Ground penetrating radar documents short-term near-surface hydrological changes around Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, USA

Abstract

In April 2015, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) was used to characterize the shallow subsurface (<~5m depth) of the western sinter slope immediately adjacent to Old Faithful Geyser and near the north side of an inferred geyser cavity. A series of time-sequence images were collected between two eruptions of Old Faithful Geyser. Each set of time-sequence GPR recordings consisted of four transects aligned to provide coverage near the potential location of the inferred 15m deep geyser chamber. However, the deepest penetration we could achieve with a 200MHz GPR antennae was 5m. Seven time-sequence events were collected over a 48-minute interval to image changes in the near-surface, during pre- and post-eruptive cycles. Time-sequence GPR images revealed a series of possible micro-fractures in a highly porous siliceous sinter in the near-surface that fill and drain repetitively, immediately after an eruption and during the recharge period prior to the next main eruptive event.