| Comments: | From the GOSA Bulletin (relayed to me by Genean Dunn): "Steamboat Geyser had its first major eruption since September 26, 1984. A ranger from Canyon was taking water samples for Rick Hutchinson at 11:00, and all appeared normal. At 14:00 two visitors saw Steamboat in early steam phase, with rocks up to 20 cm wide still being tossed into the air. The water phase discolored the snow all the way to the outhouses at the entrance to the parking lot. There were pit marks in the snow north of Steamboat where warm rocks hit and melted into the snow. By 17:30 Cistern was down 5 cm and dropping. The weather conditions were not the best: it was a blizzard.
Let's hope this isn't just a one-time eruption but the start of a new series. We will keep you informed. Thanks to Rick, Mike Keller, Sharon Roe, and Rocco Paperiello." |