View this morning of snow and icicles at the Soda Dam Hot Spring, also known as the Jemez Springs Soda Dam or simply Soda Dam. the Soda Dam Hot Spring is a grouping of 15 hot springs. The Soda Dam was formed by calcium carbonate and travertine deposits from thermal spring water that was built up over the course of 7,000 years. The river flows through the dome-like bridge created by the deposition of these minerals across the river. The waterfall is more than 300 feet long, 50 feet high and 50 feet wide at the base. The hot spring water is heated by volcanic magma of the Valles Caldera. The water percolates through shale and limestone, following cracks in the Jemez geological fault zone to emerge at the springs. Because algal filaments are contained within the carbonate rock, the site is used to study ways in which possible ancient life on Mars may be detected through examination of rocks. For information, call 800.252.0191. Source: wikipedia. Photo by Josh Roybal