California heating up?

[LittleJoe]

I live in the Sierras about 100 miles north of Sacramento. The water from my well has turned hot. The county inspector just left. He said he has been inspecting wells in this county for over twenty years and this is the first time he has seen this happen!

Anyone else have water turning hot? This is really weird!

[cmsgop]

Are You concerned about this?

[Wings-n-Wind]

Hmmmmm...

Mayhaps you are about to inherit a natural hot spring. Consider investing in a soaking pool (or two), piping this natural hot water in... and make some room for parking.

About $4 a pop is a bout right... maybe 30 visitors a day.... 6 days a week....
Sound like... an extra 3-Grand or so a month... just for having hot water...
Sha-zaa'am -- Instant entrepreneur....

Regards

[LittleJoe]

Hi Boise!
This might turn out pretty good if I can use my water for heat like you guys!

[Quix]

I do think I'd want to find out from wise geologists in the area--maybe the USGS--what the geographic extent of such warming was. Where are the relative faults and magma streams?

What's the map of such warming and the degrees at each measuring point? Are there any relative differences in rates of increase and raw temperatures?

And . . . Probably I'd be trying to buy land . . . say in South-eastern Colorado, Northern New Mexico . . . Some areas of Australia . . .

But, mostly I'd want to walk close to God and obey him. The times are a changin' and middle earth is passing away.

The transition will be uhhhh . . . as the Chinese say . . . interesting--particularly in spots.

. . . . hot spots.

[tortoise]

I have a large ranch east of you in Nevada, and am having similar problems. A couple years ago an entire mountainside died off. One of my friends is a professional geology PhD in that area with gobs of fancy gear and access to the latest geo-data, and he checked it out for me. Large sections of the area are starting to turn strongly acid very quickly; it seems there is a new, rather large, and very active underground hydrogen sulfide gas source seeping to the surface. Furthermore, the thermal topography of the area is starting to change; the hydrothermal systems are getting warmer and the terrain is showing new and bigger hotspots.

From what I understand, this is not an isolated thing. Over the last couple years, the entire Great Basin rift zone has been showing increasing thermal and geological activity. Something is happening, though it may just be an inconsequential reshuffling. The Great Basin rift zone is one of THE most geologically active spots on the planet. That we haven't seen much activity in history is largely an artifact of our history only covering a couple hundred year lull in its very active history.

This part of the US has major volcanic disturbances on an "at least once every couple hundred years" kind of basis, including many novel forms of volcanism you don't normally see. Europeans started living in the region right around when the last known signficant volcanic activity tapered off so we don't have much eye witness history of it, but this region doesn't really go dormant.

[LittleJoe]

forties, it should be around 55 degrees from a groundwell

Yeah, the water here has always been colder than normal. Now it's going the other way!

[Axenolith]

It's certainly interesting, and I always have a standing edict that if volcanic activity begins taking place in the state I'm taking a leave to go try to get myself near the action.

Pictures would of course be forthcoming, hopefully not after the camera was removed from the clutches of my shriveled husk...

[tubebender]

I would say something big is going on if your neighbors are reporting lower flows. You could could call over to Cal State Chico and talk to their geology dept. If there is no concern then you need to pipe the water to your green house and grow some High Grade year round...

[GOPJ]

Smells like rotten eggs...

Although the fact that there is no sulfur smell is a good thing. My parents have that smell from their well water, but theirs comes from rocks - you'll know it when you smell it.

[LittleJoe]

Nope, pulled the pump and blew the well. The water flowing into the well is hot. As far as I know, nobody else is getting a temp rise.

The water table has come up to seventy feet from ninety.

[Eighth Square]

He ought'a move fast! It's that damned martian probe! or possibly 'ding-bat-Dean' was just passing through. Sorry LittleJoe, no help here, these posts are just toooooo funny!

[cmsgop]

hehe, Husk...

I live on a 8 house well here in WA. Now I'm gonna test the water temp, LOL!

There should be a Geologist Ping List. We need you guys for info, Thanks

[bert]

The temperture underground should approximate the average air tewmperature the year round.

Forty would indicate a cold average. Firfty five would be the average in eastern mid lattitudes.

[LibWhacker]

Hey, LittleJoe . . . I just found this: Ask USGS. You can ask them any question you want that you think might be related to geology and they'll try to answer it. Might be worth a shot, and you might interest them enough they'll even come out and take a look.

Let us know what they told you if you decide to submit a question, ok? This is interesting stuff! :-)

[raybbr]

piqued interest bump

[FrogMom]

Please keep us informed, this is VERY intersting!

[MarkeyD]

I just moved here to get away from the libs in Illinois. Boise is in a desert plain which runs in the southern part of the state from Oregon narrowing down to Wyoming. So all the trees in the area are either because of irrigation or because they are close to the Boise River. Downtown has a lot of trees. If you go north or south it is kind of deserty looking, but the mountains are just 5 minutes north and after going about 10 miles through the mountains, the evergreens start. I love the outdoors, skiing, hiking, biking, etc. And Boise fits the bill. It is a little strange. The people seem a little too nice. Just not used to it after 20 years in Chicago. Like I'm in Pleasantville or something. But I do recommend it for the Conservatives that want to move here. Libs can stay away.

I do have some photos I took of the area if you want, email me your direct email address via FreeRepublic and I will send them to you.

BTW, I bought my house over the internet. All I saw was photos. So when I showed up with the truck, it was the first time I had seen it:)

[LittleJoe]

You sound like my daughter!
She sees a hot springs resort in her future. ROFL!

I'll be sure to let you know when the geysers start.

I thought we were out of the Lassen magma area, but don't know for sure.
If this is just a part of the inland heating it could sure turn out to be good. I'd be the closest hot springs to Sacramento, I think.

Anyway, I've got a couple of strange SUVs heading up my road, so my answer may be near. Gotta go...

[tortoise]

forties, it should be around 55 degrees from a groundwell.

Not necessarily. A lot of the wells around my place (same region) are fed by melting snowpack, which lasts most of the year, that seeps into a more-or-less isolated fractured granite acquifer. It does eventually drain into a warmer acquifer basin, but the water that comes out of the granite is positively icy all year. Wells that are closer to the major water basin in the valley get warmer (to boiling in some places). At the springhead for the creek that runs by my place, the water is probably no more than 40 all year. Springs a mile or two down the slope are warmer though, and taste a bit like sulfur.

[Frank_Discussion]

"Anyway, I've got a couple of strange SUVs heading up my road, so my answer may be near. Gotta go..."

Mmm? Are you kidding?