Murfree Spring EarthCache
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This Cache is the spring/aquifer that the Discovery Wetlands park was build around. There is a vast amount of geological history in and around this cache please take the time to learn about it, and enjoy the area.
To count this cache please e-mails me the following information.
1.How long is the cave this spring flows from?
2.How long ago did the limestone you see here begin to form?
3.What type of limestone is exposed at this cache?
4. From your own observation, In 2011 The Army Corp of Engineers built the structure at ground zero, what is the purpose of this structure.
All the answers are on the sign at the Cache site.
For many years Murfree Spring was the primary source of water for the city of Murfreesboro.
Beneath your feet is a vast system of caves and aquifers, formed in layers of limestone. From the surface, we can see evidence of this karst landscape in sinkholes and springs. The limestone, which varies in thickness and porosity, began to form when Rutherford County was the floor of a vast sea. Tiny shelled creatures lived and died in these waters and their mineralized bodies accumulated on the sea floor. Pressure changes, water fluctuations, and continuing sedimentation resulted in layers of varying limestone.
The bottom layer acts as the floor of the aquifer. It is the oldest and most dense layer and is not very porous. Once water reaches this layer it does not travel further downward. The top 3 layers are very porous and act like a sponge drawing in and storing huge amounts of runoff and rainwater.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)