{Click on any image to view full size, then use the back button on your browser to return to this page}
Last Update on 01/17/2019
 |
| (Fig. 01) |
|
01/16/2014 Trip Notes: Hiking around to the back side of the small spring fed pond I was able to capture some views that provided a whole different perspective of this colorful desert oasis. The picture in (Fig. 01) is looking towards the parking lot and main picnic area with a glimpse of Lake Mead in the distant background. This shallow pond is fed from a natural hot spring that comes directly out of the rocks at the base of the mountain, lower left of (Fig. 02). (Fig. 03) is a view looking east between the two palm trees located on the far right side of (Fig. 01). It is always fun standing along the edges of the pond looking for the many signs of life that seem to inhabit the warm spring waters. In addition to many small fish, this visit provided us with sightings of at least three turtles. I spotted two Painted Turtles (Fig. 04), and what appeared to be a Smooth Softshell Turtle that was sunning himself on a rock (Fig. 05). Click here for more pictures and info ... Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta). A small waterfall located beneath the footbridge provides a perfect background for quiet contemplation and listening to the tranquil sounds of nature (Fig. 06).
|
 |
| (Fig. 02) |
|
 |
| (Fig. 03) |
|
 |
| (Fig. 04) Title - "Me and My Shadow" |
|
 |
| (Fig. 05) |
|
 |
| (Fig. 06) |
|
The source of the water to this spring and Blue Point Spring to the north is uncertain. The prevailing theory suggests that much of the recharge water that enters the carbonate-rock aquifer occurs in the high mountain ranges around Ely, Nevada, located 250 miles north of Lake Mead. As this ground water flows south through the carbonate rocks, it encounters several faults along the way, including the Rogers Spring Fault, which has caused the older carbonate rocks to be displaced against younger evaporite deposits of the Muddy Creek. The lower permeability of these evaporite deposits, along with high subsurface water pressure, forces the ground water in the carbonate rocks to flow upward along the fault and emerge at the surface as Rogers Spring. All totaled, ground water discharge from springs along the Rogers Spring Fault totals approximately 1,000 gallons per minute. Flowing 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the waters from this spring wind their way across the desert terrain, under North Shore Drive, eventually dumping into Lake Mead. (Con’t below)
|
 |
| (Fig. 07) |
|
|
|
