Aiken State Park
Set against the calm, winding South Edisto River, Aiken State
Natural Area is a popular destination for the family or a budding
naturalist. Aiken State Natural Area also has its place in
history.it was built during the Great Depression by an African
American detachment of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Interpretive signage tells their story and their work can still be
seen in some of the park’s original structures and features.
The 1,000-acre site is uniquely diverse, combining a blackwater
river and swamp, bottomland forest and dry sandhill pine forest.
The park also offers us an Artesian Well that well be why
the Earthcache is placed here.
Understanding What an Artesian Well is
This artesian well allows water that has traveled through porous
rock from a higher elevation near the border of North Carolina and
South Carolina to rise to the surface. This pumpless well seems to
defy gravity because the pressure that builds up between layers of
rock gets relieved when the water finds a path to the open air. For
nearly a thousand years, people have drilled wells to drink this
cold, filtered water that doesn't need to be hauled up from the
depths.
An aquifer and in our case the Middendorf Aquifer provides the
water source for this artesian well. This is the layer of permeable
rock, like limestone or sandstone, that absorbs water from an inlet
path at high elevation. The water source might be fed by snowmelt
or precipitation.
Porous stone is sandwiched between a top and bottom layer of an
impermeable substance, like clay soil or shale rock. This keeps the
water pressure high, so that at a point below the entryway of the
flow there is enough pressure to bring the water up. Natural
springs form in the same way when a gap in the impermeable rock,
perhaps triggered by an earthquake, allows the water to rise to the
surface.
South Carolina’s Aquifer System
South Carolina is located above the Southeastern Coastal Plain
Aquifer System, which is comprised of four regional aquifers,
including the Surficial Aquifer, the Floridan Aquifer,
Chattahoochee River Aquifer, and the Black Warrior River Aquifer.
The regional aquifers in the South Carolina portion of the project
study area are the Surficial Aquifer, beneath that is the
Chattahoochee River Aquifer, and farther beneath the surface, is
the Black Warrior River Aquifer
The Surficial Aquifer is an unconfined unit, while the rest are
confined units, meaning they are separated by clay, silt, or rock.
An aquifer is an underground layer of porous rock or gravel that
holds water like a natural storage tank. Confining units are layers
of impermeable rock, silt, or clay that separate aquifers, usually
horizontally, and prevent mixing of water between aquifers.
The Surficial, Black Creek, and Middendorf Aquifers are the main
groundwater sources in the South Carolina. The Surficial Aquifer is
the saturated zone that underlies the surface of the land and is
very shallow (usually 20 to 60 feet deep). The water quality of the
Surficial Aquifer varies greatly, and due to this, detailed studies
have not been done to determine its overall water quality. Instead,
water quality is determined on a site-specific test for wells using
this aquifer. The Surficial Aquifer has groundwater
discharge/recharge areas throughout South Carolina.
The Black Creek Aquifer overlies and covers the Middendorf
Aquifer as they extend east toward the coast. The Black Creek
Aquifer is used as a groundwater source but since it is shallower
than the Middendorf Aquifer which makes it more economical to
develop. The primary use of groundwater withdrawals from the Black
Creek Aquifer is as a drinking water source. The Middendorf Aquifer
provides groundwater supplies in the upper coastal plain near the
Great Pee Dee River throughout most of Marlboro County.
The Black Creek Aquifer generally has good to excellent water
quality; however, the aquifer consistently has high levels of
fluoride. There is minimal ion concentration present in the upper
coastal plain portion of the Middendorf Aquifer. This is due to the
presence of clean quartz sands that have been thoroughly leached
over time. Water found in the upper coastal portion is acidic,
usually soft, and contains a low amount of dissolved solids. This
has been correlated with the proximity of the water to the recharge
area. Water in the lower coastal portion is usually highly
mineralized, with higher levels of total dissolved solids and pH.
This is because the water in the lower coastal portion has been in
the aquifer longer and has possibly mixed with more mineralized
water from adjacent leaky aquifers.
The Black Creek Aquifer generally has good to excellent water
quality; however, the aquifer consistently has high levels of
fluoride. There is minimal ion concentration present in the upper
coastal plain portion of the MiddendorfAquifer. This is due to the
presence of clean quartz sands that have been thoroughly leached
over time. Water found in the upper coastal portion is acidic,
usually soft, and contains a low amount of dissolved solids. This
has been correlated with the proximity of the water to the recharge
area. Water in the lower coastal portion is usually highly
mineralized, with higher levels of total dissolved solids and pH.
This is because the water in the lower coastal portion has been in
the aquifer longer and has possibly mixed with more mineralized
water from adjacent leaky aquifers.
How to claim credit for the Earthcache
1.) What is the flow rate of the Artesian Well today?
2.) What is the temperature of the water and explain why how
temperature is what every degree it is?
3.) According to the information above what Aquifer is this
Artesian Well and explain in your on words how this Aquifer became
and its importance to this Artesian Well?
If you like to include a picture with your log you are more
than welcome to but do not have too