Baker Hot Springs are a system of

geothermal spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...

s located on

Fumarole Butte Fumarole Butte is a shield volcano in central Juab County, Utah, Juab County, Utah, United States. Built during the Quaternary period, it is composed of basaltic andesite. It stands in height and has a diameter of . Under the volcano lies Cra ...

, northwest of the town of

Delta, Utah Delta is the largest city in Millard County, Utah, Millard County, Utah, United States. It is located in the northeastern area of Millard County along the Sevier River and is surrounded by farmland. The population was 3,622 at the 2020 United St ...

. The springs were formerly known as Crater Springs and Abraham Hot Springs.

Water profile

The hot mineral water emerges from the spring at 180 °F/82 °C. The primary mineral content is

manganese Manganese is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese was first isolated in the 1770s. It is a transition m ...

, and water has a high

sulphur Sulfur (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundance of the chemical ...

content giving it the characteristic "rotten egg" smell. A 1976 inventory mapped 40 spring openings with an estimated flow of 90 liters per second. In 2011, the spring water discharged at 17 gallons per second, and flows into three concrete soaking pools, approximately 5' x 8'; these concrete structures are all that is left of an old resort. Next to the soaking pools is a channel with cold spring water that can be diverted into the soaking pools to cool the water. Nearby are hot water seeps that can be dug out to create primitive soaking pools.

Geology

The hot springs and seeps are located in the

Sevier Desert The Sevier Desert is a large arid section of central-west Utah, United States, and is located in the southeast of the Great Basin. It is bordered by deserts north, west, and south; its east border is along the mountain range and valley sequences ...

which is a

basaltic andesite Basaltic andesite is a volcanic rock that is intermediate in composition between basalt and andesite. It is composed predominantly of augite and plagioclase. Basaltic andesite can be found in volcanoes around the world, including in Central Ameri ...

type of

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more viscous lava ...

from the Quaternary period, overlaying basalt and

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture (geology), texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained matri ...

. The hot water emerges from a

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

and alluvial mound (sometimes described as a

tufa Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitation (chemistry), precipitate out of water in ambient temperature, unheated rivers or lakes. hot spring, Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less ...

mound) that flank the eastern side of the basalt lava formation. The area is fenced, but accessible, and used primarily by locals. There are a series of concrete soaking tubs constructed west of the spring heads.

References

{{reflist Hot springs of Utah

Water profile

Geology

See also

References