Coso Hot Springs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Coso Hot Springs
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Coso Hot Springs, Feb. 4, 1920
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| Nearest city | Little Lake, Inyo County, California |
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| Area | 510 acres (210 ha) |
| Built | 1900 |
| Architectural style | Rustic architecture |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000674 |
| Added to NRHP | January 3, 1978 |
Coso Hot Springs is a special place in California with natural hot springs. It's located in the Mojave Desert, which is a very dry area. These springs are part of the Coso Volcanic Field, a place where there's a lot of heat under the ground. Coso Hot Springs is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, meaning it's a historic site worth protecting.
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Where are the Coso Hot Springs?
Coso Hot Springs is found inside a large area called the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. This is a military base. The springs are close to a small town called Little Lake, Inyo County, California and a main road, U.S. Route 395.
They are also near the Coso Mountains. The hot springs are active because of something called geothermal energy. This means there's a lot of heat coming from deep within the Earth, which warms the water.
How Hot is the Water?
The natural mineral water at Coso Hot Springs is very hot. It comes out of the ground at about 207 Fahrenheit[convert: unknown unit]. That's almost boiling!
A Place with a Long History
The Coso Hot Springs have been important for a very long time. Native American groups, like the Coso people, and later the Northern Paiute and Timbisha, used the springs. It was a special place for healing and cultural ceremonies. In the Timbisha language, the site is known as Kooso or Muattang Ka.
In the 1920s, Coso Hot Springs even became a "hot springs resort." Today, local Native American people still hold ceremonies at the springs sometimes.
Ancient Rock Art at Coso
Near the Coso Hot Springs, there's an amazing collection of ancient rock art. This is one of the biggest groups of prehistoric rock art in North America. The areas are known as Big and Little Petroglyph Canyons.
There are over 20,000 images carved into the rocks. These images are in a special style called the Coso style. They have been remarkably well-preserved over thousands of years.
