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| WEDNESDAY May 3, 2000 Vol 4, # 28 |
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| WEDNESDAY May 3, 2000 Vol 4, # 28 |
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| Site Search | Support Yellowstone! Discussion Free Internet, Email, More Email Newsletter | |
YELLOWSTONE ROAD
REPORT PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN- |
STEAMBOAT GEYSER ERUPTS! by National Park Service YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- Early Tuesday morning, May 2, around 5 a.m., the world's tallest active geyser, Steamboat, gave early morning visitors a rare opportunity to view it in major eruption. Eruptions of Steamboat Geyser (located at the Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park) are entirely unpredictable, with the last eruption on October 2, 1991. At around 7 a.m., a National Park Service employee traveling to work spotted a very tall vapor column as he neared the geyser basin and-suspecting a possible eruption-stopped to investigate. Two park visitors, sleeping in their pickup camper truck at the Norris parking area, stated that they were abruptly awakened about 5 a.m. by what they thought was an earthquake. Frightened, they drove south toward Madison, but upon looking back noted the huge vapor plume and returned to the geyser basin. By the time the park employee arrived, a very heavy, wet mist enveloped most of the area to the geyser, and Steamboat-emitting a tremendous roar-was in the full steam phase with a huge vapor plume approximately 500 feet tall (we have no estimate of the height of the water plume). Steamboat Geyser rarely erupts in major phase. More commonly, Steamboat ejects water in frequent bursts of 10-40 feet. During a major eruption, Steamboat can reach heights of over 300 feet, showering viewers with mineral-rich waters. For hours following its rare 3-40 minute major eruptions (water phase), Steamboat thunders with powerful jets of steam; this steam phase can continue as long as 12 hours after the water cessation. Steamboat's unpredictability makes today's observance even more rare. Intervals vary from three days to fifty years (Steamboat was dormant from 1911-1961). In recent years, Steamboat has erupted in 1989 (3 times), 1990 (1 time), and 1991 (1 time).
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS Ralph Maughan
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BELGRADE, Mont. (YNET) -- My partner Bruce is a true Internet genius! He is the one who got us hooked up to provide FREE Internet service all over North America in hundreds of cities and towns. Currently, our Internet Access Service covers about 90% of the population of the United States, with more cities and towns in the U.S. and Canada being added regularly. Most recently here in our home state of Montana we have added Butte and Helena to our local calling area network. We already provided service to the Billings, Bozeman and Great Falls calling areas. In Wyoming we have Casper, Cheyenne and Laramie. You can click on "Free Internet Access" on our home page and it will take you to a list of U.S. states and Canadian provinces, from which you can check to see if your city has a local "dial up." All I can say is check it often because new cities are being added all the time. Lets be sure you understand that this is FREE! All you do is download the FREE software and use the service, all of which is FREE of charge!. |
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| THIS WEEK'S ROAD OPENINGS News Brief YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK -- Currently, the North and West entrances to Yellowstone are open to automobile traffic. In addition, Old Faithful is accessible via automobile. The remainder of Yellowstone's entrances and interior roads are scheduled to open to automobiles in the coming weeks. On Friday, May 5, the East Entrance is scheduled to open to automobile traffic. In addition, the Canyon to Lake and Tower Junction to Tower Fall sections of interior roadway are also scheduled to open. The following Friday, May 12, the South Entrance is expected to open to automobile traffic. In addition, the Lake to West Thumb and West Thumb to Old Faithful interior sections of roadway are scheduled to open. |
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| THERMAL BEHAVIOR by Matthew McLean Now, you might think from the title that this is an article about the behavior of geysers and hot springs. However, it is not. It is an article about the behavior of people on the boardwalks in the basins. Have you ever been out and seen someone doing something in one of the basins that you know they shouldn't? What do you do? What authority do you have to protect both the thermal features and the lives of those risking their lives to do foolish things amongst the thermal features? Following are a couple of stories of my own experiences. Once, while waiting for Beehive Geyser, I noticed a man pointing out the hot springs to his kids. What I at first believed to be a lesson in hot springs for his children turned out to be something a lot more dangerous. He was encouraging his kids to go off the boardwalk and stick their hands in a hot spring. As the kids began to leave the boardwalk, I shouted my warnings to him that the water was too hot and the ground dangerous for his kids to be on. (Note: The hot spring that was being approached was quite possibly caused by the foot of an animal going through the sinter. The ground there is very dangerous!) Unfortunately, they did not speak English and the end result was a very unhappy child with a scalded hand and a bewildered-looking father. Another situation was much for successful for me in preventing harm. I was taking observations at Penta Geyser when I noticed some college kids about my age approaching. I took little not of them until I heard one of the guys say something along the lines of, "Hey, check this out!" I looked over my right shoulder and noticed that the guy was going to impress the girls he was with by sticking his hand in Spasmodic Geyser!!! Well, I once again relayed my warnings to him and the group and they actually thanked me for warning them. They had no clue that water was that hot. Or, at least that is what they said!! So what can you do in situations such as these? Here is what I would do. Let them know first of all that it is not lawful to be off the trail or to disturb any of the features in the geyser basins. Then, stress that these laws are in place to protect them and the features themselves. The water temperatures in geyser basins can get up to about 203 degrees Fahrenheit (at which point the water is so superheated, it evaporates). This is high enough to cause serious, painful, and even deadly burns. Also, is some areas, especially Norris, the water contains acid which can be harmful. Finally, conclude by saying that it is best that they view the features from a distance, as established by the boardwalks. While this reminder will work for some, others will figure that you are just trying to ruin their good time. If you see someone who is off the established trail and is not responsive to your reminder, report that individual to a ranger and let the ranger handle the situation. Also, report anyone who is endangering themselves by acting irresponsibly around wildlife. While this might make you feel like a snitch, it is better for both the park and for the people who don't understand the wonders within. Another interesting thing you might encounter in the geyser basins is garbage. Often, people will dump their garbage on the boardwalks or use the hot springs as wishing wells and trash receptacles. (Report this activity as well!) Sometimes, it can get very windy in the basin and things (brochures, hats, etc.) can get blown off people into the springs and/or thermal formations. If the garbage is on the boardwalk, please do the Park Service a favor and grab it! If the garbage is off trail or in the middle of an active runoff channel/algae bed DO NOT attempt to get it yourself. You never know how dangerous the ground is between you and the trash. Also, if it is in a runoff channel, the water may be hot and dangerous. If it is in an algae bed, you risk doing physical and chemical damage to the algae if you try to extract the garbage yourself. Report this sort of trash to the Visitor Center. They have a group of Thermal Volunteers who are VERY familiar with the geyser basin and who go out weekly to clean the basins. They always appreciate people reporting garbage to them. So, as you can see, by taking a few easy steps and understanding the relationships between humans and mother nature, we can make Yellowstone safer for all! Hey, to me this seems like common sense, and I suppose a few of you reading this article are saying to yourselves, "Does he think we are stupid? I know this stuff already!" Well, I don't think you are stupid!! I just want to stress that some people out there don't understand what they are dealing with in Yellowstone and those of us who do can help by sharing our knowledge with them. By doing so we can insure that Yellowstone's many thermal features will be around and accessible for generations to come! (Email Matthew or visit his Yellowstone website by clicking here.) |
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