The Mystery of the Ice-Forming Caves
A scientific inquiry into why midsummer ice forms in the lava tunnels of the Washington wilderness.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Professor Thomas Condon writes regarding natural wonders of the Yakima region. One is a lake that rises when the river is high, but drains until only a dry bed remains, perforated by large wells of different waters. Another is a natural ice factory where ice forms in midsummer. Regarding the ice formation: Several years ago, an ice cave was discovered in Washington Territory, west of the White Salmon River. The ice was so abundant that pack trains carried it to The Dalles market. That this ice was formed in spring and summer was plain, as it accumulated in stalactite masses while water trickled through the roof. A dark opening in the cave revealed a strong current of cold air flowing into it. Our party found other caves in the neighborhood; most abounded in evidence that molten rock once flowed through them. We found 'ropy masses' and twisted fragments of lava. I conclude that these were ancient lava ducts. During summer, the warm air on the plain below creates a pressure difference; the cold air of the mountain top is forced down through the old lava duct, substituting freezing air for the summer air and continually adding to the ice mass. I have no doubt that the 'ice formed in midsummer' at Priest Rapids can be explained in a similar way. These underground lava ducts often communicate with surface lakes, causing them to rise and fall. Gravelly Lake, near Tacoma, is an instance in point. It is without a visible inlet, yet rises in midsummer to such a height as to prove an underground connection with melting snows—without doubt one of Mount Rainier's old lava ducts.
“These underground lava ducts, accessible and inaccessible, are far more numerous than one would suppose, often causing the hollow ground perceived in riding over surfaces of basaltic rock.”
Professor Condon’s 1882 observations on lava tubes and hydrological cycles remain a fascinating piece of early Washington geology. Today, the study of these 'ice caves' is vital for understanding climate change, as the perennial ice in these underground volcanic formations is rapidly receding across the Pacific Northwest.
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