Artesian spring, is a spring that typically occurs at the lowest point in a given area. An artisan spring is created when the pressure for the groundwater becomes greater than the pressure from the atmosphere. In this case the water is pushed straight up out of the ground.

Contact Spring, which occurs along the side of a hill or mountain is created when the groundwater is under layered by an impermeable layer of rock or soil know was an aquiclude or aquifuge. The underground water flows along the impermeable layer until it finds a point to emerge from the ground.

Depression spring, is a spring which occurs along a depression, such as the bottom of alluvial valleys, basins, or valleys made of highly permeable materials.

Fracture, joint, or tubular spring, occurs when groundwater running along an impermeable layer of rock meets a fracture or joint in the rock. Then, the underground water flows along the crack to a point where it emerges from ground.

Karst springs are an outflow of groundwater that is part of a karst hydrological system. This is a network of cracks, fissures and openings where water flows through to a point where the water emerges from below the surface.

Wonky holes, are freshwater submarine groundwater discharge, which is a hydrological process normally occurring in coastal area.

Springs are often classified by the volume of water that is discharged fro the spring and called from first magnitude to eighth magnitude.

Note: 1 cubic Foot equals 7.48051949 gallons, however, for ease of calculating, in the below chart, I have rounded it to 7.5 gallons. Also, gallons per second = g/s; gallons per minute - g/m; cubic feet per second = cf/m; and cubic feet per second = cf/s.

1st magnitude has greater than 100 cf/s. (>750 g/s)

2nd magnitude has from 10 to 100 cubic feet per second. (75 - 750 g/s)

3rd magnitude has from 1 to 10 cubic feet per second. (7.5 - 75 g/s)

4th magnitude has from 100 g/m to 1 cubic feet per second. (750 g/m - 7.5 g/s

5th magnitude has from 10 to 100 gallons per minute.

6th magnitude has from 1 to 10 gallons per minute.

7th magnitude has from 1 pint to 1 gallons per minute.

8th magnitude has less than 1 pint per minute.

Minerals become dissolved in the water as it moves through the underground rocks. This mineral content is referred to as total dissolved solids (TDS). This may give the water flavor and even carbon dioxide bubbles, depending on the nature of the geology through which it passes. This is why spring water is often bottled and sold as mineral water, although the term is often the subject of deceptive advertising.

Mineral water contains no less than 250 parts per million (ppm) of tds. Springs that contain significant amounts of minerals are sometimes called mineral springs. Some springs without such mineral content, are sometimes distinguished as sweet springs. Springs that contain large amounts of dissolved sodium salts, mostly sodium carbonate, are called soda springs.

Mineral springs are purported to have healing properties and soaking in them is said to result in the absorption of the minerals from the water. Many resorts have developed around mineral springs and are known as spa towns or often hot springs towns.

In Texas, the water from Comal spring at Landa park in New Braunfels not only tastes good, but has a high alkaline pH reading.

Visited by French explorer St.Denis in 1764, and became a water stop on the El Camino Real. In 1845, the area was settled by German immigrants under direction of Prince Carl Solms-Braunfels, who purched 1300 of the surrounding acres for $1,111.00, at which time, the spring was named Las Fontanas.

Largest Recorded: 550 cubic feet per second on 20 April 1977

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At Ozark National Scenic Riverways, just south of Van Buren, Missouri on state highway 103 is Big Spring with a camp ground, CCC historic district and other park features.

The spring at the foot of the surrounding rock bluff literally gushes up from the ground rising two feet above the resulting pond and river surface as if thankful for finally being freed from the fetters of the underground watercourse.

Later, after I had filled my water bottles, I was told that the water runs off of the higher table land which is farmed with chemical fertilizers making it not good for drinking.

Average flow is 286 million gallons of water per day, which amounts to 3,310 g/s.

Big Spring is sometimes called the biggest spring in north America but in reality there are three contenders for that title, the other two being:

1. Big Spring in Idaho at the Snake River Spring Complex.

2. Silver Spring in Florida.

Since the flow from springs varies with local rainfall, any of these three might be biggest on any given day depending on the weather in Missouri, Idaho and Florida! The truth is, when it comes to volume of water, they are all about the same size.

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At Hot Springs nation park, Arkansas, there are several public springs, of both hot and cold water, where you may fill water jugs. Stoping at the national park visitor center, you can acquire a report entitled Drinking the Water, which shows the chemical analysis of dissolved minerals, the pH of the water at several of the parks available spring sources and tells a little history of the water. The report also has a map of the many fountains supplying spring water.

The best water here, because it has the highest alkaline ph level is Whittington Avenue spring near the base of West Mountain. According to the national park report, this water is not only alkaline water but also has key alkalinizing minerals, including: calcium; magnesium; potassium; but only a little sodium. The report further states that the spring water emerges from the Big Fork Chert after being underground for over 6000 years.

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