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Located at the Big Spring park in Van Buren.
NOTE: The information signs have been temporarily removed---there is no need to answer the first two questions, unless you want to Google the answers. Also, if you do not do the "pooh stick", I will still allow the logging...it is all about the adventure and not the requirements.
These notes are compiled from various sources, including but not limited to Wikipedia, NPS, and Missouri Dept. of Conservation.
Two of America’s clearest and most beautiful spring-fed rivers make up the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the first national park area to protect a wild river system. The Current and Jacks Fork Rivers wind through a landscape of rugged hills and towering bluffs.
Springs are places where water flows out of the ground under its own volition, either as a result of gravity or hydrostatic pressure (hydrostatic head.) Occasionally well drillers will hit a layer of ground water which then flows out without being pumped--this is known as an artesian well.
Springs may be of either fresh water or mineralized water, in which case the spring is then termed a mineral or salt spring. These mineralized waters were early recognized as having great economic value by settlers as sources of salt and other medicinal minerals. Salt springs" are not typical for this area though they are found not too far to the west in Missouri.
In general, springs can be categorized by their geographic setting. Some springs are seeps, in which the water flows out of sand, soil or gravel with no discern-able outlet. Seeps are common along impermeable layers of shale, or porous rocks which hold much water such as through sand, or sandstones. The highly fractured limestone and dolomites of the Ozarks also support seep springs. Much spring water enters Ozark rivers directly from the water table via seeps in the river bottom, which are detectable by the coolness of those areas underfoot, and increases in river flow, with no creeks or surface drainage apparent.
The most common type of Ozark spring is the gravity flow onto the surface of underground streams or conduits, typified by a cave stream. These spring supply passages emerge at ground level, as in a cave with the cave stream exiting at the cave entrance; or above ground level, often along a layer of impermeable rock, creating a waterfall. Depending on the size of the passage and whether or not the passage is partly air-filled, these may be enter-able by divers or cavers. (Note: Diving in springs within ONSR is not permitted, except under an approved scientific permit.)
Sometimes completely water-filled underground streams are quite a distance below the surface, and drain relatively large tracts of land. In these cases, the water actually flows "uphill" at an angle of 20 to 45 degrees, coming out under pressure, often through a narrow area called an orifice, or from beneath an underwater bluff. These sorts of springs are of great interest to hydrologists, because they help them learn how groundwater moves in a karst area. Most of Missouri's well-known large springs are of this type.
Big Spring is the largest spring in the state and one of the largest in the world. On an average day, some 278 million gallons of water gush forth from subterranean passages, swelling the nearby Current River. Big Spring flows from three outlets along the base of an Eminence dolomite bluff. Big Spring is the lowest of Missouri's large springs in elevation at 433 feet above mean sea level. During high flow, Big Spring is submerged by the Current River, which threatened to permanently inundate the spring in the 1930's. This fate was averted by dikes built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Like all Ozark springs, Big Spring is busy dissolving away the walls of its underground passages. One researcher estimated that about 175 tons of calcium carbonate rock is carried away in solution by Big Spring's water every day! Over the course of a year, this is enough rock to produce a cavern 30 feet high by 50 feet wide and one mile in length.
While at the spring, be sure to go here N 36 57.134 W 090 59.660 and see if you can log this also.
Logging Requirement:
To log this cache please post a picture of both you AND your GPSr with the spring in the background, and send me a message via this site with the answers to the following three questions.
a. According to the information signs, from how far away does some of the water come? (Not currently required as the signs are missing).
b. How many days does the water take to emerge from the spring after falling on the land surface? (Not currently required as the signs are missing).
c. How many seconds does it take for a small twig to flow from the spring to the nearest bridge?
Log your post, stating where you are from and maybe a little about your day of geocaching in this area.
I am aware that cameras break and batteries run out—if this happens, send me an e-mail message via this site and I will not delete your post. Also, those with disabilities can e-mail me and I will allow the find with out you having to negotiate the small trail.
Please visit the NSR website http://www.nps.gov/ozar/naturescience/index.htm
***Permission granted by the National Park Service in Van Buren.***
Please respect this area for future visitors--Taken from the NPS site: Springs are small, delicate ecosystems, more sensitive to disturbance than the river. Trampling the spring’s delicate vegetation to fish, wade and swim would damage the beauty of the springs. Dislodging aquatic plants in the springs could also alter this sensitive ecosystem. This is why we prohibit wading, swimming and fishing in the springs and spring branches. Please help us in preserving these outstanding springs.
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