Giant Springs
Encyclopedia
Giant Springs is a large first magnitude spring
located near Great Falls, Montana
. Its water has a temperature of 54o F and originates from snowmelt in the Little Belt Mountains
, 60 miles (96.6 km) away. According to radiometric dating
, the water takes almost 2,900 years to travel underground before returning to the surface at the springs.
Giant Springs is formed by an opening in a part of the Madison aquifer, a vast aquifer
underlying 5 U.S. States and 3 Canadian Provinces. The conduit between the mountains and the spring is the geological stratum
found in parts of the northwest United States called Madison Limestone
. Although some of the underground water from the Little Belt Mountains
escapes to form Giant Springs, some stays underground and continues flowing, joining sources from losing stream
s in the Black Hills
, Big Horn Mountains
and other areas. The aquifer eventually surfaces in Canada
.
The spring outlet is located in Giant Springs State Park, just downstream and northeast of Great Falls, Montana
on the east banks of the Missouri River
. Giant Springs was discovered by Lewis and Clark during their exploration of the Louisiana Purchase
in 1805.
Giant Springs has an average discharge of 242 cubic feet (6.9 m³) of water per second.
Today, some of the spring water is bottled for human consumption, some of the discharge is used for a trout hatchery, and the spring is the headwaters of the 200 feet (61 m)-long Roe River
, the shortest river in the world according to Guinness Book of World Records. The river flows into the Missouri River
which is near the spring and borders its state park. Besides the location of a world record holder, Giant Springs is also the most-visited state park in Montana
.
Montana is also home to Warm Springs
, and Big Springs (south of Lewistown, Montana
). Big Springs is also home to the state's largest cold water trout hatchery.
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
located near Great Falls, Montana
Great Falls, Montana
Great Falls is a city in and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, United States. The population was 58,505 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cascade County...
. Its water has a temperature of 54o F and originates from snowmelt in the Little Belt Mountains
Little Belt Mountains
The Little Belt Mountains are a section of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. state of Montana. Situated mainly in the Lewis and Clark National Forest, the mountains are used for logging and recreation for the residents of Great Falls, Montana...
, 60 miles (96.6 km) away. According to radiometric dating
Radiometric dating
Radiometric dating is a technique used to date materials such as rocks, usually based on a comparison between the observed abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope and its decay products, using known decay rates...
, the water takes almost 2,900 years to travel underground before returning to the surface at the springs.
Giant Springs is formed by an opening in a part of the Madison aquifer, a vast aquifer
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
underlying 5 U.S. States and 3 Canadian Provinces. The conduit between the mountains and the spring is the geological stratum
Stratum
In geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers...
found in parts of the northwest United States called Madison Limestone
Madison Limestone
The Madison Limestone is a thick sequence of mostly carbonate rocks of Mississippian age in the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains areas of western United States. The rocks serve as an important aquifer as well as an oil reservoir in places...
. Although some of the underground water from the Little Belt Mountains
Little Belt Mountains
The Little Belt Mountains are a section of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. state of Montana. Situated mainly in the Lewis and Clark National Forest, the mountains are used for logging and recreation for the residents of Great Falls, Montana...
escapes to form Giant Springs, some stays underground and continues flowing, joining sources from losing stream
Losing stream
A losing stream, or influent stream, is a stream or river that loses water as it flows downstream. The water infiltrates into the ground recharging the local groundwater, because the water table is below the bottom of the stream channel...
s in the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
, Big Horn Mountains
Big Horn Mountains
The Big Horn Mountains are a mountain range in northern Wyoming and southern Montana in the United States, forming a northwest-trending spur from the Rocky Mountains extending approximately 200 miles northward on the Great Plains...
and other areas. The aquifer eventually surfaces in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The spring outlet is located in Giant Springs State Park, just downstream and northeast of Great Falls, Montana
Great Falls, Montana
Great Falls is a city in and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, United States. The population was 58,505 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cascade County...
on the east banks of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. Giant Springs was discovered by Lewis and Clark during their exploration of the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
in 1805.
Giant Springs has an average discharge of 242 cubic feet (6.9 m³) of water per second.
Today, some of the spring water is bottled for human consumption, some of the discharge is used for a trout hatchery, and the spring is the headwaters of the 200 feet (61 m)-long Roe River
Roe River
The Roe River runs between Giant Springs and the Missouri River in Great Falls, Montana, United States. The Roe River is only 201 feet at its longest constant point....
, the shortest river in the world according to Guinness Book of World Records. The river flows into the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
which is near the spring and borders its state park. Besides the location of a world record holder, Giant Springs is also the most-visited state park in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
.
Montana is also home to Warm Springs
Warm Springs, Montana
Warm Springs is a town in Deer Lodge County, Montana, United States. It is the site of the state psychiatric hospital, Montana State Hospital. The hospital was founded by the Territorial Government of Montana in 1877. The "warm springs" are located on the hospital campus. Hot water seeps from a...
, and Big Springs (south of Lewistown, Montana
Lewistown, Montana
Lewistown is a city in and the county seat of Fergus County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,813 at the 2000 census. Lewistown is located in central Montana, the geographic center of the state, southeast of Great Falls...
). Big Springs is also home to the state's largest cold water trout hatchery.