Long Valley Caldera, in
California, hosts an active hydrothermal system that includes
hot springs,
fumaroles (
steam vents), and
mineral deposits. Hot springs exist primarily in the eastern half of the
caldera where land-surface elevations are relatively low; fumaroles exist primarily in the western half where elevations are higher. Mineral deposits from thermal activity are found on the an uplifted aread called the
resurgent dome, at
Little Hot Creek springs,
Hot Creek Gorge, and other locations in the south and east
moats of the caldera.
Hot springs discharge primarily in Hot Creek Gorge, along Little Hot Creek, and in the
Alkalai Lakes area. The largest springs are in Hot Creek Gorge where about 250 liters per second of thermal water discharge and account for about 80% of the total thermal water discharge in the caldera. At the other extreme are springs at
Hot Creek Fish Hatchery which contain a small component (2-5%) of thermal water that raises water temperatures about 5°C higher than background temperatures. Use of the warm spring water in the
hatchery has increased fish production because
trout growth rates are faster in the warm water than in ambient stream temperatures in Long Valley.
In hydrothermal systems the circulation of
groundwater is driven by a combination of
topography and
heat sources. In Long Valley Caldera, the system is recharged primarily from
snow-melt in the highlands around the western and southern rims of the caldera. The meteoric water infiltrates to depths of a few kilometers where it is heated to at least 220°C by hot rock near geologically young intrusions. Upflow occurs in the west moat where the heated water with lower density rises along steeply inclined fractures to depths of 1-2 km. This hydrothermal fluid flows laterally, down the hydraulic gradient, from the west to the southeast around the resurgent dome and then eastward to discharge points along Hot Creek and around
Crowley Lake. Reservoir temperatures in the volcanic fill decline from 220°C near the Inyo Craters to 50°C near Crowley Lake due to a combination of heat loss and mixing with cold water.
Hot Creek has been a popular local swimming hole for decades, but recent geothermal instability has led to its temporary closure for swimming. Officials are unsure when (if ever) Hot Creek will officially reopen for swimming.
Reference
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USGS Volcano Hazards Program: Long Valley Observatory (public domain text)