AL - Natural Bridge Artesian Earthcache EarthCache
AL - Natural Bridge Artesian Earthcache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(other)
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As an earthcache, there is no “box” or “container” to discover. Rather, with this cache, you discover something about the geology of the area. For more info, consult www.earthcache.org
MATERIALS NEEDED: ziploc, tape, soda straw (you may do the experiment once you return home if you wish – see logging requirements for details).
FTF Honors to: monsterbox !
Getting There:
Natural Bridge park is on Hwy 278 west of Intersections #5, and #13. There is a fee to access the park, $2.50/adult when this cache was submitted.
This is a great place to bring the family! The trail past the artesian well is level and handicap accessible. If you are continuing to the Natural Bridge, the trail has a slight grade to the bottom of the arch/bridge, though the trail to the TOP of the span is much steeper.
Logging Requirements:
Send the answers to #1-#4 to me through my geocaching profile. DO NOT post the answers to any logging requirements on this site.
1.List the name “GC2D1FH Natural Bridge Artesian Earthcache” in the first line of your email. Also, list the number of people in your group.
2.List how many “fountain spigots” are at the cords. How many fountain bases are there?
3.Determine the elevation difference between the artesian water spigots and the nearest body of open water. What do you believe accounts for the “pressure” that causes the water to flow out of the spigots?
4.Do the following experiment to discover how artesian pressure works. Fill a plastic baggie with water, put a straw in through the opening, tape the opening around the straw closed, then squeeze the baggie. DESCRIBE what happens. Vary pressure in an attempt to simulate various seasons and rain/moisture conditions. DESCRIBE.
5. Post a picture of yourself and/or your GPS with your log that shows the CREEK (open body of water) behind you. DO NOT show any of the artesian flow in your picture or your log may be deleted.
I will only respond if you have incomplete logging requirements. Go ahead and log your cache
Geology:
In most artesian wells or springs, that is when water is flowing outward from an underground aquifer, this happens because the water table at its recharge zone is at a higher elevation than the head of the well. An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater that will flow upwards out of a well without the need for pumping. An aquifer provides the water for a artesian well. An aquifer is a layer of soft rock, like limestone or sandstone, that absorbs water from an inlet path. Porous stone is crushed between impermeable rocks or clay. This keeps the pressure high, so when the water finds a hole, it defies gravity and goes up instead of down.
In this case, the sandstone throughout the region has been worn away, leaving underground caverns/holes/aquifers that fill with water from rainwater and watershed flow (recharged). Because there are also thick veins/layers of iron (hematite) sandwiched between layers of the softer sandstone, the water is suspended and thus pressurized. In summary, the water seeps down through the soft surface dirt and sandstone, fills the hollow aquifers that exist above the iron/hematite layer. More water seeps in than the aquifer can hold, so it defies gravity and squirts out through the artesian opening.
History of the Area:
This artesian well is in Winston County Alabama. This county's claim to fame is that their legislatures voted NO toward the idea of succession in 1861, and were thus labeled “Tories.” During the War between the States, both southern and Northern troops used the area to travel from one point to the other, as is evidenced by various soldiers' diaries. The visitor center at this location claims that there are war soldiers graves nearby.
Prior to the Europeans settling in this area, however, this area was controlled and inhabited by the Creek Indians.
History of Artesian Wells:
Artesian wells were named after the former province of Artois in France, where many artesian wells have historically been drilled by Carthusian monks since 1126. The technique was also known much earlier in Syria and Egypt, although whether the monks of Artois learned of it from outside sources, or discovered it independently, is unknown.
Great USA weather temp/map: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/zoa/mwmap3.php?map=usa
Resources:
Information panels at site
Park Brochure
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)
Treasures
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