Distribution and chemical analyses of thermal springs in Alaska. [Data compilation]

Abstract

Interest in geothermal systems as potential sources of energy has been increasing in the past decade. Thermal or hot springs commonly occur as surface manifestation of geothermal systems. One of the first steps in evaluating the potential of such systems is the compilation of an inventory of known thermal springs and available chemical data. The only previous such compilation in Alaska has been by Waring (1917) who listed 75 known hot springs and 22 chemical analyses; a later world-wide summary by Waring (1965), which included Alaska, listed a total of 79 thermal springs. These publications, both now out of print, are excellent summaries of known thermal springs as of about 1963. In the last 10 years, however, previously unreported occurrences of thermal springs have been published in various geologic reports and topographic maps and additional chemical analyses are now available. The purpose of this compilation, therefore, is to supplement Waring's earlier reports with the more recent data. In a few cases springs reported by Waring have been deleted since later work has cast doubt on their existence. Only those springs whose temperatures are significantly (i.e., 15 to 20/sup 0/C) above mean annual surface temperature have been included in this compilation.