Map coordinates:
39.3269, -116.857
Water temperature:
161.6°F
Site ID:
NV-278
Spencer Hot Springs. Image courtesy of the Nevada Commission on Tourism.
The hot springs and wells at Spencer Hot Springs are located mainly in the SE¼ Sec. 13, T17N, R45E (projected). There are also springs to the east of the main spring area (figure), in Sec. 14, T17N, R45½E (Fiero, 1968). Meinzer (1917, p. 50, 91) reported the presence of a travertine terrace nearly 1.6 km long and 0.8 km wide with spring deposits not more than 15 m thick. According to Meinzer (1917), the main spring is 62°C, the north spring is 47°C, and the east spring "normal." Both excavated and developed stock-watering pools on the site are used for bathing by visitors, although no exact temperatures are reported (Williams, 1996, p. 40). Some flow may be from open wells, drilled in the 1940s (U.S. Bureau of Land Management Environmental Assessment NV063-Eao4-59, 2004). Hot water from the main spring is carried by steel pipe to a concrete-lined pool. The temperature of the hottest spring was measured in June 2002 to be 72.1°C (Sanders and Miles, 1974). Wollenberg (1974b) reported that the spring has slightly anomalous radioactivity (19 μR/hr).
Except for Sanders and Miles (1974), who reported that the springs are at the boiling point, the highest temperature (72°C) was recorded by Mariner and others (1974), who suggested that the best estimate of the reservoir temperature is 123°C, using the silica geothermometer. Trexler and others (1980) reported a 72.5°C temperature from the spring. Fiero (1968) believed that the water discharging at Spencer Hot Springs may originate in Monitor Valley to the east after flowing through the intervening Paleozoic carbonate and clastic rocks. The geology of the hot springs and surrounding area is also shown on the 1:62,000 geologic map by McKee (1968). Phillips Petroleum Co. drilled 4 temperature-gradient drill holes in the vicinity of Spencer Hot Springs in 1980 to depths ranging from 29.6 to 64.0m and encountered temperatures no higher than 16.8°C (Sass and others, 1999).
N_Big_Smoky_Valley.pdf Get Topo Map On the Web New Hotspring Search
All snakes can swim.... but not in scalding mineral water! This one suffered a rather quick fate and is now being calcified into the streambed. Traveling north towards Cherry Creek, Nevada, along the old shelf road on the west side of Steptoe Valley, Monte Neva Hot Springs bubbles up out of the ground at about 175°F. Image courtesy of Matt Bowers / Third Media.
Sitting at Nevada's eastern edge of the "Loneliest Road in America," Ely is a remote mountain town where history, art and outdoor adventure thrive. Ely was founded in the 1870s as a stagecoach stop and trading post called Murray Station, but it would become one of the country's major copper mining regions.
The Nevada Northern Railway arrived in 1906. Now, this well preserved short-line railway draws visitors from all over the world to ride on its queens of steam and historic diesel engines.
The ghost town of Belmont Mill was established following a silver strike in 1865. Other minerals, such as copper lead and antimony were also mined here. The boom brought in settlers and Belmont grew. The town boasted four stores, two saloons, five restaurants, livery stable, post office, assay office, bank, school, telegraph office, two newspapers, and a blacksmith shop.
As the price of metals fluctuated, so did the fortunes of the town. By 1887, several of the mines closed. Like many towns which are now ghost towns, this one lasted for only a short time.
Some of the buildings are still standing, including the courthouse, the Cosmopolitan Saloon, the Monitor-Belmont Mill, and the combination mill.
WCC Ball Cap
Wearing a ball cap? Oh, that's a whole vibe. It's like saying, "I'm strong, but I'm not here for your speleo-approval." It's the kind of quiet power that doesn't scream for attention, but when it walks into the room, everyone knows it's the real deal. No need to flaunt or flex when you've got that kind of effortless strength, right?
Yet, while being grounded and focused on what truly matters, you can still shine at your next grotto meeting by declaring your subtle support of the Western Cave Conservancy!
