Butler Artesian Well EarthCache
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Located just outside Rose Hill, KS. This well has been around for quite sometime I remember seeing back in the early 1980's with my father. It has since been re-piped and a cement foundation placed around it.
This well is located on the very edge of the Flint Hills, and is considered part of the Arkansas River Basin. Though all of the creeks in this area flow into the Walnut River which eventually flows into the Arkansas River near Arkansas City, KS. This area is well known for its aquafers and vast underground water supply. Though most of the prominent aquafers are to the west of here. The rock strata in this area is comprised of limestone and layers of shale as well as some flint rock. The time periods of this rock strata puts it in the Permian area of the Paleozoic Time frame (See Chart Left). You can also see the basic regions that make up Kansas. AS you can see this area is right on the edge of the Flint Hills and the Wellington/McPherson Lowlands (see Chart Right).
On to the well.
Artesian wells, are deep drilled wells through which water is forced upward under pressure. The water in an artesian well flows from an aquifer, which is a layer of very porous rock or sediment, usually sandstone, capable of holding and transmitting large quantities of water. The geologic conditions necessary for an artesian well are an inclined aquifer sandwiched between impervious rock layers above and below that trap water in it. Water enters the exposed edge of the aquifer at a high elevation and percolates downward through interconnected pore spaces. The water held in these spaces is under pressure because of the weight of water in the portion of the aquifer above it. If a well is drilled from the land surface through the overlying impervious layer into the aquifer, this pressure will cause the water to rise in the well. In areas where the slope of the aquifer is great enough, pressure will drive the water above ground level in a spectacular, permanent fountain. Artesian springs can occur in similar fashion where faults or cracks in the overlying impervious layer allow water to flow upward. Water from an artesian well or spring is usually cold and free of organic contaminants, making it desirable for drinking. In North America, the Dakota sandstone provides aquifers for an artesian system that underlies parts of the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, and Saskatchewan and supplies great quantities of water to the dry Great Plains region.
Geological strata giving rise to an Artesian well.
Minerals become dissolved in the water as it moves through the underground rocks. This may give the water flavor and even carbon dioxide bubbles, depending upon 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. 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'. Many resorts have developed around mineral springs known as spa towns.
To get credit for the EC post a picture of yourself (face included) with GPS in hand and the well in the back ground and answer the following questions.
1. What is the temp of the water?(estimated)
2. What is the flow class (magnitude) of the water? (estimated, see chart below)
Well or Spring Flow Chart
1st Magnitude >44,800 gal/min (100 ft³/s)
2nd Magnitude 4480 gal/min to 44,800 gal/min (10 to 100 ft³/s)
3rd Magnitude 448 gal/min to 4480 gal/min (1 to 10 ft³/s)
4th Magnitude 100 US gal/min to 448 gal/min (1 ft³/s)
5th Magnitude 10 to 100 gal/min
6th Magnitude 1 to 10 gal/min
7th Magnitude 1 pint to 1 gal/min
8th Magnitude Less than 1 pint/min
0 Magnitude no flow (sites of past/historic flow)
REMEMBER:
- Make the fair trade.
- Log your visit.
- Leave the site better than you foundit.
- Protect the environment —always.
- Educate those around you.
- Find another cache!
Good luck, and may all your cache dreamscome true. Rob
Additional Hints
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