Kanuti Hot Springs
Kanuti Hot Springs Area of Critical Environmental Concern, Alaska
Kanuti Hot Springs Area of Critical Environmental Concern, Alaska
Map
LocationAlaska
Coordinates66°20′30″N 150°50′44″W / 66.34167°N 150.84556°W / 66.34167; -150.84556
Typegeothermal spring
Temperature110°F to 151°F

Kanuti Hot Springs is a geothermal spring in an area of critical environmental concern in the Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, 15 miles north of the Arctic Circle.[1][2][3]

Water profile and geology

The hot mineral water emerges from the ground between 110 °F to 151 °F.[4] Colonies of cyanobacteria grow in the spring, coloring areas along the edges with white, yellow and orange residue.[1] Rainwater percolates through a deep fracture in the bedrock where it is heated by magma and emerges through rocks near the surface.[5] Granitic rocks of the hot springs pluton have intruded on the south side of the Caribou Mountain complex. There is no indication of asymmetrical profiles that are characteristic of ultramapfic complexes.[6]

Location

The hot springs are located in a very remote area and are accessible during the winter months only via the Dalton Highway (mile marker 103).[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Alaska Hot Springs Far and Wide". University of Alaska Fairbanks. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Kanuti Hot Springs". Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  3. ^ Motyka, R.J.; Moorman, M.A.; Liss, S.A. (1983). Geothermal resources of Alaska. Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  4. ^ Thermal Springs List for the United States. Boulder, Colorado: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 1980.
  5. ^ "Hot Springs of Interior Alaska". Alaska Public Lands Information Center. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  6. ^ Information Circular, Issues 8903-8923. Urbana-Champaign, Illinois: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines: Mines and mineral resources. 1982. p. 4. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  7. ^ 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.
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