The Halfway Spring EarthCache
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The Spring is on highway 390 between Bristol and Bluff
City. The Spring house is on private property so there is no
need to leave the roadside to view this Earthcache.
The Spring House
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First, let’s specifically discuss the Halfway Spring. Many
years ago this was a wagon and stagecoach stop on the ‘long’
journey between Bristol, Tennessee and Bluff City, Tennessee. Now
the trip by car is maybe 20 minutes! Then it was as long dusty trip
so the clear water was welcomed. The Springhouse still stands in
salute to an earlier difficult day. While the Spring still flows
and hasn’t been known to totally stop, it is considerably slower
than what was described years and years ago. Maybe the lowering of
the water table was brought on by more wells and development of the
area in general. None-the-less, the Springhouse shows excellent
stonemason work and will stand for decades to come. The use of hand
cut and formed stone is vast becoming a lost art. Take the time to
admire the beautifully crafted limestone blocks. They were cut from
stone that is millions of years old and that are the remains of
animals of the deep. This limestone is a sedimentary rock that is
commonly used in this area. One could say that limestone and its
varying forms have built America!
Now let’s learn a little about springs in general and how
they are formed. A spring may be formed in any sort of rock. Small
ones are found in many places. The largest springs are generally
formed in limestone and dolomite in karst type topography. Both
dolomite and limestone fracture relatively easily. The amount of
water that flows from springs depends on many factors, including
the size of the fractures, crevices or caverns within the rocks,
the water pressure in the aquifer, the size of the spring basin,
and the amount of rainfall. If the groundwater is under sufficient
pressure, the spring (or a well) might shoot water into the
air-artesian well or spring. Human activities also can influence
the volume of water that discharges from a spring—groundwater
withdrawals in an area can reduce the amount of water and the
pressure in an aquifer, causing water levels in the aquifer system
to drop and ultimately decreasing the flow from the spring.
Perhaps, this has happened to the Halfway Spring.
Spring Formation
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. The Halfway Spring is
almost at the very bottom of the surrounding higher elevations.
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.
Springs are often classified as either ephemeral or
perennial. A spring that is a ephemeral spring flows in
intermittently and a perennial spring has a constant flow. A
perennial springs flow may vary due to weather conditions but its
flow doesn’t stop. The ephemeral spring strictly depends on the
‘wetness’ of the weather and can dry up completely. Commonly, the
ephemeral spring is referred to as a ‘wet weather’ spring. Later,
you will be asked to remember the history of the Halfway
Spring and then to determine which of the above two types is
it?
Note: In order for you to claim a find of this
EarthCache please complete the following: 1. Post a photo of
you and/or your GPSr with the Halfway Springhouse in the
background. Next, via email only, answer the following
questions: A. Is the Spring ephemeral or perennial?
B. As the Spring exits the springhouse, what is the
immediate direction of flow? C. What is the elevation of the
Spring? Please enjoy this little bit of local geology and
history
This Earthcache was approved by the
Geological Society of America
| We have earned GSA's highest
level: |
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Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Chg n fcevat va lbhe fgrc!