Big Spring Missouri #3

by Debbie Portwood

Title

Big Spring Missouri #3

Artist

Debbie Portwood

Medium

Photograph - Phototography

Description

Clear blue water flowing from Big Spring Missouri with the rugged tree lined bluff to the right. Located near Van Buren Missouri. From this view you can get a glimpse of the small foot bridge that crosses over the water flow that will meet up with the Current River not too far down stream. Many more wonderful works can be found in my various galleries, from photographs and photoart to digital creations and abstracts. Thanks for browsing, commenting and most of all for any purchases. Debbie Portwood :D.....................(Wikipedia Big Spring is one of the largest springs in the United States and the world. An enormous first magnitude spring, it rises at the base of a bluff on the west side of the Current River valley in the Missouri Ozarks. Located a couple miles downstream from Van Buren, it is within the boundaries of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways system, and its visitor facilities are managed by the National Park Service..........................................The average flow of 470 cubic feet (13,000 L) of water per second from Big Spring constitutes the second largest tributary of the Current River. The spring is by far the largest spring in the Ozark Plateau region. The only two springs in the Ozark region that approach the size of Big Spring are Greer Spring and Mammoth Spring. Maximum discharge of Big Spring must be estimated because backwater from the Current River makes accurate high water measurements impossible. The spring issues from the base of a limestone bluff, churning out aqua-blue water with great force, creating white caps, then quickly calming to a crystal clear channel. The spring water travels about 1,000 feet (300 m) where it adds itself to the Current River. The water is about 58 degrees Fahrenheit (13.3°C), and the spring is surrounded by a well maintained park and a steep valley hillside covered in hardwood forest. Most of the known drainage basin encompasses northern areas of the Eleven Point River watershed. Big Spring is ever increasing in size, as the groundwater continues to dissolve limestone in a vast karst system, and continuation of stream capture in greater quantities. The spring is estimated to dissolve and remove 175 tons of limestone during an average day. The amounts of limestone dissolved and removed by the spring system in one year is estimated to equal a one mil(1.6 km) long cave 30 feet (9.1 m) high 50 feet (15 m) wide, though that amount is dispersed among all parts of the karst system..................................................................A karst spring is a spring that is part of a karst system. That includes the underground drainage of a much larger area, which means that karst springs often have a very large discharge. Because of their often conical or bowl shape, such water sources are also known in German-speaking lands as a Topf ("pot") which is reflected in names such as Aachtopf (the source of the Radolfzeller Aach) or Blautopf (the source of the Blau river in Blaubeuren)..........................................Karst springs are usually the end of a cave system at the place where a river cave reaches the Earth's surface. Thus, it is often possible to enter the caves at a karst spring and explore them.......................................................The main feature of karst springs results from the fact that water is rapidly transported by underground caverns. This means that there is minimal filtering of the water and little separation of different sediments. Groundwater emerges at the spring within a few days. Storms, snowmelt and general seasonal changes in rainfall have a very noticeable and rapid effect on karst springs..............................................Many karst springs dry up during the driest part of the year and are then known as intermittent springs. Still others are dry most of the year round and only flow after heavy rain. Sources that only flow during wet years are often known in German as Hungerbrunnen ("hunger springs"), the reason being that folklore sees a connection between the flow rate of a spring and poor yield in a wet year. It is however more of a culturally related superstition. Scientific studies on various Hungerbrunnen have not confirmed such a relationship. An example is the Hungerbrunnen in the parish of Heuchlingen near Gerstetten..............................................The properties of karst springs are unsuitable for the supply of drinking water. Their uneven flow rate does not support steady rates of consumption, especially in summer when there is lower discharge but higher demand. In addition, poor filtering and high hardness mean that the water quality is poor. For these reasons, karst springs are nowadays rarely used for drinking water.

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November 26th, 2013

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