[Geysers] Hutchinson's 1973 report--Morning Geyser

[Lynn Stephens]

Here's what Rick wrote in his 1973 report about the activity of Morning Geyser: 

Morning Geyser

            After
rejuvenating on May 24th from more than 13 years of inactivity
Morning Geyser performed spectacular fountain eruptions for seven weeks before
slipping back into dormancy.  The two
eruptions observed on Mary 24th and Dr. John Rinehart and Sub
District Naturalist Robert Woody were the first known since September,
1959.  In June a total of 14 more were
logged but it is quite certain that many more were missed.  Only 3 intervals were timed and averaged out
to approximately 8 hours 6 minutes.  Also
only 3 durations were able to be timed out at 10, 11, and 16 minutes in June
and one at 9 minutes in July.  During the
latter part of July when dormancy returned, both Morning and Fountain Geysers
almost completely refilled with relatively quiet clear water and occasional
small overflow down the terrace to the north. 
A cooling of the two pools was soon noted by a return of darker algae in
the bottom of Fountain.

            Most of
Morning’s eruptions were preceded, sometimes for several hours, by heavy runoff
into Fountain and intemittant [sic] splashing over the vent in the pool from ½
up to 4 feet.  The style of play was
reminiscent of the photographs of Excelcior [sic] and Sapphire Geyser with
their massive fountain upheavals. 
Estimated heights ranged from 50 feet on up to well in excess of 120
feet.  Thirteen years of inactivity
produced alot [sic] of weathered sinter and trash from thoughtless visitors but
the major eruptions washed much of it away. 
I had the good fortune to observe the start of one powerful display from
more than a quarter of a mile away in the direction of Kaleidoscope
Geyser.  After running the whole distance
to Morning Geyser, a point near it was reached while it was still playing.  Standing at around 75 feet from the edge of
the geyser’s pool I found it impossible to go any closer as I was then standing
in uncomfortably hot water up to my ankles that was a part of a virtual
flood.  Such runoff flowing to the north
eroded down as much as 3 to 4 inches in the sinter terraces.

            Morning’s
behavior this summer was completely different from what was recorded in its pre
1959 quake state.  It did not show a
preference for erupting in the morning hours, there were no chain reaction
sequences with Fountain, Clepsydra, or Spasm Geysers; its durations were no
where near 45-60 minutes, and preliminary splashing warned of a possible
eruption while before, only a brief rise in water level and rate of overflow
was indicative. Lynn Stephens

 

 		 	   		  
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