GEOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT OF TRAVERTINE SPRINGS ON THE KLAMATH NATIONAL FOREST, SISKIYOU COUNTY, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Areas on National Forests found to have unique or outstanding characteristics (i.e., scenic, cultural, scientific, natural, etc.) which merit special attention and management may be designated as Special Interest Areas (SIA’s). One such case on the Klamath National Forest are spring-fed streams in which travertine deposits have been and are currently accumulating in the forms of terraces and coatings on detritus. These springs create unique ecosystems, and facilitate the fossilization process by coating branches, leaves, and mollusc shells with travertine.

Using a semi-quantitative system based on ten weighted criteria [i.e., 1) Quality and 2) Uniqueness of Feature, 3) Variety of Geologic Processes, 4) Ecological Value, 5) Scenery Esthetics, 6) Public and 7) Geologic Interest, 8) Research Opportunities, 9) Threat of Damage and 10) Access], we are ranking previously described and newly discovered localities to determine which is best suited for designation as a Geologic SIA. Based on the lithologic types found on the Forest, we expect the source of travertine-precipitating waters to be related to either 1) the release of Calcium during the serpentinization of ultramafic rocks, 2) the dissolution of calcareous metasedimentary rocks, or 3) the dissolution of calcite amygdules in metavolcanic rocks. A spring’s proximity to certain lithologies and geomorphic terranes as shown on current geologic/geomorphic maps, as well as on-site reconnaissance, will support our interpretation of the source.

Here we present our findings pertaining not only to the geology of a particular mineral spring as it relates to the site’s designation as an SIA, but also its value as the focus of further studies regarding such topics as land surface age dating, rates of mineral accumulation, fossilization, and interplay of geologic processes.