The Mine Geyser Near Centralia
When we think of Geysers, typically we think of Yellowstone park, where geysers are the result of a hot spring - water accumulating on magma (hot rock) until it erupts.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/geyser/
Here in Pa, we are far from Volcanoes and magma, and our geysers are a bit different. When we find one, and they are incredibly rare here, they are the result of mining activity.
When we think of Geysers, typically we think of Yellowstone park, where geysers are the result of a hot spring - water accumulating on magma (hot rock) until it erupts.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/geyser/
Here in Pa, we are far from Volcanoes and magma, and our geysers are a bit different. When we find one, and they are incredibly rare here, they are the result of mining activity.
Whether this geyser near Ashland Pa is caused by water run off from the old Bast Colliery, or caused by an old mine drainage tunnel dug into the mountain in the 1800s to lower the ground water in the mountain for the miners to work, no one seems to know for sure.
According to a DEP Report, the geyser is 32 inches wide and is nearly 300 feet deep.
GPS Coords - 40.78654, -76.31906
The directions we followed were:
"Follow Big Mine Road out of the borough and down the mountain. When you get to the intersection with Oakland Avenue, turn right and the geyser will be about 400 feet on your left".
The Geyser on 1/17/2021
We came in from the other direction and ended up driving around a bit, almost gave up, then drove out the road and came back to follow these directions from the other direction, and there it was! Sometimes it is not visible, if there is not a lot of water. The height varies, depending mostly on rainfall.
The geyser is located on private property, but is visible from the road, with a parking pull of nearby.
Are There More Geysers In Pa?
In 1879, this article appeared in the Milheim Journal
Millheim Journal
Millheim, Pennsylvania
11 Sep 1879, Thu • Page 1
Similar articles about this Kane Geyser Well appeared in newspapers across the country, as well as in the American Journal Of Science
Am J Sci November 1879 Series 3 Vol. 8:394-395;
With the rich mining history of our state, I would not be surprised to find other examples like these two. A 2012 article in State Impact states that there are likely 200,000 abandoned oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania, and only the locations of about 4% of those are known for certain. https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/10/18/perilous-pathways-hunting-down-pennsylvanias-abandoned-wells/ "This is a problem because abandoned wells provide a pathway for natural gas to seep to the surface, where the methane can pool in water wells, basements or other enclosed spaces, and trigger explosions. Methane migration can also take place when an active drilling site gets too close to an old well. That’s what happened this summer in Union Township, Tioga County. The result: a 30-foot geyser of methane and water."
But the Big Mine Run Geyser has been harmless for many years, and is likely to remain so. It's just another fun Pennsylvania Oddity, and a great site to see.
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This appears to be a former location of an upright pillar or a full sized watering tower for watering the steam engines on the nearby railroad.
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