by
Paul Strasser
|
Guide to Measuring the Height of
Steamboat Minor Eruptions by Paul Strasser |
| On
July 2, 2003 the author, accompanied by the Park
Geologist Hank Heasler, Ralph Taylor, Mike Keller, and
Udo Freund, measured baselines from the vents of
Steamboat Geyser to the two viewing platforms. This
effort was completed with the permission and approval of
the National Park Service. The following information is
presented so interested observers of this geyser can
gather accurate data with the knowledge that others can
interpret their data with equal accuracy. The distance was measured from the middle of the vents to, in both cases, the middle of the second vertical wooden post from the right side of each viewing platform. These are the vertical posts that extend from the ground up to the railing. The following are the measurements we recorded.
Clearly, accuracy to 1/100th of a foot is not expected. However, the observers can state with reasonable certainty that these measurements are accurate to +/- one foot at a maximum. This is in close agreement with conversations I had with Naturalists in the early 1980s, who told me that the vents from the midlevel platform were "about 100 feet away" from the front of the platform. With this information in hand, I used a Suunto |