Tamarack Lowlands EarthCache

Spring at the Floodwood Wayside Park 8½ miles north of Floodwood on Hwy 73

     The Tamarack Lowlands is a low-lying subsection that consists mostly of an ancient lake plain.  Advancing and retreating glaciers have left their mark on this area by depositing old till and glacial lake sediments.  The resulting level, low lying areas are well suited for the formation of peat.  The area to the north-east is only 20 feet higher than the the spring and the area to the south-west is only 10 feet lower than the road side park where the spring is located.  The water table is high relative to the surrounding areas and the result is a spring flowing where the underlying clay and till force the ground water to the surface. 

    This is not an artesian well but a free flowing spring.  The first indicator is the slow flow rate.  The other is the geology of the area.  The bedrock has been scoured and covered by the till dropped by glaciers that have repeatedly advanced and retreated during the Pleistocene which ended about 10,00 years ago.  That means the underlying rock is too far down to generate an artesian well.

    This entire area is part of the Northern Floristic Region and is a mix of bog and fen and this specific area is part of the Tamarack Lowlands.  The surrounding bogs and fens are interesting in both the geologic processes that made them and the adaptations the flora and fauna have undergone to flourish here.

    I've been told this spring is variable and so I am looking forward to a steady stream of data.  I will post a graph from the data collected by geocachers as I would like to see if the spring fluctuates and if so what could be the cause of that variability.  I can think of several factors such as rainfall, melt water, and the season that could affect the flow rate.  It will be interesting to see, so please, help assuage my curiosity by collecting some good data.

    This spring is not artesian but a free flowing spring.  I am certain this is groundwater because of the  water temperature during the winter.  The easy test (I found out from the South St. Louis County Soil and Water Conservation District) is that fact the water doesn't freeze.  If it were surface water, it would freeze during the winter.  We might be able to tell how the water gets here by checking the PH (the acidity) of the water.

To get credit for visiting this spring, complete the following tasks and email your answers to me, DO NOT include the answers in your log as I'd rather not delete it.

1. What is the name of the latest ancient lake that once covered the Tamarack Lowlands?

2. What type of lowland (bog or fen) is to the north and east of the spring?

3. Measure the flow rate of the spring in gallons per minute (gpm).

4. Optional:  Measure the PH of the water.

5. Measure the temperature of the water.

6. Measure the air temperature.

7. NOT REQUIRED  Take a picture of you and your GPS by the well and post it with your log