Diana's Punchbowl, also called the Devil's Cauldron, is a geothermal feature located on a small fault in Nye County, Nevada. The spring is exposed through a cup-shaped depression about 50 feet (15 m) in diameter at the top of a domelike hill of travertine about 600 feet (180 m) in diameter. Hot water in the pool of the bowl is about 30 feet (9 m) below the rim.[1]

Diana's Punchbowl
Devil's Cauldron
Looking down into Diana's Punchbowl
Map
LocationMonitor Valley, Nye County, Nevada
Coordinates39°01′49″N 116°40′00″W / 39.03023°N 116.66656°W / 39.03023; -116.66656
Elevation6,760 feet (2,060.4 m)
Typehot spring
Temperature140.9 °F (60.5 °C)
Diana's Punchbowl is located in Nevada
Diana's Punchbowl
Location in Nevada

Geography

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Diana's Punchbowl is on top of a travertine hill

Near the geographic center of Nevada, Diana's Punchbowl or the Devil's Cauldron, is formed in the geothermically active portion of the Great Basin. It is located in central-western Nevada, in the Monitor Valley, about 30 miles southeast of Austin, Nevada in Nye County. Diana's Punchbowl is just east of Monitor Valley Road about 9 miles south of Monitor Ranch. The bowl is at the top of a travertine hill. It is 50 feet across and 30 feet deep. The extreme water temperature of this feature is estimated to be 200 °F (93 °C).[1] The hot mineral water flows into a hot creek allowing it to cool to approximately 100 °F at the far end of the creek. Several rock pools have been created along the creek.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Moreno, Richard (2008). Nevada Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 162.
  2. ^ Gersh-Young, Marjorie (2010). Hot Springs and Hot Pools of the Southwest. Santa Cruz, CA: Aqua Thermal Access. p. 29.