Scientists from the federal government and the
University of New Hampshire pulled off an amazing feat this July:
They went to 600-feet-deep Crater Lake in Oregon and, “took all the
water out of it,” says Jim Gardner of the U.S. Geological
Survey.
Gardner and his team managed this without
actually moving any water: They used a high-resolution electronic
sounding device which bounced waves off the lake’s floor to create
a detailed picture of the lake’s bottom.
Crater
Lake was formed between 5,000 and 6,000 years ago, when a collapsed
volcano began filling with rain and snow. It has intrigued
scientists since they first tried depth studies with lead pipe and
piano wire in 1886. Recent dredging and submarine ventures had
suggested there might be volcanic vents hidden by the lake’s
depths; scientists this summer were looking in part for more
evidence of such vents. Exactly what the mapping team found during
its week-long effort is still emerging. “Our people are poring over
the images right now,” says Gardner. So far, he says, the study may
have produced new information about underwater landslides.
Eventually the new maps will be used to build an interactive media
exhibit at Crater Lake National Park’s visitor
center.
Check out Crater images on the Web at
craterlake.wr.usgs.gov/index.shtml
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Into the depths.
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