| Spence Hot Springs | |
|---|---|
 Spence Hot Spring, upper and lower pool | |
 | |
| Location | Jemez Springs, New Mexico |
| Coordinates | 35°50′58″N106°37′47″W / 35.84947°N 106.62982°W |
| Elevation | 6,000 ft |
| Type | geothermal |
| Temperature | lower source: 100°F, upper source: 109°F |
Spence Hot Springs are a group of geothermal springs located north of the town of Jemez Springs, New Mexico, in the Valles Caldera National Preserve. [1] [2]
The main spring is located on a hillside above the Jemez River, and flows into a sandy bottomed primitive rock soaking pool before cascading into two additional rock pools of different temperatures terraced on the hillside. The middle pool also has an additional water source from a spring inside a cave with a water temperature 100°F/38°C. The lower pool is the coolest of the three at 95°F. There are two more springs with soaking pools 50 feet uphill and an additional spring located 200 more feet uphill. [2]
Due to overuse, the condition of the area has been subjected to considerable resource damage. [3]
Spence Hot Springs are located at the edge of a collapsed super volcano, the Valles Caldera, near the Soda Dam. [4]
The water emerges from the upper spring at 109°F; and at 100°F from the spring in the cave. [2] [1] Naegleria Fowleri has been found in the hot spring water, a potentially fatal parasitic amoeba common in warm and springs. [5]