Page 139 - 1915, Springs of CA.

HOT SPRINGS. 129

depth the drill encountered "quartz," possibly bedrock. The well
did not yield a large flow. In 1909 its discharge was about 1 gallon
a minute, and the temperature of the water was 125°.
About 350 yards north of the northernmost well is a spring that
formerly yielded hot water, but its flow and temperature were reduced
by a well, since abandoned, that was sunk a short distance north of
it. When this spring was visited it formed a pool from which there
was a flow of perhaps 3 gallons a minute. The highest temperature
recorded in it was 87°.
Water from the two principal wells is used for domestic supply and
for irrigation. It is considered to be of good quality, though it acts
as a laxative. An examination of the water by Mr. J. W. Montague,
a chemist of San Francisco, has shown that it contains 1,400 parts
per million of solids in solution. Of this amount, 40.81 parts are
reported as sodium chloride (common salt). Small incrustations of
calcium or magnesium carbonate form on the discharge pipes. The
fact that the water will deposit a rust-colored stain on clothes that
are allowed to soak in it for some time indicates that it contains also
a noticeable amount of iron. Baths have been provided and they
are occasionally used for relieving rheumatism, but when visited in
1909 no attempt had been made to develop the property as a bathing
resort. About 6 miles southeast of the Marble wells is another hot
well, but its flow is smaller and the temperature of its water is lower.
Several other flowing wells that yield warm water are situated
along a belt that extends for several miles southeastward.
A fault that passes through Sierra Valley has been mentioned by
Diller l and by Turner 2 and is shown on Plate III (in pocket). The
movement along this fault is considered to account for the existence
of hot water beneath the valley, as the fracturing has probably fur-
nished places for the escape of deep-seated water upward into the
alluvium.
CAMPBELL HOT SPRINGS (SIERRA 1).
At the extreme southern border of Sierra Valley, about 2 miles by
road southeast of Sierraville, eight thermal springs are scattered for
a distance of a mile along the low slopes that border this end of the
valley and in the adjacent meadowland. The property has been
improved as a resort since the early eighties, and in 1909 a three-story
hotel and an annex provided accommodations for 100 guests.
One of the largest hot springs rises on the hillside, 50 feet above the
valley. It discharges about 15 gallons a minute of slightly sulphu-
reted water 102° in temperature. The water has been piped to tubs

1 Diller, J. S., Notes on the geology of northern California: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 33, p. 14,1886.
2 Turner, H. W., Mohawk lake beds: Philos. Soc. Washington Proc., vol. 2, pp. 396-397,1892.
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