Back in the mid 1990s I learned that one of the microbiologists had gotten the name she'd given to her favorite slime source near Sulphur Cauldron at Mud Volcano made official by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names. This kinda annoyed me, because it seemed self-important, while people who had been observing geyser activity for years had never tried to inflict their names in this fashion. But it also gave me an idea.
I tend to not want to give new features names. I prefer, if needed, to reference new, small holes in relation to nearby, more established features. Hence all those sputs near Grand with designations like Sput A and Sput D and such.
The only names I can remember being responsible for were joint efforts with other gazers like Tomáš Vachuda-- Mortar's "Bottom Vent" and the nearby "Norris Pool." Not much chance of getting names like those approved, and for good reason. (And of course, "The Great Flounder.")
But there were, and still are, a lot of names which have been in use for decades which weren't official. Most of the Sawmill and Grand Groups, for example. Thhe only official names were Grand Geyser, Turban Geyser, Sawmill Geyser, Spasmodic Geyser and Tardy Geyser and Bulger Spring.
So I decided that all those names should get the official treatment. I threw in Link Geyser just because a big geyser like that needed to have its name be nailed down, too.
I proposed fifteen names in total. Twelve were successful, one got changed slightly and two didn't make it.
- Belgian Pool
- Bulger Geyser (rename from Bulger Spring)
- Churn Geyser
- Crystal Geyser
- East Triplet Geyser
- Link Geyser
- Old Tardy Geyser
- Oval Spring
- Penta Geyser
- Percolator
- Rift Geyser
- Slurp Geyser
- Uncertain Geyser
- Vent Geyser
- West Triplet Geyser
I proposed "Percolator", without the "Geyser" suffix because having every name ending in "Geyser" or "Spring" or "Pool" gets tiresome and repetitive. Here was an opportunity to do something different. Unfortunately, one of the reviewers noticed this and commented on it. Rather than fighting for the proposed name, I amended the submission to include "Geyser".
The two names that didn't make it were "Slurp Geyser" and "Crystal Geyser". Another reviewer objected to Slurp because the name "Crystal Springs Satellite Geyser"* was an alternate name, and this person didn't see a need for a change. And of course, that name is dependent on not changing Crystal Spring to Crystal Geyser, so that name needed to stay the same, too. Again, instead of fighting for those changes with someone who showed signs of insisting on those names, I just withdrew the proposals.
I've since learned that proposing geyser names like this will not be accepted. Not sure why, don't really care. Since, other than Slurp, I got all my names through. Although, I do regret not getting Plume Geyser and Morning Geyser made official, or getting Dragon Geyser changed to Aurum Geyser. Maybe I was thinking of saving them for a round two.
* Note: It is USBGN policy to not include apostrophes in names, which makes this name even more ungainly.)