Karst spring

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A 130-metre (430 ft) deep karst spring of the Cetina River in Croatia Cetina river source.jpg
A 130-metre (430 ft) deep karst spring of the Cetina River in Croatia
The Vrelo Bune (English: Wellspring of the Buna) with the Blagaj Tekke under a limestone cliff in Bosnia Mostar (16636279160).jpg
The Vrelo Bune (English: Wellspring of the Buna ) with the Blagaj Tekke under a limestone cliff in Bosnia
Blautopf (Blue Pot), karst spring of the River Blau (River Blue) in Blaubeuren, Swabian Jura Blaubeuren Blautopf 20180804 04.jpg
Blautopf (Blue Pot), karst spring of the River Blau (River Blue) in Blaubeuren, Swabian Jura

A karst spring or karstic spring is a spring (exsurgence, outflow of groundwater) that is part of a karst hydrological system. [2]

Contents

Description

Because of their often conical or inverted bowl shape, karst springs 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 often have a very high yield or discharge rate, because they are often fed by underground drainage from a large catchment basin. Because the springs are usually the terminus of a cave drainage system at the place where a river cave reaches the Earth's surface, it is often possible to enter the caves from karst springs for exploration.

Large karst springs are located in many parts of the world; the largest ones are believed to be in Papua New Guinea, with others located in Mediterranean countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Turkey, Slovenia, and Italy. [3]

Types

An estavelle or inversac is a ground orifice which, depending on weather conditions and season, can serve either as a sink or as a source of fresh water. It is a type of sinkhole. [4]

A Vauclusian spring is a spring that originates from a shaft or a cave system, with the water surging upwards under relatively high pressure. It is named after the Fontaine de Vaucluse in southern France. [4]

Submarine karst springs, also known as vruljas, occur worldwide, and are most numerous in shallow waters of the Mediterranean Sea. [4] They can be considered to be karst springs which have become submerged by rising sea levels.

For intermittent or rhythmic springs see below. They are part of another type of classification, which differentiates between perennial (with continuous flow), rhythmic, and temporary springs.[ clarification needed ]

Hydrological features

A main feature of karst springs is that water is rapidly transported by caverns, so that there is minimal filtering of the water and little separation of different sediments. Groundwater emerges at the spring within a few days from precipitation. Storms, snowmelt, and general seasonal changes in rainfall have a very noticeable and rapid effect on karst springs. [5]

Many karst springs dry up during the driest part of the year, and are thus known as intermittent springs .[ dubious ] 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"), since folklore claimed a connection between the flow rate of a spring and poor crop yield in a wet year. This appears to be more of a culturally-related superstition, as scientific studies on various Hungerbrunnen have not confirmed such a relationship. An example is the Hungerbrunnen in the parish of Heuchlingen near Gerstetten. [6]

The properties of karst springs make them unsuitable for the supply of drinking water. Their uneven flow rate does not support a steady rate 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. [7]

Cultural references

The French Realist painter Gustave Courbet (1819–1877) painted a number of karst springs among many landscapes he depicted in the Jura region of eastern France. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karst</span> Topography from dissolved soluble rocks

Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant rocks, such as quartzite, given the right conditions. Subterranean drainage may limit surface water, with few to no rivers or lakes. In regions where the dissolved bedrock is covered or confined by one or more superimposed non-soluble rock strata, distinctive karst features may occur only at subsurface levels and can be totally missing above ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquifer</span> Underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock

An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials. Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Water from aquifers can be sustainably harvested through the use of qanats. Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology. Related terms include aquitard, which is a bed of low permeability along an aquifer, and aquiclude, which is a solid, impermeable area underlying or overlying an aquifer, the pressure of which could create a confined aquifer. The classification of aquifers is as follows: Saturated versus unsaturated; aquifers versus aquitards; confined versus unconfined; isotropic versus anisotropic; porous, karst, or fractured; transboundary aquifer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speleology</span> Science of cave and karst systems

Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their composition, structure, physical properties, history, ecology, and the processes by which they form (speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology). The term speleology is also sometimes applied to the recreational activity of exploring caves, but this is more properly known as caving, potholing, or spelunking. Speleology and caving are often connected, as the physical skills required for in situ study are the same.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swabian Jura</span> Mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany

The Swabian Jura, sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending 220 km (140 mi) from southwest to northeast and 40 to 70 km in width. It is named after the region of Swabia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stormwater</span> Water that originates during precipitation events and snow/ice melt

Stormwater, also written storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil (infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed land surface in ponds and puddles, evaporate back into the atmosphere, or contribute to surface runoff. Most runoff is conveyed directly as surface water to nearby streams, rivers or other large water bodies without treatment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travertine</span> Form of limestone deposited by mineral springs

Travertine is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process of rapid precipitation of calcium carbonate, often at the mouth of a hot spring or in a limestone cave. In the latter, it can form stalactites, stalagmites, and other speleothems. It is frequently used in Italy and elsewhere as a building material. Similar deposits formed from ambient-temperature water are known as tuff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring (hydrology)</span> Point at which water emerges from an aquifer to the surface

A springy is a natural exit point at which groundwater emerges out of the aquifer and flows onto the top of the Earth's crust (pedosphere) to become surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere, as well as a part of the water cycle. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fresh water, especially in arid regions which have relatively little annual rainfall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cenote</span> Natural pit or sinkhole that exposes groundwater underneath

A cenote is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater. The term originated on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, where cenotes were commonly used for water supplies by the ancient Maya, and occasionally for sacrificial offerings. The term derives from a word used by the lowland Yucatec Maya—tsʼonoʼot—to refer to any location with accessible groundwater.

Dye tracing is a method of tracking and tracing various flows using dye as a flow tracer when added to a liquid. Dye tracing may be used to analyse the flow of the liquid or the transport of objects within the liquid. Dye tracking may be either qualitative, showing the presence of a particular flow, or quantitative, when the amount of the traced dye is measured by special instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fontaine-de-Vaucluse</span> Commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur, France

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is a commune in the southeastern French department of Vaucluse. In 2018, it had a population of 585. Its name comes from the spring of the same name; the name Vaucluse itself comes from the Latin phrase vallis clausa or "closed valley".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhythmic spring</span> Cold water spring with regular flow variation over sort intervals

A rhythmic spring is a cold water spring from which the flow of water either varies or starts and stops entirely, over a fairly regular time-scale of minutes or hours. Compared to continuously-flowing springs, rhythmic springs are uncommon, with the number worldwide estimated in 1991 to be around one hundred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stream</span> Body of surface water flowing down a channel

A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long, large streams are usually called rivers, while smaller, less voluminous and more intermittent streams are known as streamlets, brooks or creeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sorgue</span> River in France

The Sorgue is a river in Southeastern France lying between the foothills of the Alps and the Rhône. It is 30.4 km long. Its source is near the town of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, Vaucluse department. It is the biggest spring in France and the fifth biggest in the world.

The Nambung River is a river in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 170 kilometres (106 mi) north of Perth. The river drains an area between the towns of Cervantes and Badgingarra. In its lower reaches the Nambung River forms a chain of waterholes in the Nambung Wetlands where it disappears underground into a limestone karst system 5.5 kilometres (3 mi) from the Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solutional cave</span> Type of cave

A solutional cave, solution cave, or karst cave is a cave usually formed in the soluble rock limestone. It is the most frequently occurring type of cave. It can also form in other rocks, including chalk, dolomite, marble, salt beds, and gypsum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bèze (river)</span> River in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France

The Bèze is a French river in the Côte-d'Or department, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. It is a right tributary of the Saône, and thus a sub-tributary of the Rhône.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fontaine de Vaucluse (spring)</span> Karst spring in France

The Fontaine de Vaucluse (French pronunciation:[fɔ̃tɛnvoklyz]) is a karst spring in the commune of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, France. It is the largest karst spring in metropolitan France by flow and fifth largest in the world, with annual output of 630,000,000 to 700,000,000 cubic metres (2.2×1010 to 2.5×1010 cu ft) of water. The spring is the prime example in hydrogeology of a "Vaucluse spring". It is the source of the Sorgue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zalomka</span> River in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Zalomka is a karstic river in the southern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as part of the Neretva river system it is one of the largest sinking rivers in the country and Dinarides. It rises under the Morine plateau, near Brajićevići village in Gacko municipality, but also collects its upper course waters from Gatačko Polje.

An anchialine system is a landlocked body of water with a subterranean connection to the ocean. Depending on its formation, these systems can exist in one of two primary forms: pools or caves. The primary differentiating characteristics between pools and caves is the availability of light; cave systems are generally aphotic while pools are euphotic. The difference in light availability has a large influence on the biology of a given system. Anchialine systems are a feature of coastal aquifers which are density stratified, with water near the surface being fresh or brackish, and saline water intruding from the coast at depth. Depending on the site, it is sometimes possible to access the deeper saline water directly in the anchialine pool, or sometimes it may be accessible by cave diving.

References

  1. Rogulj, Daniela (2016-10-04). "Drone footage of the Cetina like you have never seen before". Total Croatia News. Archived from the original on 2016-10-08.
  2. Whittow, John (1984). Dictionary of Physical Geography. London: Penguin, 1984, p. 291. ISBN   0-14-051094-X.
  3. Ford, Derek; Williams, Paul D. (2013). Karst Hydrogeology and Geomorphology. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   9781118684993.
  4. 1 2 3 Elmer LaMoreaux, Philip (2001). "Geologic/Hydrogeologic Setting and Classification of Springs". Springs and Bottled Waters of the World: Ancient History, Source, Occurrence, Quality and Use. Springer. p. 57. ISBN   978-3-540-61841-6.
  5. "Geopark Schwäbische Alb". www.geopark-alb.de.
  6. "Karst Features of Germany: Hungerbrunnen". showcaves.com.
  7. LaMoreaux, Phillip (2012). Springs and Bottled Waters of the World. US: Springer. pp. 56, 57, 58. ISBN   978-3540618416.
  8. Fumey, Gilles (2007). "Courbet, peintre du calcaire". Karstologia: Revue de Karstologie et de Spéléologie Physique (in French). 50: 49–51. doi:10.3406/karst.2007.2611.