| Note: | - approx Note end time ~48 hours - On the 22nd of May, 1946, at 9:33 a.m. a new thermal features broke through the pavement of the parking area 150 feet east of the Norris Museum. This feature received wide publicity throughout the United States as a new geyser.Motion pictures taken of this geyser in its formative stages show the violent boiling action accompanied by the undermining of the pavement. The initial outbreak of steam was observed by some visitors form Iowa who were parked in the area nearby. Steam and mud started working up through the cracks formed in the pavement and, as the action continued, mud flowed out and over the black top surface. As the mud and debris was removed from below, the surface progressively caved in causing a small 2 x 3 foot crater to form. Violent boiling of the thick muddy water to a height of about three feet was observed to throw droplets of mud as high as fifteen feet at times. In this manner, a flat mud cone was piled up around the rim of the caldron. Undermining of the pavement continued for 48 hours to form a crater measuring 12 x 15 feet. After reaching this size the boiling activity quieted down with the water standing about one foot below the pavement level.The water level remained the same, with boiling action, up to eight inches in height, until June 24.
[Yellowstone Nature Notes 1946 Vol 20 #6] |
