At the posted coordinates you will find a natural spring. In order to have natural springs, the rock in the area needs to be porous and that is the case here with the rock in the area being primarily limestone. This will allow water to filter through. The area supports a high water table which basically is rock formation that is not too deep underground. Water flows downward through the rock into aquifers. This may occur several miles away from where the spring emerges along the surface. Since at this point there is no surrounding rock to trap the water, it bubbles forth unto the surface. Just like the caves underground are cooler, so is the water contained in these caves (aquifers) as there is nothing to warm it up. Spring water is noted for it's purity because the limestone and sandstone filters the water. However, today chemicals such as fertilizer and also agricultural waste may dissolve into the water and may spoil it's purity, so do not assume spring water is clean until you have tested it. At this spring, the water when it is released temporarily pools before finding it's way along to lower ground.
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 (2.8 m3) of water per second. The following table shows the various magnitude classifcations.
| Magnitude |
Flow (ft³/s, gal/min, pint/min) |
Flow (L/s) |
| 1st magnitude |
> 100 ft³/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) |
|
In order to claim a find on this earthcache, you will need to provide me with the following and explain each of your answers:
1) Is the Spring discharged from under the pool (ie underwater) or from above and flowing down into the pool?
2) Find the point where the Spring emerges. Measure how many centimeters either above or below the water surface of the pool the outlet is.
3) Without leaving the road, look where the water discharges too from the pool and estimate the distance from the spring where the water goes to that you can see before it disappears/or merges with another water source. This may be in more than one direction.
4) Is there any manmade or prominent natural obstacles that effect the flow from the pooling area of the spring?
5) Calculate (bringing a bucket would be very useful) or estimate what magnitude this spring would be classified as. Was there recent and heavy rainfall during the past several days that may effect the magnitude?