Saratoga Spa State Park-Geyser Creek Photo Print

Geyser Creek water falls at Saratoga Spa State Park in upstate New York. The Saratoga Springs area has the only active spouting geysers east of the Mississippi River in the United States. The mineral springs for which the area is famous arise from fissures in the Saratoga Fault, which runs 65 miles from Whitehall to Albany. The carbonated water which vents in springs and geysers is rich in minerals and salts. Two of the most visited springs today are Island Spouter and Orenda Spring, along Geyser Creek. Island Spouter, which sends a narrow plume of water 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5 m) into the air, first emerged in the early 1900s. Since that time, it has deposited minerals which grow a tufa deposit at the rate of two inches per year. Orenda Spring has created a massive tufa dome, which continues to fossilize leaves and other debris as it grows. Fleetphoto