Mickey Hot Springs is a small

hot 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 ...

system in southeastern

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The hot springs are located at the north end of the

Alvord Desert The Alvord Desert is a desert located in Harney County, in southeastern Oregon in the Western United States. It is roughly southeast of Steens Mountain. The Alvord Desert is a dry lake bed and averages of rain a year. Two mountain ranges se ...

just east of

Steens Mountain Steens Mountain is in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon, and is a large fault-block mountain. Located in Harney County, it stretches some north to south, and rises from the west side the Alvord Desert at elevation of about to a ...

and north of the 2-6 Hot Springs which are much larger but less known. There are several natural bubbling

mudpot A mudpot, or mud pool, is a sort of acidic hot spring, or fumarole, with limited water. It usually takes the form of a pool of bubbling mud. The acid and microorganisms decompose surrounding rock into clay and mud. Description The mud of a mudp ...

s and steam vents. The system contains at least 60 vents, 11 of which are dry. The hydrothermal system may be in its waning stages of existence. Thermophilic bacteria

Each vent has a characteristic temperature ranging from to with the average about . The majority of the vents are far too hot for bathing. The water pH is neutral to slightly alkaline. An ecosystem of thermophilic organisms exist in the springs, separated by temperature strata.

References

External links

Extent and location of the geothermal aquifer in the Alvord Basin, Harney County, Oregon: A study based on Strontium Isotope Geochemistry of rocks and fluids
!-- should be integrated into article --> Hot springs of Oregon Bodies of water of Harney County, Oregon {{HarneyCountyOR-geo-stub