Golden Play Park Improvements Glenwood Springs too!

[Ron]

Would sure rather drive 4 hrs. to Glenwood to play while my wife shops than 10 to Reno, but it looks like it'll be Reno for a while. Ron.

[cstork]

Yes, fresh water aquifers can be in alluvium, but this is generally just the water table. I assume you mean alluvium to be the unconsolidated surface layer. Heated pressurized water comes from deeper layers. That's where the water also picks up the sulfur and other minerals.

It's also true that aquifers can be a combination of different sedimentary beds that are on top of each other. While the beds can be tilted with the geology, the fractures that go with the folds & faults ruin the aquifer. Effective aquifers are mostly flat--they may rise a few 100 feet over miles.

The hot water almost certainly comes up through faults and fissures. Moving river sediments around won't do much since the river moves the sediments around anyway........

Yea, Glenwood should understand their water source since they rely on it so much.

[rivermanryan]

I agree the source of the water is deep in bedrock. I just think you could alter the regime near the surface by moving alluvium (unconsolidated boulders, sand, silt, etc). Example, unloading alluvium in the river channel may increase spring flow in the river an lessen flow (or lower)into the pool area. As I said before, I don't know the specifics, I just like discussing the topic!

[caverdan]

I'm by no means a geologest, but I do cave with a lot of them. The area around Glennwoood has held cavers interest for many years now. There are quite a few different hot springs in the Glennwood area, from Dotsero, to South Glennwood canyon, with several up valley toward Aspen. They could all stem from the same heat source several miles below the surface. Over geological time, they have moved around some as erosion and other forces change their outlets. The area that is most active right now is around the pool area of the river. That area, even during high water is considered flat water, if memory serves my right. So I'm not sure how much scouring the river causes right there compared to in the canyon, where the river bed sees a more constant change in flow and rock movement. The canyon is basically a large fault that the river has followed for a long time. As the river and springs intermix as the canyon was cut, many caves were formed due to the mixing of spring and ground waters. Caves were formed throughout the canyon in the soft and easily dissolved limestone deposits in the canyon. Yes a very interesting topic in deed.