90 



REPOET UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



phurous gases. All of these differed in temperature; two of the largest, within a 

 few feet of each other, were of 170° and 196°. The first (green-yellow deposit) send- 

 ing a blaclsish water into the stream, contained iron and alumina, lime, sulphates, 

 hyposulphites and sulphides, and silica, which last deposited in enormous quantities. 

 The largest and most numerous steam-jets we saw in the Yellowstone region were 

 found here, in a gap giving egress to a small stream arising from them, and flowing from 

 the south into one of the forks of Orange Creek. Its sides and bottom, of deep red and 

 yellow, included about 50 acres, and were filled with hundreds of steam-jets, but con- 

 tained only a few small holes bubbling hot water. Over the greater portion of its 

 surface the ground was very insecure, often breaking under the tread and exposing 

 soft sulphur crystals, from the midst of which issued a new jet. Hard chips of sul- 

 phur, in very great quantities, are strewn about. Scattered in this gorge, on firm 

 foundation, were rocks of all sizes, some 50 feet high, from beneath most of which 

 violently puffed steam which deposited on the roofs sulphur crystals. There were 

 two very large vents, whose action could be heard a great distance, that of throwing 

 columns of steam from caverns half-way up the declivity, 200 feet into the air. 



These, together with a few others not so large, emitted small, clear streams with 

 variegated deposits, which united to form the main one through the gap. Water 

 taken about 20 yards from the greatest jet, as near as one dared to venture, had a tem- 

 perature of 144°, while the temperature of the steam issuing from the smaller and acces- 

 sible vents was 196° ; of the air, 59°. It contained iron and alumina, magnesia prob- 

 ably, and sulphates.* 



Recapitulation of springs of Yellowstone Biver helow Grand Canon and on East Fork. 



Name. 



Junction Valley Springs . 



Lower Creek Springs 



East Fork Springs 



Washburne Gioups 



Grand Caiion Springs 



"Wayside Group 



Grange Creek Springs . . 



Total number of springs. 



As far as known, there are no geysers in the springs enumerated 

 above. 



CHAPTEE III. 



hayden's valley springs. 



Hay den's Yalley is about 10 miles from east to west and from 6 to 8 

 miles in a northerly and southerly direction, wider toward the west, 

 along the course of the Yellowstone Eiver. It marks the site of an old 

 lake, a former extension of Yellowstone Lake, and the valley is under- 

 laid by lake beds (sands and clays). As the result of the argillaceous 

 and sandy character of the beds we have many mud springs in the valley. 

 Sulphur appears abundantly also, probably due to the organic material 

 that has been incorporated in the lake beds. 



On an old map once seen by the writer, Coulter's route is laid down 

 as passing through this valley, and the locality of Crater Hills is indi- 

 cated. The lirst group described in this chapter might have been classed 

 with those of the preceding one, but it really lies within the limits of 

 the old lake basin. Wherever we have clear springs in this group it is 

 probable that the clays have been removed from the sands or trachytes. 



'Report of Reconnaissance of N. W. Wyoming, &c., by Capt. W. A. Jones, 1873, 

 1875, pp. 299, 300. 



