it to

JUNE AND EARLY JULY 2009 GEYSER ACTIVITY compiled by Tara Cross and Ben Hoppe

Now that the summer season is in by Pat Snyder full swing, gazers are finally getting a good geyser fix, and there is a lot of information for the geyser activity summary. I’m going to try a new format this time, working collaboratively with Ralph Taylor’s electronic data summa- ries and Lynn Stephens’ activity reports. Also, Ben Hoppe has agreed to help with this column while he enjoys his first summer working in Yellow- stone. Big thanks to Lynn, Ralph, Ben, and everyone who shared geyser reports on the listserv. Before I begin, I need to correct some errors from the Spring 2009 Geyser Activity column (Sput vol. 23, No. 3). First, please disregard the report of odd intervals for Old Faithful on May 2. There was a typographical error in the logbook files and in my rush to finish Little Squirt, Upper Geyser Basin, May 23, 2009 the summary, I failed to double-check the data. Lesson learned! Also, I had on May 22, 2009 in waning sunlight. Plume Geyser: Consistent with the year wrong for the last Giantess Not long after that for nearly every day intervals between 55-80 minutes. eruption; it should have been February for over three weeks, we got rain, sleet, Beehive Geyser is being very nice 17, 2009, not 2008. And, the correct hail, and snow, and whatever you call it to anyone visiting the park so far this name is Botryoidal Spring, not Botryoi- when you mix all four of them together. year. Eruption intervals have varied dal Geyser. I knew there would be some Needless to say, good geyser gazing from just a little over 11 hours to near 20 mistakes in my first go-round; hopefully opportunities started to be few and far hours. The intervals are at a 14.5 hour I’ll do better in the future. between. The weather didn’t keep the average. It’s not extremely uncommon Electronic data collected by Ralph gazers out of the basin. As late June to have 2 daylight eruptions. Indicator Taylor for June and early July are rolled around, so did the sun and warm has been reliable, but as short as 5 summarized in the accompanying table. weather as though it was opening its minutes and as long as 20. Eruptions Ben Hoppe contributed an excellent wide arms for the peak season for from Little Squirt have seemed to make activity summary for the month of June. geyser gazers and tourists alike. Beehive erupt on the shorter side, My additions are indicated with my UPPER GEYSER BASIN generally around the 12 hour mark. initials (TC). Geysers covered in Lynn Old Faithful Geyser: Still active. Depression Geyser is not easy to Stephens’ activity report are noted Still faithful. catch, unfortunately. I can’t wait for the thusly. Take it away, Ben! GEYSER HILL day when intervals are back in the 6-8 As my first full season in Yellow- Little Squirt Geyser: Active, but hour range. An interval between 13-15 stone began, I caught one of the first eruptions are not as common as in past hours is most common. reported Rocket majors of the season years. 29 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

Geyser name End Date Min Mean Median Max Beehive 7-Jul-09 11:04 14:15 13:49 23:15 Depression 7-Jul-09 10:27 14:00 13:37 30:46 Lion (series) 7-Jul-09 06:19 11:07 10:37 18:15 Little Cub 7-Jul-09 00:34 00:47 00:41 16:11 Little Squirt 7-Jul-09 82:55 106:36 89:02 190:07 Plate 7-Jul-09 00:06 15:08 05:33 166:02 Plume 7-Jul-09 00:47 01:04 01:04 01:47 Artemisia 7-Jul-09 08:17 18:54 19:20 30:11 Castle (w/o minors) 7-Jul-09 12:19 13:37 13:36 15:12 Castle (minor-major) 7-Jul-09 03:51 06:28 05:27 10:42 Castle (1st post minor) 7-Jul-09 14:16 15:02 14:43 16:58 Daisy 7-Jul-09 01:54 02:20 02:17 03:34 Grand 7-Jul-09 06:28 09:17 09:14 11:35 Grotto 7-Jul-09 00:26 08:14 06:21 39:19 Rift 7-Jul-09 08:26 18:04 19:01 24:06 Riverside 7-Jul-09 05:46 06:07 05:59 06:36 Riverside (Long) 7-Jul-09 06:19 06:27 06:27 06:36 Riverside (Short) 7-Jul-09 05:46 05:56 05:57 06:10 West Triplet 7-Jul-09 01:46 07:19 07:03 13:28 Spouter Geyser 4-Jul-09 02:38 03:55 03:41 07:21 Fountain Geyser 5-Jul-09 04:36 06:04 06:04 07:11 Great Fountain 5-Jul-09 08:55 11:45 11:33 16:20 Electronic data collected and summarized by Ralph Taylor for June and early July 2009 Little Cub Geyser: Active as usual. become a little more erratic with the TC: To the joy of both gazers in the Lion Geyser: Active. Erupting in warm, dry weather. Intervals in June park and those watching on the series, multiple series of 3+ have been were ranging from 3 to 9.5 hours with an webcams, Giantess Geyser had its first seen. average of about 4.5 hours. eruption since February 17 at 0713 on North Goggle Geyser: Dormant. Plate Geyser: TC: Eruptions became July 6. Scott Bryan observed the start Aurum Geyser: The beauty of the more frequent starting in early July, with from the Lower Hams parking lot, and late spring rain was the extreme two or three eruptions seen on some gazers hurried to the Hill for the “good regularity of Aurum. I personally was days. Maybe it was telling us Giantess part.” It was a “mixed phase” eruption able to spend a totally of 25 minutes was about to erupt? with a short initial water phase that waiting for it and come out with 3 Boardwalk Geyser: Dormant. turned to steam with a nice roar and eruptions from the start. It’s starting to created a curtain of spray that made for 30 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4 beautiful rainbows. Giantess continued by T Scott Bryan to erupt through the day on July 7. Vault Geyser had its initial at 1212, with nice thumps and a 20-minute duration. Dome Geyser: Seen active a couple times so far in late spring and early summer. CASTLE-GRAND GROUP Castle Geyser: Active with the usual, unfortunate minors. Sawmill Group: Sawmill Geyser has been very active again this summer, but not in complete control of the complex. There have been numerous Tardy cycles, they seem to be happening almost daily which means Penta is quite active. It’s not uncommon for Penta Geyser to erupt 4-5 days a week. Unfortunately, even though there have been some reported Churn Geyser Giantess Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, July 6, 2009

by LC Daugherty by Nellie Daugherty

Vault Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, July 6, 2009

eruptions, we haven’t had any Penta- Churn cycles observed. Uncertain has been quite common to see as well as it has eruptions multiple times a week. Grand Geyser continued to defy its handy 4-hour window in June and July, with intervals ranging anywhere from 6 ½ hours to a little over 12 hours. The only consolation is that we have seen Giantess Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, July 6, 2009 multiple three burst eruptions already this summer, and there are hopefully more to come. Lynn has provided further analysis of Grand’s activity in her report. 31 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

West Triplet Geyser and Rift by Ben Hoppe Geyser are active daily as well. Rift has been acting normally in the sense that it manages to provide lovely delays when eruption near or in Grand’s window. “The Sputniks” have been ob- served almost daily erupting from multiple vents, some with clearer water and others with a muddy appearance. DOWN BASIN Oblong Geyser is active, but it is quite erratic. Some intervals as short as just over 4 hours have been seen while some well over 8 hours have been seen. For a few days in mid-June, Oblong became a little more regular with some intervals in the 4-5 hour range. The average interval is right around 6 hours. Giant Geyser Group: About the same time the 4-5 hour intervals in Oblong Geyser were observed, it was noted that Bijou was beginning to pause. Note that in late May and early June, Bijou was not having pauses, and rarely any slowdowns with the excep- tion of after a Grotto Marathon. It looked to me like Bijou was in marathon until the happy day when I noticed Bijou slowing down, and then yes, Rocket Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, June 25, 2009 pausing. Unfortunately, there have been no reported hot periods, and definitely Link Geyser: On June 8, I noticed before then, there was a major eruption. no eruptions since February from Giant significant wash next to the trail. The Fan and Mortar Geysers: TC: After Geyser. runoff into the river was the eruption overnight May 30-31, the Grotto Geyser: Marathons are bleached white. It was all fairly dry and rock pile awakened from its spring occurring every few days. Not all, but having minors at 1200, so sometime hiatus during June, and as of mid-July most eruptions are being preceded by by Tom Dunn Grotto Fountain. Rocket Geyser is active as well. Eruptions have come from over an hour into the Grotto eruption to a little over 3 hours into the Grotto eruption, but there are Grotto Geyser eruptions without Rockets as well. On June 25, there were two major eruptions within six hours of each other. Daisy Geyser is generally having consistent intervals every day. Intervals have been recorded as just under 2 hours with some over 3 hours occurring on especially windy days. Most intervals seem to be fairly regular between 2 hours and 2.5 hours. Splendid Geyser. Dormant. MORNING GLORY GROUP Riverside Geyser: Active and regular erupting anywhere from just under 6 hours to just under 7 hours. Fan and Mortar Geysers, Upper Geyser Basin, June 20, 1992 32 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4 had settled into fairly regular intervals by Dave DeWitt between 4 ½ and 5 ½ days. Few event cycles were seen until July, when they became more frequent. So far, 2009 event cycle behavior does not appear to have changed significantly from what was seen in 2008. I observed an eruption event cycle on June 29, and Lynn Stephens shared her notes on eruption cycles on July 8 and 13. All three eruptions were preceded by two River pauses and splashing in Main Vent that could start 50 to 80 minutes before the start. Bottom Vent’s activity varied from heavy splashing to full eruptions. On July 8, Lynn and others witnessed the first known Upper Mortar initiated eruption since August 2, 2004. The other two observed eruptions started from a classic lock. The follow- ing is a list of eruptions in May, June, and July: Date Time Interval May 30-31 overnight I >35d June 12 2029ie I ~12¾d June 18-19 overnight I ~6¼d June 23 1129ns I ~4½d Artemisia and Atomizer Geysers, Upper Geyser Basin, August 9, 2007 June 29 0032 I ~5d13h03m July 3-4 overnight I ~5d July 8 2026 I ~4¾d July 13 1730 I =4d31h04m by Pat Snyder July 17-18 overnight I~4½d Spiteful Geyser: No reports since the reported winter eruption. OLD ROAD GROUP Artemisia Geyser has continued to be very erratic, erupting once and sometimes twice a day. See electronic monitor table. The activity of Atomizer Geyser and Slide Geyser are summarized in Lynn’s report. PIPELINE MEADOWS GROUP Several gazers have reported PMG- 2 in eruption in May and June. I have heard reports that Dilapidated is probably active, but no eruptions have been reported. MYRIAD GROUP Little Brother Geyser is still active. Intervals have been about every 30-40 seconds with eruptions lasting only a few seconds. BISCUIT BASIN PMG-2, Upper Geyser Basin, May 25, 2009 On a few of my trips through Biscuit Basin, I have seen Rusty Geyser, Island Spouter, and Shell Spring all active. 33 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

Jewel Geyser is erupting about every 7 by Pat Snyder minutes. Sapphire Pool is act-, nope, never mind, just kidding. It’s just a beautiful blue pool. Black Diamond has not been seen to have had a full eruption since Hank Heasler was doing his walk with the researchers through Biscuit. However, Scott Bryan, reported seeing some six-foot eruptions in late June. Karen Low reported that Green Bubbler was active on June 6, erupting briefly to ~4 ft. at an interval of 21 minutes. Avoca Spring is still not anywhere near the activity it was at last year, unfortunately. Some splashes can be seen above the right side of the crater, but that’s it. BLACK SAND BASIN Cliff Geyser’s activity is summa- rized in Lynn’s report. MIDWAY GEYSER BASIN Flood Geyser, West Flood Geyser, and Till Geyser are summarized in Lynn’s report. On my trip back to Fairy Falls/ Imperial near the beginning of summer, Spray Geyser was active. “New” Imperial Geyser was in eruption more often than not. Bursts over 50 feet were not uncommon, very impressive. Jewel Geyser, Biscuit Basin, May 29, 2009 LOWER GEYSER BASIN Activity of features on Firehole by Dave DeWitt Lake Drive are summarized in Lynn’s report. Fountain Geyser is active with intervals ranging from 5 to 7 hours. Eruptions of Fountain are sometimes accompanied by ‘Morning’s Thief’ Geyser , but not always. This year it’s not uncommon to see ‘Morning’s Thief’ overflow and boil into the dormant Morning Geyser, then fizzle out and do nothing more. When it did erupt, it could have 1, 2, or 3 sets of bursts. Clepsydra, Jet, Spasm, Super Frying Pan, Twig, and New Bellefontaine Geysers are all active. Lynn Stephens reported that Jet’s activity has been controlled by the cycles of Super Frying Pan. TC: In the Kaleidoscope Group, Drain, Honeycomb, Honey’s Vent, one Cliff Geyser, Black Sand Basin, July 10, 2008 of the larger vents in Deep Blue, NTFL, and Kaleidoscope Geysers have all been seen this summer. Honeycomb was sometimes seen multiple times per day. Lynn Stephens pointed out that 34 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4 these eruptions were not the major by Dave DeWitt eruptions referred to in The Geysers of Yellowstone, but rather “minor” erup- tions of variable length. Some eruptions had only one burst, but most had multiple bursts. TC: Several gazers have visited the River Group and reported that Dark Pool and Brain Geyser were both active. Pocket Geyser appears to be dormant. NORRIS GEYSER BASIN Not much has been reported about Norris so far this year. Access to Monarch, Fearless, and other features along that section of trail is extremely limited due boardwalk construction though it is left open on holidays. has not had a major eruption since 2005. I was there the day before a nice little tremor occurred in late June, and the minors were South- Imperial Geyser, Lower Geyser Basin, September 22, 2007 dominated but put out a nice bit of by Dave DeWitt runoff. was full, bubbling, overflowing, very red, but not erupting. Apparently the late June earthquake did not induce any eruptions either. Constant and Ledge Geysers have both been reported, though I did not see either of them in the short time that I was there. WEST THUMB GEYSER BASIN TC: Lone Pine Geyser is active, with most intervals in the 20 to 26 hour range. See electronic monitor table. Occasional Geyser was erupting at intervals of 23 to 31 minutes according to the logbook. I visited West Thumb the same day I visited Norris, and was still well above Fishing Cone and Lakeshore Geyser. The water was precisely even with the top of Big Cone. Twin Geysers have dropped from last Spray Geyser, Lower Geyser Basin, September 22, 2007 years water levels to below overflow and not boiling. BASIN TC: Per visitor reports, Lone Star Geyser is active in the same manner as previous years, with majors occurring at intervals of approximately 3 hours. SHOSHONE GEYSER BASIN No reports from Shoshone yet this year. The mosquitoes in the Upper Basin are worse than they ever have been. I hate to think what they are like on the trail to Shoshone.

35 The Geyser Gazer Sput Vol. 23, No. 4

by Dan Miller

Giantess Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, July 6, 2009; [Editors’ Note: We wanted to share several of the photos sent to us of this relatively rare geyser!]

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