by Effie Moore Salem

Created on: July 26, 2008   Last Updated: July 29, 2008

Artesian springs or wells are formed by underground water that has been brought to the surface either by nature or by manually drilling through their rock covering. They differ from regular spring and wells in that the water has been thrust upward, it has not run downhill to the force of gravity. Depending on the force by which the stream of water is forced upward, they gurgle and spew and spout. To listen to the sound one makes and to see the picture of the gauzy waters as they dance in the air before it lands into the spring below, go online to artesian spring sites.com and read, look and listen.

There are places under the earth that are natural sources for this type of water and they are called artesian basins. Underneath twenty-three percent of the continent of Australia are artesian basins. From these, water is supplied to most of Queensland; the southeast portion of the Northern Territory; the northeast part of South Australia, and northern New South Wales. Also these basins are 10,000 feet deep and contain 64,000 cubic centimeters of ground water.

Some artesian wells occur on their own and will find outlets whenever the water finds an opening such as crack in the rocks covering the water or the rock can be drilled into to allow an escape of the water below. Since naturally warm water, or any water if there is sufficient pressure underneath, goes upward, any escape route will be welcomed to relieve the pressure below. The same principle that is behind artesian well is the same principle that causes earthquakes; the difference being the relatively minor effects of the water pressure and the tremendous pressure and the agitation and destructiveness of earthquakes.

Both are simply nature's way of venting. An analogy: the cry of a baby as compared to the roar of thunder, lightening, and the flash of lightening. The type of soil, magma and the underground constituents add to the ferocity of the larger expulsion.

Necessary for artesian wells are crushed rocks that soak up water and are squeezed in-between hard, impenetrable rocks and clay. Neither will budge and the water will use any hole in the gravel to escape.

Other facts about artesian wells is the name itself. It was named for Artois, France, the place where the Carthusian Monks in 1126 had an artesian well drilling business. Well, whether or not it was a business or a means of supplying themselves with water I have no idea; I only know they are a cloistered group of religious Catholic men who have been around making a difference in this world since the 800s.

In the Unites States, as elsewhere in the world, playground and spas and hotels have sprung around artesian wells and springs. One such, where the gurgling I heard online resides is at Sulphur Oklahoma; another, Artesian Springs, Texas. Too, artesian is bottled and sold. Eden foods is one supplier. Places in the United States where artesian basins occur to some degree are, Nevada, Michigan, Washington, Tennessee, Alabama and Illinois. There may be others.

Source:

http://www.artesianspringsuites.com/
ht tp://www.edenfoods.com/
http://www.blurtit.com/q27565 5.htm

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