The Sauna Cave EarthCache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(not chosen)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This is a very unique geologic feature that I have never seen before and felt it was worthy of sharing.
Short hike up to the cave. If you are planning on exploring the cave a headlamp or flashlight would be recommended. Take some time to relax and soak in the hot water. Water is only ankle/knee deep and the cave extends in for only about 200 feet, but is far enough to require some light to go in that far.
I made this trip by canoe but I think someone can hike to it as well, but I don't know how difficult a hike it would be. There is a fee to access the park and if you are canoeing or kayaking the river the 12 miles to Willow Beach you can hire a company to make the arrangements. We used one right out of Boulder at the hotel there, but I'm sure there are others. They only allow a certain number of people through in one day so making a reservation would be a good idea
A hot spring is formed when water seeps into underground hot volcanic rocks in a volcanic region, it can be heated to boiling point (100 degree celsius). This heated water can then flow back to the Earth's surface continuously and quietly. It also contains minerals dissolved by the water.
There is no universally accepted definition of a hot spring. For example, one can find the phrase hot spring defined as
* any geothermal spring
* a spring with water temperatures above its surroundings
* a natural spring with water temperature above body temperature – normally between 36.5 and 37.5 °C (98 and 100 °F)
* a natural spring with warm water above body temperature
The water issuing from a hot spring is heated by geothermal heat, i.e., heat from the Earth's mantle. In general, the temperature of rocks within the earth increases with depth. The rate of temperature increase with depth is known as the geothermal gradient. If water percolates deeply enough into the crust, it will be heated as it comes into contact with hot rocks. The water from hot springs in non-volcanic areas is heated in this manner.
Steam Crepuscular rays at Mammoth Hot Springs
In active volcanic zones such as Yellowstone National Park, water may be heated by coming into contact with magma (molten rock). The high temperature gradient near magma may cause water to be heated enough that it boils or becomes superheated. If the water becomes so hot that it builds steam pressure and erupts in a jet above the surface of the Earth, it is called a geyser. If the water only reaches the surface in the form of steam, it is called a fumarole. If the water is mixed with mud and clay, it is called a mud pot.
Note that hot springs in volcanic areas are often at or near the boiling point. People have been seriously burned and even killed by accidentally or intentionally entering these springs.
Warm springs are sometimes the result of hot and cold springs mixing but may also occur outside of volcanic areas, such as Warm Springs, Georgia (frequented for its therapeutic effects by paraplegic U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who built the Little White House there).
Hot springs range in flow rate from the tiniest "seeps" to veritable rivers of hot water. Sometimes there is enough pressure that the water shoots upward in a geyser, or fountain.
Because heated water can hold more dissolved solids, warm and especially hot springs also often have a very high mineral content, containing everything from simple calcium to lithium, and even radium. Because of both the folklore and the claimed medical value some of these springs have, they are often popular tourist destinations, and locations for rehabilitation clinics for those with disabilities.
To Log This Cache:
1. (optional) Take a photo of you or your GPS at or in the Cave to verify location.
2. Send an email estimating the temperature of the water and of the air and contrast the difference.
3. How does the temperature of the air and water change the farther back into the cave you walk.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)