[Geysers] History of Morning Geyser

[David Schwarz]

   This is going to be yet another one of those frustrating cases where
having a simple, inexpensive temperature recorder on a dull, everyday
feature like Fountain would have been an awfully useful source of
information about what's actually going on.  It's quite a shame that
finding out what is actually going on is of so little interest among the
local leaders of the scientific community.  I guess I'm
old-fashioned--there was a time when it was all the rage.

   Snark aside, it really does feel bizarre to be back to early 1990s
geyser study, before we could say, "Well, we'll find out what actually
happened when the temperate data gets downloaded."

David Schwarz

On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 7:08 PM, Bill Johnson <canbelto at gmail.com> wrote:

> Exciting news!  (Although I do wish it had happened a week earlier, when I
> was in the park. :-) )
>
> My wife asks a good question: is there any possible connection between
> this activity and the recent irregularity of Fountain Geyser?  One thing I
> didn't report from last week's visit was that Fountain intervals were
> apparently rather erratic -- again, those with more complete times than I
> can tell that story better, but it wasn't its old reliable 6- or 12-hour
> self.  Is there enough on Morning's past history to know whether comparable
> breaks in Fountain's routine preceded its previous eruptions?  That's
> probably all the "connection" that one can hope for, but it would be
> interesting if the answer was yes.
>
> -- Bill Johnson
>
>
> On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 4:46 PM, Lynn Stephens <lstephens2006 at hotmail.com>wrote:
>
>>  People have asked about Morning Geyser's eruptive history:
>>
>> Per Whittlesey's Nomenclature:
>>
>>
>>             "Turn of the century guidebooks stated that Fountain Geyser
>> ceased operation in July, 1899, and remained inactive until October (when
>> Morning Geyser quit?) at which time it resumed its usual displays.  This
>> source mentioned the large 1899 eruptions of present Morning Geyser saying
>> that at times they lasted for fully one hour.  Later editions described
>> activity of Morning in July, 1909, when "Fountain abandoned its crater for
>> the one adjoining and threw out jagged masses of geyserite more than 200
>> feet.  The water was muddy and full of rock fragments."  These 1909
>> eruptions continued at least into September.  There is apparently no
>> record of activity for 1900-1908.
>>             Eruptive activity of present Morning Geyser occurred twice
>> in the 1920s.  One spectacular eruption is known for August of 1921,
>> when Ranger Troutman saw it play to 250 feet in height and holding its
>> height no lower than 200 feet for one hour and ten minutes.  Another
>> eruption is known for July of 1922.
>>             After this, no further activity appears to have occurred
>> until 1944, when the geyser erupted once.  Two eruptions are known for
>> 1946, and then in 1947, eleven eruptions were recorded.  Of those
>> eruptions, all but two occurred during the morning hours, hence geologist
>> George Marler's name (suggested in 1947-48) of Morning Geyser.
>>
>>             These eruptions were followed by 36 more in 1948, and eleven
>> in 1949.  Morning Geyser was dormant 1950-51, and again rejuvenated in
>> 1952.  It was active 1952-59, 1974, 1978, and 1981-83."
>>
>> Additional activity occurred in May 1991 for a few days, August 1991 for
>> 3 weeks, and for about a week at the end of March/beginning of April 1994.
>>
>>
>>
>> Lynn Stephens
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Geysers mailing list
>> Geysers at lists.wallawalla.edu
>> 
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Geysers mailing list
> Geysers at lists.wallawalla.edu
> 
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: </geyser-list/attachments/20120620/ccad758e/attachment.html>