PEALE.] 



HAYDEN'S valley springs CEATER HILLS. 



93 



grained stone, resembling clay slate wlien dark, or meerschaum when white. Mortar 

 mighc well be good after being constantly worked for perhaps ten thousand years. 



The principal mud spring in this subgroup, the " Blue Mud Pot," is 

 graphically described by Dr. Hayden as follows : 



One of them has a basin 20 feet in diameter, nearly circular in form, and the con- 

 tents have almost the consistency of thick, hasty pudding. The surface is covered all 

 over with puffs of mud, which, as they burst give off a thud-like noise, and then the 

 fine mud recedes from the center of the puffs in the most perfect rings to the side. 

 This mud-pot presents this beautiful picture ; and although there are hundreds of 

 them, yet it is very rare that the mud is in just the condition to admit of these pecu- 

 liar rings. The kind of thud is, ot course, produced by the escape of the sulphuretted 

 hydiogen gas through the mud. Indeed, there is no comparisou that can bring before 

 the mind a clearer picture of such a mud volcano than a huge caldron of thick mush. 

 The mud is so fine as to have no visible or sensible grain, and is very strongly im- 

 pregnated with alum. For 300 yards in length and 25 yards in width the valley of 

 this little branch of Alum Creek is perforated with these mud- vents of all sizes, and 

 the contents are of all degrees of consistency, from merely turbid water to a thick 

 mortar. The entire surface is perfectly bare of vegetation, and hot, yielding in many 

 places to a slight pressure. 



The mud spring described had a temperature of 180° F. The follow- 

 ing table, taken from my report for 1872, gives the remainder of the 

 springs in this subgToup at Crater Hills : 



Size of spring 



Temper- 



Temper- 



ature of 



ature of 



sprmg. 



air. 



174° F. 



59° F. 



176 



59 



182 



59 



186 



59 



144 



59 



160 



59 



168 



59 



150 



59 



160 



59 



80 



59 



148 



59 



176 



59 



180 



59 



. 90 



59 



162 



59 



166 



59 



182 



59 



178 



59 



108 



59 



180 



59 



170 



59 



188 



59 



180 



59 



150 



59 



184 



59 



130 



59 



170 



59 



168 



59 



184 



59 



106 



59 



154 



59 



188 



59 



160 



59 



130 



59 



162 



59 



174 



59 



128 



59 



120 



59 



106 



59 



176 



59 



146 



59 



186 



59 



168 



59 



174 



59 



178 



59 



172 



59 



90 



59 



158 



59 



170 



59 



Kemarks. 



1 f 



A collection of springs 

 covering an area of 6U0 

 square feet, and vary- J 

 ing in size from one' 

 to three inches in diam 

 eter. 



3 feet diameter. 

 8 feet diameter. 



2 feet diameter. 

 8X2feet 



2X4 feet 



10X3 feet 



2 feet diameter. 



These springs occupy a 

 space of about 1,200 

 square feet. 



The water in this collection of springs has a 

 milky hue, and the noise made by them re- 

 sembles that made by a number of pots boil- 

 ing simultaneously. 



White-sulphur spring. 



Clear spring. 



Thick greenish-mud spring. 



Yellow-mud spring in active ebuUition. 



A turbid pool bubbling at the edges. 



J, A collection of greenish -sulphur springs, each 

 a few inches in diameter. 



This spring was called Foam Spring last year. 



Bluish muddy water. 

 X Both these springs have lavender-colored mud 

 3 and No. 2 is in active agitation. 



This collection of springs varies is size from a 

 few inches to four feet. The water in the 

 }■ majority is of a milky hue. In others it is 

 yellow or lavender-colored, and in some it is 

 transparent. 



