The SCIENCE of Warm Mineral Springs

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	There have been numerous books written on Warm Mineral Springs. The below list highlights a sampling. For a complete listing, please contact your area libraries or bookstores The Man Who Rode Sharks (1978) by William R. Royal with Robert F. Burgess Excerpt - During the winter months the Gulf of Mexico became too cold to dive and we had to find another area. I’d heard that a few miles east of Venice was an unusual warm mineral spring, a health spa where people from all over the world were attracted by 87-degree highly mineralized waters. I drove down and talked to the springs’ manager, Sam Herron, explaining to him that we had a diving club in Venice and asking permission to bring some of our club members down for training in his “heated pool.” The Lady and the Sharks Excerpt –. As we swam toward the center of the spring, the bottom sloped steeply at 20 feet, turned back into a cave-like ledge, and then, at about 40 feet from the surface, dropped down into a huge black hole. It was a spooky place. Then we saw a tarpon. It was a small one about two feet long. Its eyes were bulging out of its head and covered with cataracts and a web of bright red enlarged blood vessels. (pp. 147-177) The Cave Divers (1975) by Robert Burgess (Aqua Quest Publications) Description: an interesting mix of adventure and archaeology that probes one of earth’s last frontiers. Expeditions include the Warm Mineral Springs. Diving Cozumel by Steve Rosenberg (Northeast Scuba – Publishers Weekly, Sept. 1988). New edition of the author’s 1975 classic also titled “The Cave Divers” (Robert Burgess). Nine new chapters have been added, as well as 51 color photos. Topics covered include Warm Mineral Springs, Florida The Cheapskates Guide To Spas - Over 150 Great Escapes, Romantic Retreats, and Family Adventures. (By Nathaniel Altman) The First Americans: Race Evolution, and the Peopling of the Americas “Soon to be released” (Dr. Joseph F. Powell – Cambridge University Press)

Aerial view of Warm Mineral Springs in North Port Florida

Aerial view of Warm Mineral Springs in North Port Florida. The Springs is a 1.4 acre hourglass shaped sinkhole over 230 feet deep, and has the third highest mineral content in the world

-The Science of The Springs - History | About

The Springs is the only warm mineral spring in Florida. Its water has more mineral content than any spring in the USA; Third highest in the world!

Warm Mineral Springs, formerly known as Salt Springs, is a 1.4-acre, 230 feet deep hourglass shaped sinkhole (or cenote) connected to the Floridian aquifer.

It produces over nine million gallons per day of new waters, coming from over 1,000 meters (over 3,000 feet) deep in the ground, infused with the richest density of minerals of any known warm water spring in the world.

The limestone bedrock from which the sinkhole is formed comes from marine rock. The oldest (lowest) stratum of rock is estimated to be 20 million years old. An apparent earthquake caused the cave some 20,000 years ago, resulting in the accumulation of debris cone (that may be 30,000 years old) at 230 feet deep. Due to the evidence of stalactites, the cave was once dry. Apparently, the Ice Age caused the sea level to drop considerably below 100 feet its current level.

The chemical analysis of the 87-degree Fahrenheit waters reveal total minerals of 17,439 parts per million. This is many times the mineral content of such famed international spas as Vichy and Aix Les Bains in France, Hot Springs in Arkansas, and Baden Baden in Germany. Warm Mineral Springs’ mineral density results in high buoyancy, which facilitates movement for those who otherwise suffer impairments, and permits them to partake in strengthening, stretching, the joy of movement and increased aerobic activity.

Although its water is good for humans, it is certainly bad for metal. Dimes and quarters corrode quickly.

Stainless steel deteriorates so fast that diving equipment must be broken down and cleaned after every dive.

The main source of the water is from the Boulder Zone of the Floridian Aquifer, located some 100m below the present land surface.

Samples of the collected water from the Floridian Aquifer have revealed that the underground water may have been there longer than 60,000 years. United States Geological Society – Hydrologists found the porosity of the limestone formation allowed water interchange with the ground water. Below ten meters (30 feet) from the surface, the water contains no dissolved oxygen. As a result, neither oxidative process nor fermentation takes place.

Complementing its soothing and healing powers, Warm Mineral Springs is also of significant historic interest.

This historical site (listed in the National Register of Historical Places) has been written up by the Smithsonian Institute as “one of the most important underwater archaeological sites in America.”

Due to the uniqueness of the glacier water under high pressure, the water has preserved everything that has fallen or been placed in there, in which was a sinkhole and a cave above ground at one time.

The Springs has yielded discoveries of 11,000-year-old remains of prehistoric hunters including a human skull with brain matter intact (1959, Royal), saber tooth tigers, giant sloth and even a camel or two. Scientists anticipate that future excavations may reveal findings dated as far back as 30,000 years ago to the time when Warm Mineral Springs was a dry cave. Later finding in the 70’s and early 80’s led to the discovery of the Springs’ ability to preserve the past because of the anaerobic, antibiotic and highly mineralized properties of the water. Much of the findings have been documented on video (over 100 hour’s worth).

Science/Findings:

There have been numerous scientific papers published over the last century pertaining to the scientific significance of The Warm Mineral Springs. If you are interested in learning more about this fascinating aspect of history, we have provided a bibliography of these papers.

Click here for a listing of published scientific findings on The Springs.
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Scientific Analysis of
The Springs Mineral Water

A curiosity of The Springs is the water contains no dissolved oxygen, except at a layer 15 or 20 feet thick at the surface, where some garfish and a few minnows manage to live.

Parts per million
MAGNESIUM	609
SULPHATE	1,667
SODIUM	4,973
POTASSIUM	189
CALCIUM	512
SILICA	6
CHLORIDE	9,300
CARBON DIOXIDE	6
BICARBONATE	167

TOTAL MINERALS (FIXED SOLIDS)	17,349

Click Here to Compare to other bottled mineral waters We do not currently distribute our bottled water commercially and therefore are not yet listed on this site for comparison purposes. We do, however offer our water for sale on site and in our online store.

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