Asher Springs #1 EarthCache

This cache has been archived.

highspeed700: gone....

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Hidden : 4/28/2008
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

This one is located just off of highway 119.

The limestone bedrock is one of the perfect ingredents for the formation of the karst topography of this area and Springs are a common sight. A spring is a water resource formed when the side of a hill, a valley bottom or other excavation intersects a flowing body of ground water at or below the local water table, below which the subsurface material is saturated with water. Water issuing from an artesian spring rises to a higher elevation than the top of the confined aquifer from which it issues. A spring is the result of an aquifer being filled to the point that the water overflows onto the land surface. They range in size from intermittent seeps, which flow only after much rain, to huge pools flowing hundreds of millions of gallons daily. Springs are not limited to the Earth's surface, though. Recently, scientists have discovered hot springs at depths of up to 2.5 kilometers in the oceans, generally along mid-ocean rifts (spreading ridges). The hot water (over 300 degrees Celsius) coming from these springs is also rich in minerals and sulfur, which results in a unique ecosystem where unusual and exotic sea life seems to thrive.

One of the things that is so unique about this small spring is that it actually comes from a small elevated area proving that it is actually artesian in nature.

Springs may be formed in any sort of rock. Small ones are found in many places. The largest springs are formed in limestone and dolomite in the karst topography of the region. Both dolomite and limestone fracture relatively easily. When weak carbonic acid (formed by rainwater and carbon dioxide) enters these fractures it dissolves bedrock. When it reaches a horizontal crack, crevice or a layer of non-dissolving rock such as sandstone or shale, it begins to cut sideways. As the process continues, the water hollows out more rock, eventually creating airspaces, the largest of which are known as caves or caverns. This process frequently takes tens to hundreds of thousands of years to complete.



To get credit for this EarthCache, email the answers to the following questions and post a picture of yourself holding your GPSr with the spring in the background. 1.How many springs are in the pit? 2.How many steps there are leading into the pit? Last but not least, please do not reveal the answers to the questions in the photo or logs or I will delete without notice.

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