The hot springs in Soldier Meadows are generally in and near Sec. 23, T40N, R24E. The area is named for the soldiers that were stationed at a U.S. Army field camp, Camp McGarry, located in the northern part of the meadows in the 1860s. Hose and Taylor (1974) have described a N30-35°E lineament that is believed to extend from Soldier Meadows 105 km to the northeast into Oregon (see the preceding sections on Baltazor and Bog Hot Springs). There are a large number of thermal springs in the Soldier Meadows area, with temperatures reported as high as 54°C, although a gaseous spring in SEC. 19, T40N, R25E with a temperature of 55°C was sampled in August 2002. Several springs ranging in temperature from 16 to 55°C were sampled and are evaluated in a separate document. Grose and Keller (1975b) mentioned 49 distinct features noted on airborne thermal infrared scanner imagery, which are believed to be distinct thermal springs. Some warm springs were noted in areas where no thermal springs have been reported in the literature.
The discharge of some springs is estimated to be up to 1,890 L/min, and the spring temperatures often fall into a bimodal distribution at about 21 and 52°C (Grose and Keller, 1975b). A considerable number of springs with temperatures of 43.3-48.9°C are located along a flowing creek, which had an average temperature of 37.8°C in the spring of 1973. The Na-K-Ca estimated reservoir temperature (65°C) is near the spring temperatures (Mariner and others, 1974), although chalcedony temperatures are slightly higher at 87°C based on 2002 data.
Photos
Antelope cold spring. From a distance looking west (16°C).
Warm spring just northwest of Soldier Meadows Ranch; flow-banded rhyolite at base of hill (29°C).
Hot spring pool; Shevenell with equipment box (SM-1; 39°C).
Garside sampling hot spring (SM-10; 55°C).
Hot spring; pole with sampling tube (SM-10; 55°C).
Sampling tube on extension pole (SM-3; 53°C).
Garside filtering. Water bubbling out of a small pool (SM-3; 53°C).
Garside filtering (SM-3; 53°C).
Spring and sampling equipment, Soldier Meadows (SM-6; 50°C).
Shevenell near spring (SM-6; 50°C).
Columnar jointed Soldier Meadows (?) Tuff.
Ridge-capping Soldier Meadow(?) Tuff.
Wheeler Spring. Grass, reeds, brush, sandy bottom (SM-12; 16°C).