[Geysers] Puentebello, Peru

[caverns]

 Scott Bryan provides a description of the site in his book, but here's a
little more from a recently-received email.

--email excerpt-----------------------------------------
In the southern edge of the Department of Puno (state), Peru very near the
coordinates 16 32' 54" S 70 22' 49" W lies a small geyser field known as
Puentebello. This location @ 4370m altitude is somewhat remote and known
primarily to local travelers. The primary road visible on Google Earth at
this site is a dirt highway between Puno and Arequipa used for freight and
locals. The primary tourist route is from Juliaca to Arequipa, over 100k NW.

The road crosses the river here on a natural bridge where the river flows
through a cave from N to S about 120m long. Within the cave are numerous
hotsprings and small geysers shooting in all directions. One part of the
cave our family likes to call the peeing rocks here projections of calcite
shoot hot water straight down or at an angle into the river below. Near the
north entrance of the cave is a geyser that shoots a nearly continual
fountain 15 to 25m into the air. The geyser often has fountains in various
directions.
---------------------------------------------------------------

If you cut and paste the coordinates into Google Earth, it will take you to
the site. The bridge is somewhat apparent in the satellite imagery. That the
site possesses a cave-like natural bridge as opposed to a outright
solutionally-enlarged cave is quite illuminating. I've asked my friend about
temperatures, whether any of the features have complete pauses in activity,
and for photographs.

Happy Holidays!
Alan

J. Alan Glennon
Department of Geography
University of California
Santa Barbara, California 93106
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