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The Soda Dam Hot Spring, also known as the Jemez Springs Soda Dam or simply Soda Dam, is a grouping of fifteen hot springs which have formed a unique calcium carbonate and travertine formation creating a bridge over the
The Soda Dam Hot Spring, also known as the Jemez Springs Soda Dam or simply Soda Dam, is a grouping of fifteen hot springs which have formed a unique calcium carbonate and travertine formation creating a bridge over the Jemez River
The Jemez River is a tributary of the Rio Grande in eastern Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States.
Description
The river is formed by the confluence of the East Fork Jemez River and San Antonio Creek, which drain a number of tributaries in ...
in Northern New Mexico
Northern New Mexico in cultural terms usually refers to the area of heavy-Spanish settlement in the north-central part of New Mexico. However, New Mexico state government also uses the term to mean the northwest and north central, but to exclude ...
.
Geology
The Soda Dam was formed by calcium carbonate and travertine deposits from the thermal spring water that was built up over the course of 7,000 years. The river flows through the dome-like bridge created by the deposition of these minerals across the river. There is also a waterfall at the site. It is over 300 feet long, 50 feet high, and 50 feet wide at the base. The hot spring water is heated by volcanic magma of theValles Caldera
Valles Caldera (or Jemez Caldera) is a wide volcanic caldera in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico. Hot springs, streams, fumaroles, natural gas seeps and volcanic domes dot the caldera floor landscape. The highest point in the caldera i ...
. The water percolates through shale and limestone, following cracks in the Jemez geological fault zone to emerge at the springs. Because algal filaments are contained within the carbonate rock, the site is used to study ways in which possible ancient life on Mars may be detected through examination of rocks. The hot spring water emerges from several sources and seeps.
When State Highway 4 was built, part of the travertine dam was removed. The remaining portion is East of the highway.
History
The springs were used by local indigenous people before the arrival of settlers. Artifacts and archaeological finds have been discovered at Jemez Cave near Soda Dam; evidence of human use as long ago as 2,500 B.C. In addition to the cave, several rock shelters can be found in the area. In the 1930s, extensive archaeological materials were found in the area around Soda Dam, and it was determined that the area has been used for over 2,000 years by several cultures. In the 1960s, New Mexico state highway #4 was built which involved blasting the rock to build the road. The course of the spring water changed at that time, and now most of it flows into ditches on either side of the road. Some of the springs stopped flowing entirely.Water profile
The maximum water temperature of the spring system is 117 °F (47 °C).Location
The geographic coordinates are N 35.79445 W 106.68669.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 New Mexico Geothermal areas in the United States