Hot Creek Geological Site is part of the Long Valley Caldera, which was formed by an eruption about 760,000 years ago. It looks very similar to lettings of Yellowstone National Park.
Boiling water bubbling up from the creek bed, fumaroles and periodic geyser eruptions at Hot Creek attest to the chamber of hot magma which lies about three miles below the surface of the earth in this area.
The pressurized hot water flows 10 miles eastward and emerges along the Long Valley Caldera. The temperature of the thermal springs is about 199°F at an elevation of 7,000 feet above sea level.
The steam you see along the Hot Creek drainage is created when water percolates deep into the ground and enters a complex underground plumbing system. The water is heated and pressurized before it rises to the earth's surface. It is believed this journey takes around 1000 years.
The pressure of volcanic activity eventually bubbles up along the stream sometimes creating geysers and outpouring of bubbles. Hot Creek Geological Site no longer allows human contact with the water after 14 deaths having occurred from visitors.
Earthquakes can cause sudden geyser eruptions and overnight appearances of new hot springs at Hot Creek.
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