Out in the middle of the West Desert Basin of Utah Horseshoe spring provides water for cattle. Horseshoe spring is a spring where groundwater flows out of the ground, and is thus where the aquifer surface meets the ground surface.
Water emanating from Horseshoe spring is part of Utah's karst topography. The Spring could be referred to as a resurgence because much of the water that comes from the spring may come from one or more sinkholes at a higher altitude. Karst springs generally are not subjected to as great a degree of ground filtering as spring water which may have continuously passed through soils or a porous aquifer. The quality of the water from this spring will generally determine the quality of spring water in the surrounding area. The quality of water discharged by springs can vary greatly because of factors such as the quality of the water that recharges the aquifer and the type of rocks with which the ground water is in contact. The rate of flow and the length of the flowpath through the aquifer affects the amount of time the water is in contact with the rock, and thus, the amount of minerals that the water can dissolve.
Springs are often classified by the volume of the water they discharge. The largest springs are called "first-magnitude," defined as springs that discharge water at a rate of at least 2800 L/s. The scale for spring flow is as follows:
| Magnitude |
Flow (ft³/s, gal/min, pint/min) |
Flow (L/s) |
| 1st Magnitude |
> 100 ft³/s |
2800 L/s |
| 2nd Magnitude |
10 to 100 ft³/s |
280 to 2800 L/s |
| 3rd Magnitude |
1 to 10 ft³/s |
28 to 280 L/s |
| 4th Magnitude |
100 US gal/min to 1 ft³/s (448 US gal/min) |
6.3 to 28 L/s |
| 5th Magnitude |
10 to 100 gal/min |
0.63 to 6.3 L/s |
| 6th Magnitude |
1 to 10 gal/min |
63 to 630 mL/s |
| 7th Magnitude |
1 pint to 1 gal/min |
8 to 63 mL/s |
| 8th Magnitude |
Less than 1 pint/min |
8 mL/s |
| 0 Magnitude |
no flow (sites of past/historic flow) |
To verify that you came to the location please email me the following answers
1. What is the estimated temperature of the water?
2. Estimate the flow rate of this spring using the chart on the cache page
3. Optional: You will need to take photo of you and your GPS at the location of the spring.
4. Is Horseshoe spring ephemeral (intermittent) or perennial (continuous)?
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