269 



Collecting Aeea of the Wateks of the Hot Springs, Hot 

 Springs, Arkansas. 1 



By A. H. Purdue. 



Introduction. — The conclusions in this paper were reached in the course 

 of field work on the structure and stratigraphy of the area about Hot 

 Springs during the summer of 1909. The paper is written with the as- 

 tion is made partly because geologists in general have come to think of 

 most of the ground water as having such origin, and partly because the 

 sumption that the waters of the hot springs are meteoric. This assump- 

 receut studies of Mr. Walter Harvey Weed upon the waters of these springs 

 clearly indicate that they are meteoric. 2 



Topography of the Highlands of Arkansas. — The highlands of Arkan- 

 sas and the eastern part of Oklahoma are divided into a northern and a 

 southern part, separated by the valley of the Arkansas River. The north- 

 ern division consists of the Boston Mountains, which are a dissected pla- 

 teau, reaching the height of somewhat more than 2,200 feet above sea level, 

 and a much lower area to the north of them. The southern division con- 

 sists of the Ouachita Mountains, which cover an area about 60 miles in 

 width. These mountains consist of ridges, the direction of which is in the 

 main east and west and some of which surpass 2,000 feet in height. 



Topography of the Area About the Hot Springs. — The topography in 

 the vicinity of the hot springs is indicated by the accompanying relief 

 map (Fig. 1). The springs (indicated by the cross) emerge from the 

 western end of Hot Springs Mountain, which is known as Indian Moun- 

 tain east of West Branch of Gulpha Creek. Immediately north of Hot 

 Springs Mountain is North Mountain, which continues west of Hot Springs 

 Creek as West Mountain. Three miles west of the springs West Mountain 

 swings around in a horseshoe curve and extends northeastward, and is 

 known as Sugarloaf Mountain. Hot Springs Creek, a considerable stream, 

 flowing southward, carries off the overflow from the hot springs and the 

 drainage of a portion of the valley just south of Sugarloaf Mountain. 



1 By permission of the Chief Geologist, U. S. Geol. Surv. 



2 The hot springs of Arkansas. Senate Document No. 282, p. 90, Washington. 

 D. C, 1902. Prepared under the supervision of the Secretary of the Interior. 



