Thermal Springs in the United States
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If you do not need this report after it has served your purpose, please return it to the Geological Survey, using the official mailing label at the end UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR THERMAL SPRINGS IN THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 679 B UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Harold L. Ickes, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W, C. MendenhaU, Director , Water-Supply Paper 679 B THERMAL SPRINGS IN THE UNITED STATES BY NORAH D. STEARNS, HAROLD T. STEARNS AND GERALD A. WARING Contributions to the hydrology of the United States, 1935 (Pages 59-191) UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1937 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. ------ Pricel]35 cents CONTENTS Page Abstract-_______________________-______-___-_-_---____--__-_-_- 59 Introduction___________________________________________ .___-___ 60 Literature of thermal springs in the United States___________________ 61 Geologic problems relating to thermal springs_________________________ 66 Sources of the water_________________________________________ 66 Sources of the heat____________________________ _.___._._._ 68 Relation of thermal springs to geologic structure__________________ 71 Age of thermal springs_________-_________-____-______--__--_- 72 The springs, by physiographic divisions.. ____________________________ 72 Distribution____._._._._._______________________ 72 Laurentian Upland__________________________________________ 73 Atlantic Plain.________________________________-____ 74 Appalachian Highlands________________________________________ 74 Interior Plains________________________________________________ 77 Interior Highlands-____________________________-________-_____ 78 Rocky Mountain system_-_____---_____________ _______________ 80 Northern Rocky Mountains________________________________ 80 Wyoming Basin___________-____________-_-_-----___-___ 85 Southern Rocky Mountains. _______________________________ 86 Intermontane Plateaus____-_-_-________._______-___-_-_-____ 88 Columbia Plateaus_______________________________---.____- 88 Colorado Plateaus_________ _______________ ___________ 89 Basin and Range province___ ____________________________ 91 Pacific Mountain system_____________________________________ 93 Sierra-Cascade Mountains_____________________________-____ 93 Pacific Border provmce_____-_--_____________-_____--_---_- 94 Summary and conclusions__________________________________________ 95 Annotated bibliography____________________ _____________________ 98 Tabulated data______________________________..._ 114 Index____________________________________________________________ 193 ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 7. Minerva Terrace, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone Na tional Park, Wyo___.______________._._______ 59 8. Map of the United States showing thermal springs and physio graphic divisions._____ .___ _______ ______ ____ In pocket. 9. Map of Virginia and West Virginia showing thermal springs. __ 76 10. Map of part of Georgia showing thermal springs and their relation to Pine Mountain________________________---_-_- 76 11. Map of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming showing thermal springs _ _____________________________________________ 82 in IV CONTENTS Page PLATE 12. Map of Yellowstone National Park showing principal groups of hot springs and geysers______-____---_----------------- 84 13. Map of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico showing thermal springs.___________--____-_--_------__ ._._._._ 86 14. Map of Washington and Oregon showing thermal springs.___ 88 15. Map of California and Nevada showing thermal springs.__._ 92 16. Map of Lassen Peak area, California, showing thermal springs and their relation to the peak and to probable faults...-.-. 94 FIGURE 8. Map of the United States showing mean annual temperature._ 62 9. Geologic cross sections showing general structure at thermal springs in the Virginia region.__-____-__-___-_____---___ 76 10. Geologic cross section showing structure near Hot Springs, Ark_ .._.____.__...._-...._-_._..._._._._._._.._.._ 79 11. Map of Idaho showing distribution of thermal springs and principal areas of granite and of lava______-.»________-___ 82 12. Geologic cross section through the hot springs at Thermopolis, Wyo___________________________-_._._.--_______-___ 84 13. Map of Utah showing thermal springs and principal faults____ 90 14. Map of northwestern Nevada and adjacent portions of Cali fornia and Oregon showing thermal springs and principal faults,..____-__________-_-_--___-____._______-_-_ 92 U. S. GEOLOGICAL SUKVEY WATER-SUPPLY TAPER 679 PLATE 7 MINERVA TERRACE, MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, \VYO. THEBMAL SPBINGS IN THE UNITED STATES By NOEAH D. STEARNS, HAROLD T. STEARNS, and GERALD A. WARING ABSTRACT The earliest extensive studies of thermal springs in the United States were made by physicians. In 1831 Dr. John Bell issued a book entitled "Baths and Mineral Waters" in which he listed 21 spring localities. In the edition of his work published in 1855 the number was increased to 181. The earliest report on a geologic study of thermal springs was that of W. B, Rogers in 1840 on the ther mal springs of Virginia. In 1875 G. K. Gilbert published a map and table showing thermal springs in the United States and pointed out that they are present chiefly in the mountainous areas of folded and faulted rocks. Early geologic study of them was principally inspired by the information which they afford at a few places on the deposition of minerals. The relation of hot springs to volcanic action has been studied in the Yellowstone National Park and near Lassen Peak in California. Studies in recent years have been concerned with the source of the water as well as of its heat. All the notable thermal springs in the eastern United States are in the Appa lachian Highlands, principally in the region of folded rocks. The Atlantic Coastal Plain contains no appreciably warm springs. In Florida there are large springs whose water rises from a depth of a few hundred feet and is about 5° above the mean annual temperature, but they are not usually classed as thermal. The only warm springs in the great Interior Plains region are at and near Hot Springs, S. Dak., in the vicinity of the Black Hills uplift of crystalline rocks. In the Interior Highlands thermal springs occur only in the Ozark region, the largest group being at Hot Springs, Ark. The Rocky Mountain System includes the Yellowstone National Park, with its world-famous hot springs and geysers (see pis. 7,12), and there are many other hot springs within this great mountainous region. In the Intermontane areas of great lava plains and faulted lava mountains in Utah, Nevada, southern Idaho, and eastern Oregon there are many hot springs, closely associated with the larger faults. In the Pacific Mountain System, including the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada, there are many warm and hot springs, some of which issue in areas of granite, and others in areas of lava. In the Coast Ranges of California many thermal springs issue from different geologic formations. Of the total of more than 1,000 thermal-spring localities listed in this paper more than half are situated in the three States of Idaho, California, and Nevada, each of which contains more than 150 thermal-spring localities. Wyoming, in cluding the Yellowstone National Park, contains more than 100 hot-spring local ities. Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico contain several dozen thermal springs each, of which the principal ones are developed as resorts. The other thermal springs are scattered through 12 States, of which Massachu setts, New York, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina contain one spring or group each. More than half of the total number are developed as resorts or used for irrigation or water supply, but many have remained undeveloped because they are not easily accessible. 59 60 CONTBIBUTIONS TO HYDBOLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1935 INTRODUCTION Since the compilations and discussions of the thermal springs of the United States by Gilbert,1 in 1875, and Peale,2 in 1883, there has been no general publication on thermal springs for the United States as a whole, dealing with their geologic relations. A large amount of literature can be found, however, relating to individual thermal springs or to thermal springs in specific areas. The present paper is chiefly a compilation and summary of the available information on the thermal springs of the United States, but it also contains a large amount of original data obtained in the field by several geologists of the Geological Survey and by the United States Forest Service and the United States Indian Service. It summarizes the work that has previously been done, presents maps showing the location of the springs, tabulates the principal data, and includes a selected bibliog raphy. An attempt has been made to present in very concise form as much information as possible regarding the geologic relations of the springs. Chemical analyses of the water are not included, but in the annotated bibliography publications that contain analyses of the water of the springs described are indicated. For this report practically all the publications of the United States Geological Survey were searched for references to thermal springs. Considerable information on thermal springs is contained in geologic publications whose title and even index give no indication that such information is included. Considerable field work was done to interpret and supplement the published information. Some miscellaneous references