Baranof Warm Springs are a series of ten geothermal mineral springs located in the small community of
Baranof Warm Springs
Baranof Warm Springs is a small, primarily seasonally-occupied community located in the List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska, city and borough of Sitka, Alaska, on the eastern side of Baranof Island, from which it likely derives its name, ...
in
Sitka, Alaska
russian: Ситка
, native_name_lang = tli
, settlement_type = Consolidated city-borough
, image_skyline = File:Sitka 84 Elev 135.jpg
, image_caption = Downtown Sitka in 1984
, image_size ...
. The springs are surrounded by the
Tongass National Forest
The Tongass National Forest () in Southeast Alaska is the largest U.S. National Forest at . Most of its area is temperate rain forest and is remote enough to be home to many species of endangered and rare flora and fauna. The Tongass, which i ...
.
History
The springs were originally used by the
Tlingit of
Angoon
Angoon (sometimes formerly spelled Angun, tli, Aangóon) is a city on Admiralty Island in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 572; by the 2010 census the population had declined to 459. The ...
. Settlers later discovered the springs in 1891.
Geography and geology
The springs are located on the north side of the Baronof River approximately 500 feet downstream from the
Baranof Lake
Baranof Lake is a glacially-fed, horseshoe-shaped lake on the eastern side of Baranof Island, in Alaska. Baranof Lake borders the community of Baranof Warm Springs and also has a United States Forest Service, Forest Service cabin on the northwest ...
inlet. The springs flow from deposits of gravel, silt and quartz diorite boulder and bedrock.
Water profile
The hot mineral water emerges from the ground at a temperature of 124 °F/51 °C.
The water composition is sodium carbonate type, with large proportions of silica.
The sulphurous hot mineral water flows from the source into several rock-lined soaking pools where it is cooled to between 108 °F and 110 °F. There are also three wooden roofed rooms supplied with the hot spring water.
See also
*
List of hot springs in the United States
__NOTOC__
This is a dynamic list of hot springs in the United States. The Western states in particular are known for their thermal springs: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyomin ...
*
List of hot springs in the world
References
{{Reflist
Hot springs of Alaska