GEOLOGY. 347 



276. Water. The waters of California are generally 

 soft and pure, but mineral, warm, and hot springs are numer- 

 ous. Large hot springs are found in large clusters in Surprise 

 Valley, at the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada, at the 

 Geysers, and in the vicinity of Clear Lake. They are also 

 found scattered through the coast mountains, nearly every 

 valley having several. Most of the hot springs are also min- 

 eral, sulphur being the predominant flavor. The tempera- 

 tures of certain springs are thus given : Harbin's Springs 

 108 and 118 respectively, Skaggs' Springs 120 and 140, 

 White Sulphur Springs 97, 79, 75, 76, 64, 68, 89, 86, 

 and 69, San Bernardino Warm Springs 108, 128, 130, 166, 

 169, and 172, Aguas Calientes, (San Diego County) 58, 

 74, 130, 136, and 140, Warner's Ranch Warm Spring 135. 



Borax Lake, in the very dry season of 1863, contained 281 

 grains of anhydrous biborate of soda to the gallon, besides as 

 much carbonate of soda, and three times as much chloride of 

 sodium. 



Clear Lake contains 11.69 grains of solid matter in a gallon 

 of water, including 3.19 of carbonate of lime, 3.35 carbon- 

 ate of magnesia, 0.91 carbonate of iron, 0.32 chloride of 

 potassium, 0.42 chloride of sodium, 0.42 sulphate of lime, 

 0.57 silica, traces of boracic and phosphoric acid, and 246 of 

 organic matter. The following figures of solid grains in a 

 gallon give the basis for a comparison of some of the waters 

 of Pilarcitos (San Francisco) and Clear Lake with those of 

 Lake Michigan at Chicago, and Croton River at New York. 



PILARCITOS. CLEAR IAKE. CHICAGO. NEW YORK. 



Organic Matter 0.78 2.46 1.06 0.66 



Inorganic Matter. . 7.42 9.23 5.62 3.90 



Total Solids 8.20 11.69 6 - 68 4-56 



277. Artesian Wells. There are a great number of arte- 

 sian wells in California. In Santa Clara County, within a dis- 

 trict six miles wide by fifteen long, there are three hundred 



