242 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITOEIES. 



visited this vent and reported a boiling pool, temperature 190°, over- 

 hnng by rocky banks, Avhicli showed no signs of spouting. As we 

 emerge from the timber on the we?!t side, we tind the lower angle of the 

 basin occupied by an area of hot springs, perhaps 500 feet long by 250 

 feet wide, with the usual floor of disintegrating silicious sinter, and 

 containing numerous vents, mostly active. Near the center of this area 

 stands the chimney of a single geyser. This is a dome-shaped mound, 

 averaging 15 feet in diameter and from 11 to 14 feet high, completely 

 covered with most elegant varieties of the pearly beads before described. 

 It is striped vertically with bands of white, dark-green, brownish black, 

 and various shades of yellow and orange, the white being ordinary 

 geyserite, while the other colors are apparently of purely vegetable 

 origin. On the north side of the dome,- where the main flow from the 

 eruptions is now generally scattered, the geyserite has also a beautiful, 

 delicate pink tinge. The summit of the northwest side, as seen from 

 the northeast, is ornamented with a fine profile of a mild-featured 

 human face done in the bead-work. The top of the mound is })erforated 

 with numerous small three, four, and five-angled apertures, and a single 

 larger one between 2 and 3 inches in diameter. In eruption, this larger 

 opening throws a stream from 20 to 50, and even to 70, feet in height, 

 mostly iu drops with much steam. Though the amount of water ejected 

 is small, yet the force is very great; and, in this respect, the eruptions 

 much reminded us of those of the Castle Geyser. Its highest jete are 

 generally about the middle of the period of eruption. Eruptions take 

 place at somewhat irregular intervals, but generally are about two hours 

 apart. During such as were carefully observed, there was first a period 

 of violent activity, continuing from three to four minutes and ceasing 

 suddenly; then, a quiet interval of from eleven to twenty-four minutes; 

 then, a second active period of from twenty-three to twenty-sis minutes, 

 closing graduallj^ with a rush of steam and occasional water-jets. The 

 small vents spit fnriously all through the eruption, their jets reaching 

 3 feet or more in height when the main jet was at its culmination. 

 About 10 yards off, on the platform, a small vent is in sympathy, but is 

 so nearly stopped up as to be generally overlooked. I think it probable 

 that this was wider in the younger days of the geyser, and has become 

 stopped up equally with the latter. It is evident that eruption at this 

 point must soon cease, unless the great force developed beneath shall 

 be able to break away the upper part of the dome. It is more probable, 

 however, from facts observed in the other basins, that a new vent will 

 be opened and a new mound built. I could not obtain the temperature 

 of the water of the geyser, since the water, except just before and 

 during the eruption, retired beiow^ the surface-openings; and we had no 

 self-registering thermometers with which to measure its heat from a 

 safe distance. The surrounding springs, which are nearly all boiling, 

 gave temperatures varying from 185° to 192°. The general elevation 

 of the basin is about 7,770 feet, at which the theoretical boiling-point is 

 about 198°. The single geyser of the basin was called the Solitary. 



This small basin spreads perhaps a half mile from the stream, and 

 includes, near its northwest corner, another cluster of hot springs, some 

 of which reach 186°, surrounded by variously-colored deposits, including 

 some sulphur. The trail of our main train entered the basin at this 

 point. The central part of the basin shows the vents and deposits of 

 numerous scattered springs, most of which are nearly or quite extinct, 

 only a few of them still boiling. 



A small stream, which comes in from the west near our' camp, has a 

 fine cascade, 130 feet high, about a quarter mile from the river. Its 



