Ileadden — Group of Radiums-bearing Springs. 297 



Art. XXYIII. — The Doughty Springs, a Group of Radium- 

 bearing Springs, Delta County, Colorado y* by William 

 P. Headden. 



The group of springs, known as the Doughty Springs, is 

 situated on the right bank of the North Fork of the Gunnison 

 River in Delta County, Colorado, about four and a half miles 

 from the . town of Hotchkiss. They are almost wholly 

 unknown to the public, and are but little more than objects 

 of curiosity to the people of the neighborhood. My attention 

 was called to them about two years ago by H. E. Mathews, in 

 whose company I first visited them. 



The odor of hydrogen sulphide is noticeable for some dis- 

 tance from the springs, but the extensive sinter bed is a more 

 striking feature, especially to persons more familiar with min- 

 eral springs in general. 



A superficial examination of the surroundings, particularly 

 of the face of the cliff, which rises immediately behind the 

 springs to a height of 130 feet, suggests even more strongly 

 than the sinter bed, that these springs or waters from some 

 other source are heavily charged with salts and are now acting 

 upon the sandstones and shales to a very readily observed 

 extent. 



The sinter bed is 400 feet long by 147 feet wide, measured 

 at the widest part, with an average width of about 115 feet. 

 The thickness of the bed where exposed along the river is 

 about 20 feet, but increases a little as we approach the springs, 

 showing that a general deposition is now taking place. There 

 is but one instance of cone building and the little streams 

 which flow across the surface of the bed have not formed 

 elevated margins to mark their course. 



The formation of the cone about this one spring is due to 

 the fact that it is surrounded by a rank-growing grass, whose 

 leaves and stems falling about it serve to catch and hold the 

 sinter-forming material until cemented together, forming quite 

 a compact sinter. 



The sinter bed extends from the springs, which are situated 

 near the base of the cliff, to the river, where it forms an 

 almost perpendicular face. The river has encroached upon 

 the bed by undermining and causing the overhanging sinter to 



* An abstract of a paper read before the Colorado Scientific Society, Jan. 

 13, 1905. This paper was presented by permission of the President of the 

 College. 



Am. Jour. Scl— Fourth Series, Vol. XIX, No. 112.— April, 1905. 

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