Desert Hot Springs Tutors

About Desert Hot Springs

Desert Hot Springs came into being when Cabot Yerxa discovered the hot water aquifer on what he then named “Miracle Hill”. Desert Hot Springs geology tutors describe an aquifer as a formation containing or conducting ground water. Essentially it is a layer beneath the ground surface that is permeable rock, so water can easily pass through it. It is then possible to access this layer and extract water using a well.

The San Andreas Fault, a well-known continental transform fault that runs through California, bisects Desert Hot Springs. It is well known because it presents a great risk to those living nearby of severe damage should a large-scale earthquake occur. Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, it was found that the fault line ran all the way into southern California. Desert Hot Springs tutors warn that the fault divides into three segments, and the segment that has with it the highest degree of earthquake risk is the piece that passes within about 35 miles of Los Angeles. Tutors speculate that the southern segment is capable of an 8.1 magnitude earthquake. The damage resulting from this would be catastrophic, and thousands of people would be killed in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside, along with hundreds of billions of dollars in damage.

Ironically despite the inherent dangers of the presence of the San Andreas Fault it is essentially what laid the foundation of the town to begin with. The Mission Creek Branch of the San Andreas Fault leads to the presence of two aquifers. On one side is a cold-water aquifer and on the other side there is a hot-water aquifer. The area was named Desert Hot Springs because of the areas natural hot springs. The hot water aquifer supports the areas spas and resorts, and it is known as the Hot Springs Sub-Basin. Geothermal forces thousands of feet below the earth’s surface heat desert Hot Springs’ natural hot water sometimes to temperatures as high as 180 degrees.

The opposing Mission Springs Sub-Basin provides fresh water to the city. It has been given multiple awards over the last eight years in the International Water Tasting Competition at Berkeley Springs, WVA, including “Best Tasting Municipal Drinking Water”. The sub-basin has provided a habitat to wildlife and sustained Native American peoples for hundreds of years before it’s ‘discovery’ by Cabot Yerxa.

For hundreds of years the waters have been believed to hold curative powers. Desert Hot Springs tutors have evidence of the first scientific analysis of the hot mineral water in 1937, when its therapeutic value was affirmed. Thousands of tourists visit the area annually to experience the healing power of the waters.