[Geysers] Colour changes and colour effects in thermal features

[Ron Keam]

In answer to Janet's request:

The experiment was not successful in showing a connection.  It so 
happened that a unique opportunity presented itself, and we took the 
chance to carry out the experiment - if it had worked, then we would 
have proved something, if it did not (and there were numerous reasons 
why the chances of success would be marginal) then it simply meant 
that something a little more sophisticated would need to be tried.

Actually we already had proof that there is some sort of fluid 
connection between Inferno Crater Lake
and Frying Pan Lake because the outflows/level movements in the two 
lakelets work in antiphase.

We were defeated with the dye experiment partly because the precise 
location and depth of the main vent of Inferno Crater were not nearly 
so precisely known as they are now, and our dye input occurred too 
far away from it - We were trying to get the dye to go down with the 
massive downflow of water that followed the cessation of the main 
discharge stage.  If we had been able to locate the dye injection 
site right into the main vent then Inferno Crater Lake itself would 
have become only slightly discoloured, but instead the whole lakelet 
turned an amazingly intense red.  Later we were able to conduct some 
laboratory experiments on the temperatures at which Rhodamine B 
became degraded, and it seems that even had we been able to get the 
dye taken down into the vent the temperature in the supposed aquifer 
joining the two lakes was likely to have exceeded this degradation 
temperature.

We later considered using short half-life radioactive isotopes, or, 
alternatively, uncommon stable ions, or uncommon stable isotopes, but 
our efforts were diverted into other investigations and I simply did 
not get around to trying any of these other methods of directly 
establishing a connection.

Ron Keam

>How nice to be reminded of the New Zealand thermal area I loved most
>when there in 2003. Inferno was very steamy when I was there. Frying
>Pan and the whole area were beautiful. I put some pictures and a little
>information on my Web site at:
>http://www.yellowstonetreasures.com/rotorua.htm
>
>I would be interested to know whether your experiment with red dye
>*did* show a connection between the two lakes.
>
>Janet Chapple
>-------
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Ron Keam
The Physics Department
The University of Auckland
Private Bag 92-019
Auckland
New Zealand
Phone +64 9 373-7599 extension 87931
FAX +64 9 373-7445
EMail r.keam at auckland.ac.nz
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