The Sulphur Spring of Dungannon, Virginia. EarthCache
Manville Possum: Thanks to all that visited and enjoyed my EarthCaches.
The Sulphur Spring of Dungannon, Virginia.
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A natural sulpher spring encased by a concrete box, located along the banks of Staunton Creek on old forest service road 902, just off of State route 653 in the Back Valley section of Scott County, Virginia.
Sulpher springs are formed in areas where the underlying bedrock is Shale, Sandstone, or Coal deposits. The rotten egg smell is caused by hydrogen sulfide gas that bubbles up from the spring. Hydrogen sulfide gas is formed from decaying plant matter trapped inside the bedrock, and it is toxic and flammable. There are some old Coal mines in the area, and some old mining cars and winches can still be found in the forest. One nearby old Coal mine at Hanging Rock Park has a vertical Coal seam. Natural gas wells are also common in the area. This spring once had a "Spring House" built around it, but all that is left is the hand hewn limestone foundation and the concrete box around the spring. This springs location is said to be why Patrick Hagan (visit link) built his mansion named Hagan Hall nearby. Many belive that sulpher water has medicinal propertys, and Patrick Hagan was one of them.
To log this Earthcache as a find you MUST visit the site and email the answers to the following questions.
1. What are two types of underlying bedrock in the area? Just look around the creek bank and surrounding area to determin this. "If you are unable to identify the type of bedrock, then send a description of it instead (color, grain size, texture, etc.)"
2. The spring bubbles hydrogen sulfide gas, how long is it between bubbles?
You are welcome to post photos of your visit to the site, but this is optional and not part of the logging requirements.
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