Big Spring (Missouri) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Big Spring |
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Big Spring in Missouri is the largest spring in the Ozarks. Pictured here at 240 cu ft/s (6.8 m3/s) experiencing low flow after an extended dry period.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| Region | Ozark Plateau |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Eleven Point River watershed Salem Plateau, Ozark Plateau, Missouri [1] |
| River mouth | Current River (Missouri) near Van Buren, Carter County, Ozark Plateau, Missouri 429 ft (131 m)[2] 36°57′08″N 90°59′39″W / 36.95222°N 90.99417°W[3] |
| Length | 0.2 mi (0.32 km) |
Big Spring is one of the largest natural springs in the United States and even the world! It's located in the Missouri Ozarks, a beautiful area known for its hills and rivers. This huge spring bursts out from the bottom of a cliff.
Big Spring is found on the west side of the Current River valley. It's about four miles downstream from a town called Van Buren. The spring is part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. This means it's a protected area managed by the National Park Service. It's also part of the Big Spring Historic District, which was recognized in 1981.
Big Spring: A Giant Water Source
Big Spring is truly enormous. It releases an average of 470 cubic feet (13,000 L) of water every second. That's enough water to fill many bathtubs in just one second! This makes it the second largest stream flowing into the Current River.
It is by far the biggest spring in the entire Ozark Plateau region. Only two other springs in the Ozarks come close in size: Greer Spring and Mammoth Spring.
What Makes Big Spring Special?
The water from Big Spring rushes out from the base of a limestone cliff. It's a beautiful aqua-blue color and comes out with great force, sometimes even creating white caps. But it quickly calms down into a clear channel.
The spring water flows for about 1,000 feet (300 m) before joining the Current River. The water is always cool, around 58 degrees Fahrenheit (13.3 °C). The area around the spring is a well-kept park. It's surrounded by a steep valley covered in a forest of hardwood trees.
Where Does the Water Come From?
The water for Big Spring comes from a huge underground system. This system is called a karst system. It's made of limestone rock that has been slowly dissolved by groundwater over many years.
Most of the water that feeds Big Spring comes from the northern parts of the Eleven Point River watershed. The spring is actually getting bigger over time! This is because the groundwater keeps dissolving more and more limestone. It's estimated that Big Spring dissolves and carries away about 175 tons of limestone every single day.
To imagine how much rock that is, think about this: the amount of limestone dissolved in one year is like creating a cave that's one mile (1.6 km) long, 30 feet (9.1 m) high, and 50 feet (15 m) wide! This rock is spread out throughout the entire underground karst system.
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Big Spring (Misuri) para niños
