F&M Bubble Study

Welcome to Bubbletown! Home of the Boiling Springs Bubblers, the high school mascot gets its name from a local artesian spring that literally bubbles from the earth. The Bubble has been a social attraction for years and is approximately 55 degrees year-round.  As if the Bubble did not already have enough fame, a recent study takes the Bubble even more into the spotlight.

In 2017, Franklin and Marshall College started a hydrologic experiment to study the geologic characteristics, groundwater flow, recharge area to the spring, and identify the source. According to researchers with the college, it is believed that some of the water that flows into the Bubble drains off of South Mountain, while the majority of it comes from the southern side of South Mountain near the Pigeon Hills area in York, PA.

Researchers are currently working on a project to test their theories of where the Bubble gets its water by conducting a dye-tracing test at the source-region they pinpointed through satellite data. Additionally, the Bubble is being used to develop programs to aid in water protection and contaminant mitigation efforts.

To learn more about Franklin and Marshall College and their research study on the Bubble, please visit their webpage – https://www.fandm.edu/news/latest-news/2017/07/06/f-m-researchers-find-ground-water-runs-deeper-than-hydrologists-thought

Follow our page for updates as we learn more about our Bubble!

Photo Credit: Jennifer Spangler