The Energy & Geoscience Institute announces Dr. Kristie McLin as Director of Research and Science and new Principal Investigator of the Utah FORGE project, succeeding Dr. Joseph Moore.
Did you know… there is a place where the bath water never gets cold?
Something you might not know about Bath, England is that it was named for the thermal hot springs used as Roman baths. The natural springs were first discovered by Prince Bladud and his pigs around 863 BC. It is said he was cured from a skin disease (leprosy) after bathing in the healing waters. Subsequently, the baths were used by the Celts, Saxons, Georgians, and, of course, the Romans.
In the 17th and 18th century fashionable society found it very popular to bathe in the hot springs because of the perceived health benefits.
In the heart of the city, there are three natural springs. The biggest and most notable one is the King’s Spring, which is located in the Roman Baths Museum. The other, smaller springs, Hetling Spring and Cross Bath Spring are about 150 m west of the King’s Spring.
The thermal waters contain dissolved salts from over 40 different minerals, leading to elevated concentrations of calcium, sulphate, and chloride. The deep mineral-rich water has a constant temperature of at least 45˚C (113˚F) and the flow is approximately one million liters per day, supplying the four baths at the Thermae Bath Spa.
The bath water comes from rainfall that percolates through the soil into the underground limestone aquifers between 2,700 and 4,300 meters (8,900 and 14,100 feet) deep. Once heated, the water becomes buoyant and it flows upwards through fissures and faults to reach the surface and the baths. The hydrothermal system that provides hot water to the baths resembles an Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS), wherein hot rocks transfer energy to cold water to create geothermal power.
Sources
https://www.thermaebathspa.com/the-spa/natural-thermal-waters/
https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/environment/bath-hot-springs
https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/GeositesBath
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Baths_(Bath)#Hot_spring
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