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
Cave ecosystems are often dependent on organic material carried in by water, which serves as the primary food source for the environment. In arid climates with minimal surface rainfall, the input of organic matter and nutrients into caves becomes limited, affecting the overall energy flow within these environments. The intricate interplay between surface conditions and cave biota presents unique management challenges for modern cave biologists. Image courtesy of Dr. Jean K. Krejca, Zara Environmental LLC.
Many of Great Basin National Park's bristlecone pines were growing at the time the Egyptians were building the pyramids. Not only are the trees themselves old, but the needles alone can be 25-40 yrs old!
Troglodyte Playing Cards
We have no idea what these will look like yet, but we couldn't think of hosting NCKMS in Nevada without offering some themed-out playing cards. There's a good chance the card backs will feature a cave animal of the year, but we still have some time to figure it out.
Advance registration for the 2025 symposium is expected to open in mid-2024. We will send an email to past attendees when that system comes online.
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