[Geysers] Morning 1808 5/23/2013

[Lynn Stephens]

Morning erupted at 1808 5/23/2013.  I arrived at the Fountain Overlook at 1430 for what I thought would be the opening of the 6-8 1/2 post Fountain window for Morning.  When I couldn't see bubbling in Morning's Thief at 1500, or at 1600, or 1700, I was wishing we had cell phone reception in the Lower Basin so I could call people and tell them to get down to the Fountain Complex.  Prior to some of the eruptions of Morning that Maureen and others saw earlier in May, there was occasional "weird" activity from some of the other geysers in the Complex.  Yesterday morning 5/22 I only had the complex under observation for about 1 hr 25 minutes before Morning erupted.  Today I was there for 3 1/2 hours prior to the eruption of Morning.  I did not notice any activity from any of the other geysers that was any different from what I have seen the past 6 days.  The only "indicator" I have noticed is the lack of bubbling in Morning's Thief.  This morning I had told Dave Leeking that I thought last years's 6-8 hour post-Fountain possible window for Morning had lengthened out plast 8 1/2 hours.  This evening's eruption was 9 hours 23 minutes post Fountain.  
 
This evening's eruption of Morning started the same as it did yesterday and the same as the eruptions did in 1991 (and the same way Dave Leeking remembered eruptions starting in 1978, 1981, and 1981)--there was slight convection on Morning's pool, but no strong bubbling and no white bubbles prior to the one large boil up against the north wall of the crater.  Once again the eruption basically began with no warning--one boil and it was up.
 
Wind direction was from north to south but it was cool so steam blocked our view of Morning's pool so we couldn't watch the blue bubbles and bursts forming, but we could see the blue walls and hear the pops.  Duration was 34 minutes.  Plenty of rocks or pieces of sinter, some of them appearing to be 6 to 10 inches in length were thrown out during the entire eruption.
 
As has been my experience with all the eruptions of Morning I saw in 1991 and the eruptions I have seen in 2012/2013, Clepsydra did not pause after Morning, and Jet either did not erupt at all, or erupted only once or twice during Morning's eruption.  I don't have 1991 data and reports with me, but another commonality of recent eruptions of Morning is that Twig did not start.
 
Dave Leeking and his father Evon (I hope that's the correct spelling) were there at the start with me and had been there for about 45 mintues before it started.  This was Evon's first eruption of Morning!  Maureen arrived during the eruption, called me from her caras she was driving across Fountain Flats, and although we were already slightly above the 20 minute mark, decided to come on up for the eruption even though most of the recent eruptions had had durations of only 25 minutes.  Thankfully she didn't stay to watch the water cascading down the north side of the Fountain Complex mound, but rather came on up to watch the remainder of the eruption and help us cheer on the bursts and blue bubbles.
 
Lynn Stephens
 
 
 		 	   		  
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