Chena Hot Springs are a system of thermal mineral springs located within the Yukon-Tanana Plateau near the town of Chena Hot Springs, approximately 50 miles northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska.[1]
| Chena Hot Springs | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | Yukon-Tanana Plateau |
| Coordinates | 65°03′11″N 146°03′20″W / 65.05306°N 146.05556°W |
| Elevation | 1,200 feet |
| Type | Geothermal |
| Discharge | 165 °F / 74 °C |
| Temperature | 153°F / 67°C |
The springs consist of several hot soaking pools and a rock-lined warm lake only accessible to those over age 18. There is also a glassed-in indoor 90 °F swimming pool located at an onsite lodge that is powered by a geothermal power plant nearby.[2]
There is now a small 8 person Jacuzzi outdoors heated to the same temperature as the indoor pool. In the winter there is a covered path to the lake.
A rare form of quartz-encrusted zeolite, yugawaralite, was found near Chena Hot Springs. It has also been found near hot springs in Japan and Iceland.[3]
Canadian First Nations peoples and Native Alaskans traditionally used hot springs for healing and bathing. In the early years of the 20th Century, Chena hot springs were used by homesteaders and surveyors.[4]
Water profile
editThe hot mineral water emerges from the ground at 153 °F / 67 °C.[5] The mineral content of the water includes silica, sodium, iron, potassium, aluminum, carbonate, calcium, magnesium, chloride, bicarbonate, sulfate, fluoride, nitrate, lithium, boric acid and ammonia.[6][7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Erkan, Kamil; Holdman, Gwen; Blackwell, David; Benoit, Walter (2007). "Thermal Characteristics of the Chena Hot Springs Alaska Geothermal System" (PDF). Proceedings: Thirty-Second Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering Stanford University. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ Gersh, Marjorie; Loam, Jason (2008). Hot Springs and Hot Pools of the Northwest. Santa Cruz, CA: Aqua Thermal Access. ISBN 9781890880088. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ Eberlein, G. Donald; Erd, R.C.; Weber, Florence; Beatty, L.B. (1971). "New Occurrence OF Yugawaralite from the Chena Hot Springs Area, Alaska" (PDF). The American Mineralogist. 56 (September-October 1971). Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- ^ Bro, Lindsey (2022). Thermal: Healing with Heat - Saunas, Hot Springs & Baths. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-7972-1857-1.
- ^ Thermal Springs List for the United States. Boulder, Colorado: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 1980.
- ^ LeBlank, P.J.B. (1912). "Bureau of Chemistry, U.S. Department of Agriculture".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Barnes, I. (1972). "Division of Water Resources, USGS".
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