THE NONMETALLIC MINERALS. 



479 



meteoric, that is, it is water which has fallen upon the earth from 

 clouds, and gradually percolating downward issues again in the form 

 of springs at lower levels. In this passage through the superficial 

 portion of the earth's crust it dissolves the various salts, the kind and 

 quantity being dependent upon the kind of rocks, the temperatures 

 and pressure of the water, as well as the amount of absorbed gases it 

 contains. 



Both the mineral contents and the temperature of spring waters are 

 dependent upon the geological features of the country they occupy. 



As a rule springs in regions of sedimentary rocks carry a larger 

 proportion of salts than those in regions of eruptive and metamorphic 

 rocks. Thermal springs are as a rule limited to regions of compara- 

 tive recent volcanic activity, or where the rocks have been disturbed, 

 crushed, folded, and faulted, as in mountainous regions. Occasional 

 thermal springs are met with in undisturbed areas, but such are 

 regarded as of deep-seated origin, and to owe their temperatures to 

 the great depths from which they are derived. 



Distribution. Mineral springs of some sort are to be found in each 

 and all of the States of the American Union, though naturally the 

 resources of the more sparsely settled States have not as yet been fully 

 developed. For this reason the table given herewith is to a certain 

 extent misleading: 



Production of mineral waters in 1899 by States and Territories. 



State or Territory. 



Alabama 4 



Arkansas 5 



California 38 



Colorado 11 



Connecticut 



District of Columbia 



Florida 



Georgia 6 



Illinois 



Indiana 12 



Iowa 3 



Kansas 



Kentucky 4 



Maine 



Maryland 11 



Massachusetts 39 



Michigan 21 



Minnesota 4 



Mississippi 6 



Missouri ' 12 



New Hampshire 



New Jersey "7 



New Mexico , , 5 



Springs 



report- 



ing. 



Gallons. 



38,900 



48, 602 

 1,464,075 

 642, 850 

 338,017 

 168,500 



17,000 

 128,040 

 858,950 

 162,475 



40,200 



63,500 



1,850,132 



100,380 



4,439,041 



3,045,400 



2, 078, 700 



271,500 



551,876 



469,800 



332,000 



46,800 



19,917 



17,442 



698,493 



172, 970 



50, 685 



10, 275 



7,2.50 



24, 770 



101,090 



25, 255 



3, 320 



2,718 



7,032 



179, 450 



13,045 



230,704 



368,235 



54,704 



48,292 



262,705 



190,990 



171,380 



7,770 



