Yellowstone InDepth This video series explores some of Yellowstone's most popular questions and important issues. Discover more about America's first national park. Experience Yellowstone InDepth. |
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Episode 1: Yellowstone's Restless Giant Episode 3: Bears, A Yellowstone Love Story
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What Happened at Norris? - Transcript Titles: In 2003, the Norris Geyser Basin changed dramatically over the course of a few days. Ranger John Tebby recorded some of his changes on his camcorder. These changes were later found to be just a very strong example of normal temperature fluctuations in the basin… And a reminder of the unique and dynamic nature of Yellowstone. Ranger John Tebby narrates: Sometimes Son of Green Dragon is actually spritzing out onto the walkway. The new feature, the mudpot that bubbled up sometime yesterday morning or the night before, occasionally spritzing out a little mud. Some of it right in the walkway. Some of it appears almost like a lava flow of mud. By the thudding sound it’s making it sounds like it may even be hollow underneath the walkway. This area out there where all the steam is coming from is called Hydrophane. Lately it’s really heating up over there. In fact, all these brown pine trees have been killed in the last few months. Jetsam Pool, normally opalescent blue, in the last few days has turned this milky green, heating up. The algae/bacterial mat has also been cooked and is now floating around the perimeter of the pool. Pearl is now in full steam phase. I watched this progress from a full pool with blue milky water. In a matter of less than eight hours, the water receded, splashed, and then now all it’s pumping is steam. Hardly any runoff at Steamboat compared to two days ago. But both vents seem to be extremely active all day today. Cistern appears to be superheated. Much more intense boiling-type activity since the last two days – since this event started. Vixen geyser, in major eruption, has been going for over 12 minutes prior to our arrival. Sometimes heights are going as high as forty feet. Prior to two days ago, it was going sometimes hours between eruptions. Over the last 36 hours it’s increased to the point where it’s every few minutes. Sometimes eruptions are lasting 45 minutes to an hour. New feature near Porkchop, just south of Porkchop, that just broke through. Had been warm – cooking – for several months. Now there’s a tremendous amount of steam. This whole frying pan area out here is really drying up. Where the brown was extended out into the white considerably. These little mud spritzes here were small bubbling geysers about one foot high all spring and then yesterday they began geysing mud. Green Dragon Spring intense geysing activity. Very, very muddy water. Much more active than average. On the left side of the cave mouth it can sometimes go over two meters high – over six feet high. Colloidal Pool normally clear, bluish, except after a rainstorm when mud gets washed in, now is very murky, very active churning. We’ve had no rainfall in the last few days so this is something underground causing this activity. Titles: The Norris Geyser Basin continues to be one of the most active and changeable areas of Yellowstone. |
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