Hydro-Geo-Bio-Chemical Investigation of Geothermal Springs for Baleneotherapy and Thermophile Studies: Odisha, India

Hot springs had been of interest to religion, society, biology, and geology in past. The multi-faceted research on the hot spring is now expanded to extremophilic, microbial, metagenomic, water chemistry, food nutrition, agriculture and metallurgical investigations. Hot springs manifests at active places of past volcanism, tectonic activities, areas near shear zones, faults, fractures and fissures. The pressure gradient created between the crust and the atmosphere pipes out hot water. Hot springs (340numbers in India) has been identified in different fault /shear zones of India fromwestern/eastern Himalayas, SONATA zones in Peninsular India up toWestern ghats and Godavari garben. The State Odisha has 3, 3, 1 and 1 numbers of perrinial/intermitentsulphurous hot springs in it MSZ (Atri, Tarabalo & Deulajhari), NOBL (magarmunha, Banakhola & Badaberena), VSZ (Taptapani) and NSZ (Boden) respectively discharging less than10cumec having temperature less than700 C which are less scientifically explored. Three hydrothermal springs Tarabalo, Deulajhari and Badaberena are multiple outlets clustered in a patch of area. Elemental Analysis by Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) with EPSLON software bynon-destructive methods was employed to assess the quantity of element present in the water of the hot springs at Atri, Tarabalo lying in an iso fault zone MSZ and compared with similar results of hydrothermal units of Odisha and India. The baleneopathic and pelotherapic uses for health, wellness and ecotourism has been discussed for developing fitness and spa resorts as the water is not upto drinking standard.