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

[Mary Beth Schwarz]

     Thanks Lynn for all the historic background for eruptions of Morning!

     Mary Beth Schwarz

On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 5:55 PM, Lynn Stephens <lstephens2006 at hotmail.com>wrote:

>  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
>
> **** **
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Geysers mailing list
> Geysers at lists.wallawalla.edu
> 
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: </geyser-list/attachments/20120620/01f45b48/attachment.html>