Vortex observed in Blue Lake

A phenomenon variously described as a swirling rush of water, a vortex or a whirlpool was seen Sunday afternoon, November 3, on the otherwise placid surface of Blue Lake.

Caldera resident artist Gwen Morgan was sitting on the dock at the west end of the lake when it happened.

"I wandered down to the lake in the afternoon, and I was in the middle of writing a piece," Morgan said. "Suddenly there was an upwelling and swirling of water about 15-20 feet from shore between the dock and the marina building.

"I looked out toward the middle of the lake and... it was hard to see because of the sun... but it looked like a whirlpool."

Morgan is a poet who is taking part in Caldera's resident artist program at Blue Lake.

She said that the disturbance was accompanied by "a really strong chemical smell."

Greg Brand, the on-site Facilities Manager for Caldera, observed that the event coincided with a 7.9 earthquake in Alaska that was significant enough to cause officials to shut down the Alaska Pipeline.

Brand said that large waves resulted from the unusual event.

"The lake was calm with no wind, and you could see where the waves washed up on the shore," he said. "Waves came up the boat ramp and hit the marina building. The swim pond was empty and the water came clear up into the pond. Old logs along the shoreline with stuff growing on them were dislodged."

A similar, though smaller, phenomenon was observed about 20 years ago by Blue Lake resident Gary Lovegren.

"It was a calm, fall day," Lovegren said, "and a 6-7 inch wave suddenly generated all by itself. I later learned that it coincided with a pretty good earthquake up in Alaska."

"It's pretty interesting," he said. "We have two fault lines that run underneath the lake. They act like antennae and pick up other seismic events.

"That's one of the reasons it blew," Lovegren explained, referring to the volcanic event 1,500 years ago that created the caldera that today contains Blue Lake.

Morgan said that portions of the usually crystal clear lake turned "all murky" as the result of Sunday's disturbance.

She said, "It (the event) went on for about 10 minutes. Half an hour later, you could still see the circle in the middle of the lake."

The sudden change in clarity was particularly striking because Morgan had been very impressed with the exceptionally clear water.

"Normally it's so amazingly clear and blue," she said. "The first week I was here, I just had to get into that blue, so I dove in. I just had to."

She commented that, in addition to being blue, it was also pretty cold.

"This is an amazing artist community," Morgan said, speaking of the Caldera experience.

Caldera is a non-profit organization that provides opportunities for artists to complete uninterrupted creative residencies in the woods at the lake.

The unusual underwater event was an added bonus for Morgan.

"It was really surreal," she said. "I was in the midst of writing a poem about a friend who is ill, and suddenly there was this sucking and rushing sound."

Morgan is the volunteer coordinator for the Cascade AIDS Project and works with chronically ill patients.

A native Oregonian, she holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Goddard College in Vermont and also a Master of Divinity from San Francisco Theological Seminary.

Morgan thought that the possible tie to an Alaskan earthquake was an interesting coincidence.

"I used to work as the Alaska area director of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Northwest," she said, "and I dreamt about Alaska the night before.

"I've always considered myself a nature poet," she said. "I really want to integrate the natural world into the whole process of living and dying. The beauty of Caldera really makes that possible."