Spring (hydrosphere)
A
spring is a point where
groundwater flows out of the ground, and is thus where the
aquifer surface meets the ground surface. Dependent upon the constancy of the water source (rainfall or snowmelt that infiltrates the earth), a spring may be ephemeral (intermittent), perennial (continuous) or
artesian. When it leaves the ground it may form into a pool or a
stream.
Minerals become dissolved in the water as it moves through the underground
rocks. This gives the water flavour, and even
carbon dioxide bubbles, depending upon the nature of the
geology. This is why spring water is often bottled and sold as
mineral water, although the term is often the subject of
deceptive advertising. Springs that contain significant amounts of minerals are sometimes called "mineral springs". Springs that contain large amounts of dissolved
sodium salts, mostly
sodium carbonate, are called "soda springs".
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 100 cubic feet per second (2800 L/s). The scale for spring flow is as follows:
* 1st Magnitude - > 100 ft³/s (2800 L/s)
* 2nd Magnitude â€" 10 to 100 ft³/s (280 to 2800 L/s)
* 3rd Magnitude â€" 1 to 10 ft³/s (28 to 280 L/s)
* 4th Magnitude - 100 US gal/min (gallons per minute) to 1 ft³/s or 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 â€" no flow (sites of past/historic flow)
*
Pond*
Chalk stream*
Hot spring*
Geyser*
Seep*
Water cycle*
Water well*
Karst*
"The Science of Springs" (via Wayback Machine)*
"What Is A Spring?"*
List of First-Magnitude springs in Florida
