SPRINGS OF THE LAHONTAN BASIN. 



51 



The character of these recent fixults will be described in the chapter devoted 

 to post-Lahontan orographic movements. 



The springs in this belt are too numerous to receive detailed descrip- 

 tion, and we can only notice a few of the most important ones. The most 

 copious single spring in the series occurs near the northern shore of Honey 

 Lake, designated as Schaflfer's Spring on the accompanying map, and dis- 

 charges about 100 cubic feet of boiling water per minute. The ebullition 

 is so energetic that the water is thrown in a column to the height of li 

 or 4 feet. An analysis of this water by Dr. T. M. Chatard shows the fol- 

 lowing composition : 



Constituenta. 



One liter of 

 water con- 

 tains in 

 grammes— 



Silica (SIO2) 



Calcium (Ca) 



Mac;nesium (Mg) — 



Sodium (Na) 



Potassium (K) 



Chlorine (CI) 



Sulphuric acid (SO4) . 

 Oxygen* (0) 



Total 



0. 1310 

 0. 0121 

 0. 0004 

 0. 3040 

 0. 0094 

 0. 2070 

 0. 3493 

 0. 0080 



Per cent in 

 total solids. 



12.83 

 1.18 

 0.04 



29.78 

 0.93 



20.27 



34.19 

 0.79 



Constituents. 



1. 0211 



100. 00 



Silica (SiO») , 



Sodium silicate (NasSiOa) 



Calcium sulphate (CaSOj) 



Magnesium sulphate (MgSO^).. 



Sodium sulphate (NaaSOj) 



1 Potassium chloride (KCl) 



' Sodium chloride (NaCl) 



Total (99.93perct. accounted for) 



Probable com- 

 bination (in 

 grammesper 

 liter). 



0. 1008 

 0. 0613 

 0. 0409 

 0.0020 

 0. 4715 

 0. 0180 

 0. 3266 



1. 0211 



* Oxygen necessarily added to form Na2Si03. A slight trace of Co2 in residue left on evaporation. 



This spring occurs at the southern end of a long row of tufa crags, fully 

 50 feet high and somewhat greater in breadth, a few of which still have small 

 springs issuing from their bases. The tufa at the base of the crags, and 

 forming the nucleus of the deposit, is amorphous, but is coated with a heavy 

 deposit of the dendritic variety hereafter to be described. The former was 

 a direct precipitate from spring water, but the latter was as plainly depos- 

 ited from the former lake. The evidence is sucli as to lead to the conclu- 

 sion that this spring was fully as copious during the existence of Lake La- 

 hontan as now, and that its point of discharge was crowded southward along 

 a fissure as its former outlets became filled with calcareous tufa deposited 

 from its own waters. 



About 5 miles southeastward of the spring described above occurs 

 a group of springs covering several acres and discharging a very large vol- 

 ume of heated water, which issues at so many orifices that no estimate of 



