Hot Springs National Park Krishnan Madhavan

Hot Springs, Arkansas is classified as southern state

Hot Springs National Park Hot Springs, Arkansas, gets its name from the naturally thermal spring waters found here. Flowing out of the ground at an average temperature of 143 °F, the hot springs produce almost one million gallons of water each day. It’s hard to tell exactly how long people have been visiting the springs. Native Americans called this area “the Valley of the Vapors,” and it was said to have been a neutral territory where all tribes could enjoy its healing waters in peace. Spanish and French settlers claimed the area in the mid-1500s. People of our past and present go to Hot Springs National Park for the beauty and to see, hear, touch and feel the natural thermal waters. Now let me show you why it is important to do research to keep this natural wonder of our country and world alive!

Established April 20, 1832 but became a National Park on March 4, Hot Springs was first created by an act of the United States Congress on April 20, 1832 to be preserved for future recreation and healing properties. The hot springs were such a coveted natural wonder that in 1832, President Andrew Jackson designed Hot Springs as the first federal reservation This was before National Parks existed. This was the first place that a piece of land had been set aside by the federal government to preserve its use as an area of recreation. Hot Springs National Park is the smallest national park in America but the first to be protected to keep it’s special features Hot Springs National Park Location: Garland County, Arkansas

Hot Springs National Park Topographic Map

Relief Map of Hot Springs National Park.

Features In The Hot Springs National Park The hot springs are the primary natural resource of the park, but they have not been preserved in their unaltered state as natural surface. They have instead been managed to conserve the production of uncontaminated hot water for public use. The mountains within the park are also managed within this conservation philosophy in order to preserve the hydrological system that feeds the springs. The park and its surroundings have mountains with lush valleys consisting of pine-oak-hickory forest ecosystem. The park's vegetation, thermal waters, cold water springs, bathhouses and associated cultural features, and foot trails combine to form an almost 5,400 acre area of resource preservation and interpretation that is under the exclusive legislative jurisdiction of the federal government. Another 672 acres are within the park boundary but are not federally owned.

Environmental issues that is effecting Hot SpringNational Park Hot Springs National Park surrounds the north end of the city of Hot Springs with a population of 33,000. Although some park boundaries are bordered by undeveloped forested lands, much of the park is adjacent to city streets and homes. These areas are subject to air pollution, exotic plant and animal species, and trash dumping. There is more industries creating acid and smoke. Air pollution and trash dumping can mix with the water and plant life in the park and cause the park’s health to deteriorate. The acid and smoke creates acid rain which plays a role in the pollution. And the exotic plants and animals can eat/ take over plants, decreasing the population.

How was Hot Springs National Park Formed The topography was formed in late Paleozoic times (400 million years ago) by collision and forces that acted to uplift, fold, fault, fracture, and harden inland seabed sediments. This erosion has led to the formation of the ridge and valley landscape. The structure of hot springs national park was formed by a rift valley. A rift valley is where two tectonic plates spread apart, or diverge, and a valley like rift forms. The drop zone where the plates spread apart is where the hot spring sits, and surrounding the hot springs are mountains that create the valley. The hot springs are heated by something in the earths interior called a hot spot. A hot spot is fed by a long, slim column called a plume. A plume takes debris from the mantle, and sends it up to the hot spot just below the earths crust. The hot spot is a pocket just below volcanoes and hot springs where the hot debris from the mantle sits, heating the earth above it, in this case, the hot springs. The hot ground heats the water to a temperature of 143 degrees. This is how the hot springs become hot.

Rocks That Are Found In Hot Springs National Park There is erosion, weathering, and deposition going on all around. Water is running over rocks and draining into the hot springs, causing the rocks to weather down, and change the flow pattern of the water. The rocks cropping out the springs is made of some sandstone, which weathers down pretty easily. This cause will shape the hot springs. The mountains surrounding the area of the springs also change overtime. Rain falls on the top of the mountain, causing the rock to weather down and change form. Wind will also erode the rock on the mountain away. These changes take thousands of years to even notice by eye. Rocks include Stanley Shale, Arkansas Novaculite, Polk Creek Shale, Bigfork Chert, and the Womble Shale, they are all sedimentary rocks, along with some younger igneous rocks. These rocks were created in the Paleozoic era, about 400 million years ago. These rocks can be found in low-lying areas. For instance, Stanley Shale covers almost all of the low ground in the city of Hot Springs and south, east, and west sides of the Hot Springs Mountains.

Technology in Hot Springs National Park Hot Springs National Park is using a variety of technology to preserve and maintain the park. They are maintaining the park and the buildings in energy efficient ways. They use petroleum based fuels to keep up the air and water quality in the park. They are using is solar photovoltaic systems (solar panels). The NPS (National Park Service) uses technology resources such as video recorders and computers to monitor with scientifically-credible data and information on the status and trends of the park resources. The information is used as a basis for making decisions and working with other agencies and the public for the long-term protection of park ecosystems.

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