BeoWhat? II Traditional Cache
RoadRunner: Archiving due to lack of CO response.
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Related Web Page
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Small cache near a site of geological interest. Behind the hills to the south are the Beowawe Geysers. Initial contents when hidden:
Softball pin, polished stone, coins. Access: Beowawe Rest Area, east-bound I-80 at mile marker 258
The plume of steam you can see rising into the air to the south a few miles, across the freeway, originates at the Beowawe Geysers geothermal site.
The geysers, hot springs, and fumaroles of the Beowawe area must have been known and used by Native Americans and by early pioneers travelling the nearby Emigrant Trail. The area later attracted the attention of energy companies who began investigating the site for geothermal power potential beginning about 1959. Many companies drilled and tested before the first power plant was built here in 1985.
Before geothermal energy production began, several geysers were reported to erupt to heights of a meter or more. Geothermal exploration wells drilled in the early 1960s disrupted natural geyser activity there; causing geysers on the valley floor to the west became more active, erupting to heights of up to 2 meters. Later, vandals destroyed well caps causing a huge release of steam and hot water followed by the end of geysering activity.
The geothermal power plant has been expanded since 1985 and the current owner/operator is Terra-Gen Operating Co., LLC. The company should continue to produce similar amounts through their current contract with Sierra Pacific Power Co/Nevada Power that lasts through the year 2035.
The Beowawe Geysers geothermal area has the highest subsurface temperatures in Eureka County, and ties Bradys Hot Springs area in Churchill County for the highest geothermal well temperatures in Nevada. The wells of the Caithness Beowawe Power Plant tap the Beowawe geothermal resource at depths of more than 2000 meters (6693 feet) below the surface) where the initial water temperature was as high as 216 degrees centigrade (420 degrees Fahrenheit)!
More detailed information on the history, geology and geothermal development at Beowawe Geysers is available at the Nevada Bureau of Mines & Geology website at the link given:
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Zvag gva