Miette Hot Springs

Miette Hot Springs have the highest measured temperatures in Alberta, at 53.9ºC. Hot mineral waters have had a reputation for centuries for their therapeutic powers. From a geological perspective, hot springs provide evidence of the faulted and fractured rock beneath out feet.

Rainwater slowly filters down through faults, fractures and pores in rocks. This is the water that later returns to the surface as hot springs. As the water seeps down, it becomes increasingly heated by the surrounding rocks - the rocks are heated by the radioactive decay of some minerals within the earth's crust.

After the water has descended several kilometres, it will be heated above its boiling temperature, although the immense pressure beneath the earth's surface will prevent it from actually boiling. Hot water rises upward and the numerous fractures and faults in the Rocky Mountains provide the perfect conduits for rapid flow back to the surface. The more direct the route, the hotter the water will be when it reaches the surface.