[Geysers] Fountain update

[Maureen Edgerton]

Hey all.  Morning has not erupted again since Thursday at 1040, yet Fountain continues to be its amazing self, with long durations and fantastic eruptions.  Tonight we had a 47 minute duration.

Since Morning erupted, I had wondered if Fountain would continue on its own cycle, and it does appear to have done so.  Now it seems like things are back to "business as usual" at Fountain, and while this may not bode well for Morning sightings (still hoping!), Fountain is continuing to put forth wonderful eruptions.

This evening I got to the overlook and Chris Daubert, who is here to see Morning, yet is getting his fill of Fountain while he waits, predicted Fountain to erupt at 2115.  Well, we had to wait a whole 13 seconds, for Fountain to erupt at 2116:13, so way to go Chris, his first Fountain prediction spot on.  We, the folks that were there, were elated, because this meant Fountain began in the light, and because it is June 25, we could see Fountain the entire 47 minutes. I have a saying that the Fountain you are at is the BEST FOUNTAIN EVER,  and this one was certainly that.  The 8 or so of us that watched the entire eruption were treated to a grand time (even though we were at Fountain!)

The past three evenings all of Fountain's eruptions have been over 40 minutes in duration.  Last evening though, we had to wait for a 14 hour 6 minute interval, putting Fountain in the dark.  It was still spectacular, yet not as visible as we would have liked.  So the 12 hour interval this evening  was very welcome.

It seems Fountain is very wind affected.  Lynn Stephens has mentioned this a lot to me through my gazing times, and it has played out to be true this week.  Even with a long duration, if it is calm at night, the next interval can be 10 or 11 hours, and even with a shorter morning duration, the next interval can be 12 hours or longer as the winds have been crazy of late.  Thankfully, it was a calmer evening, and though the mosquitoes get to feast on us humans in the calm, it helps Fountain to erupt sooner!

The morning Fountains are awesome, with lots of blue visible and the three pools, Fountain, Morning, and then Morning's Thief full of water as well, make for a "blue water lover's" paradise.  I usually stand right in front of Fountain, yet with the opportunity to see all three pools, full and blue, I have taken to watching a good part of the eruption from near Twig.

It has been fun to see so many gazers at Fountain.  Jim Scheir was there 4 days in a row, and I think even he was impressed with the show Fountain put on for all of us, even though the hope was Morning.  I am sure the visitor center missed his presence in the upper basin.  Friday morning there must have been 30 of us, lined up on the overlook, hoping to see Morning.  Now the numbers are getting less and less, yet hope continues.  For the lucky 14 gazers that were there that day (since then guides have come up telling me they were there too), Thursday was a day they will always remember.

For folks that do not look at Geyser Times, Fan and Mortar erupted while gazers were elsewhere on Sunday.  The tourists had the photos, it was F & M.  Funny how that happens when no one is looking!

Great Fountain is having shorter intervals than Fountain, yet today's was a spectacular multiple burst beauty of a start, that continued to play big through the 6th series, so a long interval may be ahead now.  There were many gazers there today, it was great they were treated to such a good eruption.

I hope someone that has been hanging out in hopes of Morning will report something though I am not sure they have much to report.  Many of them are also staying in the park without Internet access.  It is still holding true what Lynn Stephens observed back in the spring of 2011, that about 6 1/2 hours after Fountain, Morning's Thief begins to boil.  These boils usually result in Morning's Thief's  eventual eruption, then it is two (lately at night) or three (the past two mornings) hours until Fountain erupts.  When Morning's Thief intervals are near 10 minutes, we can be pretty sure Fountain is imminent and we gather to watch the pool rise before it begins.  FUN FOR ALL!!

That is it from here.  Stellar weather, though hot, and windy, yet very nice days this week.   Fires all around, yet none yet affecting the Yellowstone skies very much yet.  Fire season could be severe.

Take care,  Maureen












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