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Lime Sink Spring
In short
A popular hiking trail – Lime Sink Run Trail – goes along a deep ravine that has been formed by waters of a powerful spring – Lime Sink Spring. This spring is the end of a giant underwater cave system.
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In detail
Geology and description
Lime Sink Spring is a very inconsistent spring: sometimes it erupts gargantuan amounts of tannic water, frequently the ravine is dry and, during the floods in the nearby Suwannee River the spring may reverse and turn into a sink: the water can flow into it.
There is not much data about the amount of water discharging from Lime Sink Spring but, formally, it is considered to be a 1st magnitude spring with a measured output of 4,906 l/s (1.).
The spring pool has a diameter of 39.3 m. The waters of the spring have formed an imposing, steep ravine that after some 900 m reaches Suwannee River. This ravine – Lime Sink Run or Dry Run – is a popular, picturesque hiking area.
In the ravine are several more sinkholes with water in them.
The spring itself is one of entrances into a large cave system – Cathedral-Falmouth system. This giant underwater cave is 18 893.7 m long and up to 130.8 m deep. The spring is the final point in this cave system, through it the stream leaves the cave system.
Exploration of this cave started before 1990. This is a very challenging cave for explorers as the underwater distances are very long and the cave has uneven depth. In November 2016 was reached a world record dive of 8,208 m long distance. Cave divers report that in the early days of the research the water was a lot more transparent than now.
Earlier there was a dam closer to Suwannee River – an attempt to create a better swimming place in the ravine. In 1970ies Florida Park Service removed most of the dam as it did not serve its purpose too well and rather led to a formation of stagnant waters in the ravine (2.). The natural beauty of the area has been restored to a large extent since then.
References
- Springs of the Suwannee River Basin in Florida (PDF document), Suwannee River Water Management District, October 1998. Accessed on September 12, 2023.
- Suwannee River State Park, Approved Unit Management Plan (PDF document), State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection, December 2016. Accessed on September 12, 2023.
Lime Sink Spring is included in the following article:
Linked articles
Springs
Powerful natural freshwater springs belong to the most fascinating monuments of nature. Even more exciting is the diversity of unusual springs – mineral springs, hot springs, submarine springs as well as the unusual black smokers. Especially beautiful are such natural rarities as travertine, silica, or salt terraces created by warm and hot springs and, especially, geysers.
Wonders of the United States
The United States of America is one of the largest countries in the world and offers a wide array of diverse attractions: many are unsurpassed in the world. Highlights of the United States are cliffs, canyons, and rock formations, several impressive downtowns of cities with numerous skyscrapers as well as a rich array of geothermal features, and the giant forest of California.
Wonders of Florida
Florida is the tropical paradise of the mainland United States. Over the last century, it has experienced fabulous changes, turning from a forgotten, swampy badland into a densely populated and rich land. Highlights of Florida include the architecture of the late 19th and 20th centuries as well as its giant springs and caves.
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