Part of Southern Indiana is classified by geologist as a karst region. Karst regions are characterized by caves, sinkholes, sinking rivers and underground drainage systems. A unique example of this is Lost River, which starts in western Washington County, crosses Orange County and into Martin County where it joins the White River. The underlying limestone is easily dissolved by acidic water allowing the surface drainage to go underground. About 1/4 of the 85 miles of Lost River is underground and unseen. I have picked several notable stops to place caches. I hope you will enjoy a very unique, but overlooked area of southern Indiana.
This stop features the Orangeville Rise. It was once thought to be the rise of Lost River, but dye tests done in 1993 and 1994 have shown that the water comes from sinkholes in the Orleans area. This water is actually a tributary of Lost River. It joins Lost River not far from here. It has been estimated that at peak flow, over 100,000,000 gallons of water come out of this large spring every day. Divers have gone down 165 feet and found a horizontal stream believed to be a cave. This cave may have been submerged as silt built up at the mouth until it is now deep below the water surface. Legends have told of teams of horses and wagons being lost in the Rise, but no factual information backs this up. The coordinates are to the parking pull off adjacent to the Rise. Pictures may be taken from the parking area. This area is designated as a National Natural Monument and a state-dedicated nature preserve and is under the ownership of the Indiana Karst Conservancy. To find out more about their work and other properties, go to www.caves.org/conservancy/ikc
To log this cache, submit a picture showing the Rise and yourself with your GPSr at the time you submit the log. Additionally, to meet new requirements for Earthcaches, email me an estimate of the surface diameter of the spring. Logs submitted without an email estimate of the surface diameter WILL BE DELETED by owner.