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Oil/Water Exploration by Harold White Water is there on one of the tallest mountains near Coburg, Oregon. It does not seem like there would be any springs at that elevation, but there is - and lots of wells are, and have been drilled on the mountain. Water can be found on mountains at elevations you would not expect to find. This may not be uncommon. It is a mystery to most people and drilling contractors. Mount St. Helens’ volcano has steam vents around the crater, which were formed after the top blew off. The hole has now plugged itself with rock. When I flew a plane over the top and into the crater and around a few times, I could see the steam shooting up in places around the plug. The top was blown off, the trees were blown flat across the once-timbered area, and the nearby lake was full of logs. It looked like all the trees in the area were cut down delimbed and ready to be picked up by a logging truck. I thought, “Wow! What a huge release of power.” Steam pressure can do anything - blow the tops off mountains, blow trees down for miles, blow dust so high it goes around the world. Getting water to the top of a mountain was no longer a big deal. Steam can easily do it under pressure. Water at sea level boils at or near 212ºF (100ºC) and less at higher elevations. If water is sealed in containment, it can get way above 212ºF. The water in some of the hot water wells I have drilled were in the 350ºF (176ºC) range. Water stays liquid as long as it can be held under enough pressure in a container. Water in an underground creek is contained by the structure of the creek, and the temperature of the water can be way over the boiling temperature. Harold michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com 74 DECEMBER 2017 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®