The Vale geothermal system is at the west edge of the Western Snake River sedimentary basin, half of the western third of the Yellowstone hot spot track In this area the Volcanic and structural parts of the hot spot track are separated with the silicic volcanics to the south and west of the area (the Owyhee Lake Volcanic center, the Owyhee Plateau volcanics in southwest Idaho, and the McDermott caldera volcanics in northern Nevada) and basalts and sediments to the north