Flowing Artesian Well Earthcache EarthCache
Flowing Artesian Well Earthcache
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A little parking area on the side of a county road. Wheelchair
accessible to within feet of the well. PLEASE: While the well &
shelter are public, note that the area behind the shelter is
private property.
The Story
This location features an artesian well. It was dug by hand in 1895
to a depth of 55' by Adam Channing. It has been flowing ever
since.
The well gets its water from elevations above it in the
surrounding area. The weight of the water up above is pushing on
the water that's down below. But the water gets trapped between two
layers of rock until it gets to a place where it can "escape".
When Mr. Channing dug down, he created a place for the water to
bubble up to the surface. Since lots of people know of this place,
it can be kinda busy. But it's a great place to start your caching
day by filling up your water bottles for the day's caching.
The Technical Data
The water in an artesian well flows from an aquifer, which is a
layer of very porous rock or sediment, usually sandstone, capable
of holding and transmitting large quantities of water.
The geologic conditions necessary for an artesian well are an
inclined aquifer sandwiched between impervious rock layers above
and below which trap water in it.
Water enters the exposed edge of the aquifer at a high elevation
and percolates downward through interconnected pore spaces. The
water held in these spaces is under pressure because of the weight
of water in the portion of the aquifer above it.
If a well is drilled (or dug) from a land surface through the
overlying impervious layer into the aquifer, this pressure will
cause the water to rise in the well. In areas where the slope of
the aquifer is great enough, pressure will drive the water above
ground level in a spectacular, permanent fountain.
Artesian springs (which is what we have here) can occur in similar
fashion where faults or cracks in the overlying impervious layer
allow water to flow upward. Water from an artesian well or spring
is usually cold and free of organic contaminants, making it
desirable for drinking.
The Verification
To claim your find, please bring along a gallon bottle and measure
the time it takes to fill the bottle from both places where the
water flows add the numbers together and this will give you the
gallons per minute. This will give you an idea about the flow of
this well.
Email me the answer.
The Thanks!
To OuttaHand! For allowing me to keep this very cool
EarthCache alive.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)