Bubbles and Steam (GHSSP) Earthcache EarthCache
Bubbles and Steam (GHSSP) Earthcache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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As an earthcache, there is no “box” or “container” to discover. Rather, with this cache, you discover something about the geology of the area. For more info, consult www.earthcache.org
This earthcache is usually available, even in the wintertime, as long as the roads are plowed!
The coordinates take you to the PARKING LOT. You will need to walk/stroll around a little on the paths surrounding the spring (don't wander away from the spring itself) and read the signage to discover the answers (or grab a park brochure / talk to a ranger).
Logging Requirements:
Send the answers to #1-#3 to me through my geocaching profile or GC Message Center. DO NOT post the answers to any logging requirements on this site.
1. List the name “GC2G965 Bubbles and Steam (GHSSP) Earthcache” in the first line of your email. Also, list the number of people in your group.
2. What color does the hot spring pool appear? What minerals cause this color reaction? You can find the answers by asking one of the attendants/rangers or reading the area signs.
3. How hot is the water when it come out into the pool? From signage/park brochure and/or this description, describe WHY the water is so warm.
4. (optional but cool!) Post a picture of yourself and/or your GPS with your log that shows you at Grover Hot Springs. DO NOT show any of the pertinent information in your picture or your log may be deleted OR from nearby cords: N 38° 41.767 W 119° 50.665 tell me what color the DOOR of the old cabin is.
I will only respond if you have incomplete logging requirements. Go ahead and log your cache
Getting There:
If you are in the Tahoe basin area, simply drive south towards Markleville. Turn west on Hot Springs Road, and take it to the end of the road. There are several miles of good hiking at this location, and of course, a relaxing opportunity to dip in the hot springs. The requirements can be done without paying the pool entrance fee, since it is possible to view the pools “through the fence,” though of course it may be hard to resist the temptation to soak off some caching-tension. This location is open year-around, as long as the roads are plowed.
Geology:
The park’s hot springs are a phenomenon associated with the faulting that developed when the Sierra Nevada began to rise many years ago, near the end of the last ice age.
Surface water courses its way through the cracks in the earth’s crust until it reaches hot rock thousands of feet below; then it bubbles to the surface, dissolving minerals along its way. For many years before the advent of modern medicine, people sought the curative powers they believed existed in the springs. They were sure that the springs cured a long list of chronic illnesses.
The water’s total mineral content of 74.7 grams per gallon breaks down as follows: sodium chloride, 19.91; sodium sulfate, 12.02; sodium carbonate, 34.10; calcium carbonate, 6.38; magne sium carbonate, 1.16; iron and alumina, 0.32; and silica 0.82; plus a trace of organic matter. Unlike the water from most hot springs, it contains little sulfur. This is great, since it means that one can bathe without the noxious fumes and potential nose-bleeds associated with sulfur-springs.
One of the park’s two concrete pools is fed by the runoff from six mineral springs. Although the water comes to the surface at at steamy ____ degrees F., the hot pool’s inflow is regulated so the temperature remains between 102 and 104 degrees. Excess water and overflow from the pools are diverted into nearby Hot Springs Creek, a year-round stream that flows through the middle of the park’s large meadow.
Why are the Hot Springs Green?
The main reason for the color is the mineral deposits on the bottom of the pool. These mineral deposits are laid down on the surface of the paint by an oxidation reaction between the mineral salts in the water and the sanitizing agent (Bromine) used.
When the pool is viewed from some distance, rather than from directly overhead, the light that is reflected from the bottom loses certain wavelengths that are absorbed by the various color patterns on the bottom. The remaining light waves then pass back up through the water and are reflected at the surface. This reflected light is in the_________ (see logging requirements) wavelengths of the spectrum.
History:
I usually attempt to explain the history of a location. However, the nearby Virtual cache, and the area signage both do a wonderful job of this already.
Enjoy your experience.
Resources:
Alt & Hyndman, Roadside Geology of Northern andCentral California. Mountain Press Publishing. Missoula: Montana. 2000.
Grover Hot Springs State Park brochure
Grover Hot Springs State park signage on location.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Qba'g or nsenvq gb cvpx hc n oebpuher be nfx n enatre...ornef zvtug ovgr ohg enatref qba'g!