What Makes it Hot?
So, what makes the mineral water so hot?
The deeper you go under ground the hotter it gets. In western Canada the average temperature is 42°C or 108°F at the surface. For each Kilometer of depth the temperature can increase 20°C, between 3 to 4 km below the surface, would be the boiling point of water.
The earths heating comes not from the cooling of an primordial body of molten rock but from the slow and constant decay of radioactive elements, particularly thorium, uranium and potassium. Of course some heat can also come from cooling of molten rocks such, as is the case at Mount St. Helens and other places. So really then you could in fact say, that Hot Springs are Nuclear Powered. Don’t worry, the radioactivity is too low to harm us.
Most of the Hot Springs Water comes from either rain or snow going to the cracks of rocks or faults in the rock mass. These faults may let this water penetrate as deep as several kilometers in to the earth, where it then gets heated up.
Voila! Good for you and soaking your tired or aching body…
There are two ways that can make water come back to the surface and
from a Hot Spring
such as in Nakusp. Reason number one is because water runs downhill.
Once cold water goes below the surface at a higher point then where the
Hot Water comes out, then you have naturally occurring pressure or
gravity feed.
Another way could be called thermal convection, this is because Hot Water is less dense than cold water and so it rises up. Many Hot Springs are likely driven by a combination of both scenarios. But since most Hot Springs are found in mountain valleys suggests that they are gravity fed.
It’s interesting to note, that hot water is a good solvent and therefore picks up Minerals as it goes through the rocks. Some tests have revealed even the age of the water and it is believed that in some cases the hot water could have been underground for as long as 10 years. This allows plenty of time to collect these good minerals you might smell when you are at the Hot Springs.
Beauty. Passion. Balance.
If you would like to read up on more of the British Columbia history, please ask one of our staff on the front desk to show you the Hot Springs of Western Canada Book, which we have for sale.
In the mean time enjoy your soak at the Natural Hot Mineral Springs of Nakusp.