Spring (water)

A natural spring.

A spring is a point where groundwater flows out of the ground, and is thus where the aquifer surface meets the ground surface. Depending on how constant the source of the water is - rainfall or snowmelt that infiltrates the earth - springs can be ephemeral (intermittent), perennial (continuous) or artesian. When they leave the ground they may form pools or streams.

Minerals become dissolved in the water as it moves through the underground rocks. This gives the water flavour, and even carbon dioxide bubbles, depending on 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.

Classification

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 – 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 (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 – no flow (sites of past/historic flow)

See also

• Pond
• Hot spring
• Water cycle
• Well

External links

• "The Science of Springs" (via Wayback Machine)
• "What Is A Spring?"
• List of First-Magnitude springs in Florida