Theres a Leak in the Lake EarthCache
Theres a Leak in the Lake
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Nestled in the heart of Bull Shoals - White River State Park, this spring was in existence before the nearby dam was completed.
It was originally known as Dew Spring since the land that is now the state park was owned by the Dew Family.
There is parking available just a few feet from the spring, however unless you are a registered guest staying in the campground, this area of the park is closed from 10:00pm - 6:00am
A spring is often the result of karst topography where surface water has infiltrated the Earth's surface, becoming part of the area groundwater, which then travels through a network of cracks and openings ranging from inter-granular spaces to large caves. The water eventually emerges from below the surface, in the form of a spring.
Springs are very common in the Ozarks.
Big Spring demonstrates the power of water and the way geology shapes our landscape. Small fractures in the limestone and dolostone formations of the Ozarks are easily enlarged by water seeping through, creating underground streams.
One such stream eventually reached the surface, creating Big Spring which puts out roughly 127 Litres of water per second.
Flow:
The forcing of the spring to the surface can be the result of a confined aquifer in which the recharge area of the spring water table rests at a higher elevation than that of the outlet. Spring water forced to the surface by elevated sources are known as artesian wells.
Non-artesian springs may simply flow from a higher elevation through the earth to a lower elevation and exit in the form of a spring, using the ground like a drainage pipe.
Classification:
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 liters or 100 cubic feet of water per second. The Missouri and Arkansas Ozarks contain at least 10 springs of this magnitude.
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 |
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) |
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- Information compiled from wikipedia.org
© 2010 The5Ts
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***To prevent your log from being deleted***
***PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR ANSWERS IN YOUR LOG***
My address is Mr.GeoZee@Gmail.com
Once you email your answers, please log your find. There is no need to wait for a reply as incorrect answers or logs without answers will be deleted.
1.) What is the origin (Recharge Area) of Big Spring?
2.) True or False - Big Spring is an Artesian Well.
3.)How far does the water travel underground? (From its origin to where you are standing now)
4.) What is the magnitude of the spring?
5.) What is the temperature range of the spring?
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Developed with Permission of
Bull Shoals - White River State Park
State Park Permit
06-1955-5
This EarthCache was developed by a member of
The NorthWest Arkansas Cachers
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