Don's springs
Here are just two photos, one of a horizontal fissure spring where the water issues from a horizontal fault-line, and the other of a table spring, where the groundwater issues from a permeable geological stratum overlying an impermeable layer.
Photos show (1) Spring issuing from horizontal fissure at base of cliff and (2) a table spring marked by an arrow.
Don also believed that he was the first westerner to descend into the Majlis al Jinn (Meeting Place of the Djinn) cave, sited in the karstic limestone about 150 kms southeast of Muscat. When he discovered it, it was the second largest cave room in the world, able to accommodate around 10 Boeing 747 aircraft. The then Public Authority for Water Resources published a glossy brochure about the cave during the 1980s.
As for Don, he was last seen in February-March 1995 by police at a checkpoint high up a mountain in Chile, which he had gone to climb at the end of the season in the southern hemisphere. Three weeks later, after very heavy snowfall, they found his 4-wheel drive, with an arrow pointing to the top of the mountain. He has never been seen since.
26th April 2006 - I am grateful to Don's former wife, Cheryl, for writing to me to thank me for publicising some of Don's photos and ideas. She has reminded me that Majlis Al Jinn was the second largest cave room when it was discovered. At present, it ranks as number 5 in the world.
For the record, she also tells me that she received a photocopy of Don's entry in the Llullaillaco summit log about three years ago from the member of the Argentinian military who led the search party from that side of the mountain. He had indeed reached the summit!
Comments
bowsher wrote:
newsbriefs wrote:
The point about the coastal springs was to illustrate regional flow of groundwater away from Wadi Dayqah towards the sea. I didn't do enough exploration in Wadi Dayqah to pinpoint springs and groundwater flow, although I did see springs at the intersection of the groundwater table and the stream bed margin in Wadi Abyadh, for example.
I have only one snapshot folder of Don's photos. I will gladly put them online, but this is going to take me a while, as I shall have to scan them and adust settings in Photoshop first.
I would be grateful if Bowser would reveal his/her identify. You can always write to me privately.
We always suspected the existence of such springs. Otherwise, it was difficult to explain the year-round abundance of water (and sometimes even following dry winters).
As a matter of record, I think you will do us a great service (and also as a tribute to Don) if you could share all the photos you have on this subject either here or on one of the photo sharing sites on the web.