Silica Sinter and the Evolution of Hot Springs in the Alvord/Pueblo Valleys, Southeast Oregon, USA

Leslie Allen Mowbray and Michael L. Cummings
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Leslie Allen Mowbray: Department of Geology, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207, USA
Michael L. Cummings: Department of Geology, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207, USA

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 21, 1-34

Abstract: Hot springs in the Alvord/Pueblo valleys in southeastern Oregon are analogous to Basin-and-Range hydrothermal systems where heat source and permeable pathways are met through crustal thinning. Silica sinter deposition at Mickey Springs, Alvord Valley, predates the late Pleistocene high stand of pluvial Lake Alvord. At Borax Lake, Pueblo Valley, sinter deposition occurred during the Holocene. This study examines the evolution of springs at Mickey Springs, where three morphologies of sinter are present: (1) basalt clasts surrounded by sinter in interbedded conglomerate and sandstone, (2) pool-edge and aprons of sinter surrounding depressions (12–32 m diameter), and (3) quaquaversal sinter mounds with pool-edge sinter. The oldest sinter occurs in silica-cemented conglomerate and sandstone, where deposition occurred prior to 30 kya. Deposition around broad depressions and mounds occurred after 30 kya but before water levels began to rise in pluvial Lake Alvord. Thermoluminescence dates suggest sinter deposition ceased before 18 kya when silt and clay filled inactive vents and buried aprons. A few mounds hosted active springs after sinter deposition ceased but while submerged in pluvial Lake Alvord. Now, high-temperature springs, steam vents, and mud pots are concentrated in a 50 × 50 m area near the southern edge of the spring area.

Keywords: silica sinter; thermoluminescence dating; ground penetrating radar; northwestern Basin-and-Range Province; Alvord/Pueblo valleys (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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