The mineral and thermal waters of the Krušné Hory rift valley, Czech Republic

Despite the small area of its territory (90 000 km2), the Czech Republic can be, in a certain sense, considered a nation of abundant hydrogeological resources. More than 100 mineral water springs are exploited and several thousand others are registered. In particular, the extremely diverse geology of the Bohemian Massif is reflected in the huge variety of its different types of mineral groundwaters. For example, cold acidic springs occur in very close proximity to thermal or radioactive mineral waters, high in H₂S and arsenic. The ‘balneal triangle’ of west Bohemia has acquired a worldwide reputation due to the famous spas of Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně (Figure 14.1).