Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to visit this
small, but beautiful, state park on the border of Arkansas and
Missouri, between Thayer, MO and Hardy, AR. We have received
intelligence of a strange disappearance 9 miles away, and further
investigation is required.
Equipment required: Please stop by requisition before you
leave, and pick up a working camera and a GPS receiver unit.
Without these, your mission will fail.
Background Information: Our agents at Grand Gulf State
Park, MO, have reported that an entire creek has been observed to
sink into the earth and completely vanish from view. Through
careful experimention, the missing water has been re-located 9
miles away, at Mammoth Spring State Park, AR. Since the water is
evidently being spirited across state lines in some nefarious
manner, the FBI and state authorities have naturally sought our
help in this matter. Dr. Micro of Hydrology will now give you some
crucial information about the situation you are heading into...
*throat clearing* Ahem. Yes. What you are about to visit is
known as a 'spring'; the exact definition of which (according to my
colleague, Professor Wikipedia), is "any natural occurrence where
water flows on to the surface of the earth from below the surface."
In other words, where water gets tired of being undercover, and
essentially resurfaces. Are we clear on that? Yes? Good! The one
you are headed for happens to be the 10th largest in the world, so
this isn't some little bitty water fountain, no siree! As a side
effect of flowing through soil and fractured limestone rock, the
water invariably picks up chemicals as it washes along - in this
case, rather toxic ones. Though the water looks clean, it is not
safe to drink - just remember that! In fact, only two species of
fish thrive in the water.
Since the early 1800's, Mammoth Spring has been used to generate
hydroelectric power - the original structure was a gristmill;
however in 1888, the 225 foot Mammoth Spring dam was completed,
creating Spring Lake and a 15-ft tall waterfall, and opening the
door to generating far more power to the Ozarks.
According to research previously conducted, the water in the
spring originally comes from rainwater, seeping through soil and
fractured limestone deposits all through the state of Missouri, and
down into the water table. From there, the water flows along a vast
underground system of interconnected, water-filled "caves". This
system eventually merges into a main artery, which surfaces into a
deep basin. Since the water seeps up from below, unfortunately you
will not be able to view the source of the spring, only see the
vast, 10-acre pool that collects in the basin.
Springs, by the way, are usually measured in orders of
magnitude, depending on the volume of water that flows through
them. Professor Wikipedia has more information regarding this,
found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_(hydrosphere)#Spring_flow.
Please remember that link, it will be crucial in the success of
your mission. Speaking of which... perhaps it is time for the
mission brief?
Mission brief: Upon arrival at Mammoth Springs State
Park, please proceed to tour the park.There are several pieces of
information that we urgently need, and we believe that they may be
found on the various signs located throughout the park.
1. What is the flow rate of the spring, in gallons per hour?
Gallons per day? Using this information and Wikipedia's link above,
please classify the magnitude of the spring.
2. Just how far below the surface of the basin does the spring
lie?
3. What is the temperature of the spring?
4. Who was Arkansas' first state geologist?
5. According to the Indian legend, who died searching for
water?
6. What are the two species of fish that live in the lake?
7. Also, headquarters would like a picture of you and your GPS
against the backdrop of the hydroelectric dam.
Once you have completed these tasks, email all data to me for
verification, and post the picture in your log. Without this
information, your mission will FAIL… no smiley for you!
Beware! There are reports of a Big Gun in the park. Though it
has not been used in living memory, there is nothing to say that it
couldn't be...
This earth cache will self-destruct in five eons. Good luck,
cacher!
Placed by an:
