Holly Springs Earthcache EarthCache

Holly Springs has been known by that name since at least 1845, when it was recorded as “Public use granted circa 1845”, as can be seen on the memorial plaque located at the entrance to the spring’s park. This plaque states that the Mary Foster Harley Park and Springs property, including the Memorial Arch, was deeded to Holly Springs Baptist Church in 1999 by Virginia Harley Smith.
According to the history of the church: “At the time of the gift, it could be documented that the Foster/Harley family had made the spring property available to the church and community for over 75 years. We have every reason to believe that “the spring” had been used as public property since before 1804”.

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 water table, below which the subsurface material is saturated with water. A spring results when an aquifer is filled to a point where the water overflows onto the land surface. Springs can range in size from intermittent seeps, which flow only after much rain, to tremendous springs flowing hundreds, thousands, or even millions of gallons a day.

Below you will see a picture of the water cycle showing where springs fit into the water table.

Springs can form in any type of rock, and those that are potable may have a unique taste depending upon the geology of the rock through which it flows. NOTE: before drinking always treat any “wild” water from a source that has not been verified as drinkable. Do NOT drink from this spring.
Springs having water with a high mineral content are commonly known as mineral springs. These type springs historically have been popular as having medicinal or healing properites.

Holly Springs is located in the Piedmont Region, or Province, of South Carolina. The Piedmont Province is a 100-mile-wide expanse of dissected plain beginning at the the 1200-foot level at the base of the mountains, and continues down to the Fall Line.
The Piedmont Province around Holly Springs is made up of igneous and metamorphic rocks. An igneous rock is created from molten material formed either deep within the crust of the earth (for example, granite, as is the case here), or are created at or near the surface (e.g. lava). Metamorphic rock is formed by forces of heat and/or pressure that change them chemically and structurally(examples are schist and gneiss).
The vast majority of rocks around Holly Springs, and indeed, the entire Piedmont Province, are metamorphic in the form of granite.
The soils found in this area are characterized as saprolitic soils - earthy, clay-rich soils with decomposed rock formed in place by chemical weathering of igneous or metamorphic rocks - are the most common. The weathering that forms these soils takes place as ground water moves within the rock, removing as much as 60 percent of its mass while maintaining its volume. The rock literally rots in place. It takes about 250,000 years to form 1 meter of saprolite

Springs are often classified as either ephemeral or perennial. A spring that is a ephemeral spring flows in intermittently. A perennial spring has a constant flow. A perennial spring 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.

Springs are measured by their flow rates. Many factors may influence the rate of a spring’s flow, such as the water pressure in the aquifer, the size of the aquifer, and the amount of recent rainfall.
The following scale gives those flows and the corresponding magnitudes:

Permission for this cache has been granted by the Pastor of Holly Springs Baptist Church

I have proudly earned the Geological Society of America's highest level: