Where Does the Water Come From?

Where Does the Water Come From? (HM1K99)

Location: Great Falls, MT 59405 Cascade County
Buy Montana State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 47° 32.069', W 111° 13.786'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 428 views
Inscription
Geologists have determined that water seeps into the ground southeast of Great Falls in the Little Belt Mountains, where the Madison Limestone formation is exposed at the land surface. The water then travels through the formation toward Giant Springs.

In the springs area, the Madison Formation is about 400 feet below the surface. Pressure caused by the overlying rock layers forces the water from the Madison to escape upward, through the cracks in the overlying sandstone. These cracks are visible in the photo at right.

It takes less than 50 years for water to flow from the Little Belt Mountains to the Giant Springs area. The water emerges from the ground at a consistent 54 degrees, all year long.

(Photo caption)
Water escapes through the cracks, forming Giant Springs, photo courtesy of Christopher Dantic
Details
HM NumberHM1K99
Tags
Placed ByMontana State Parks
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, April 29th, 2015 at 2:01pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)12T E 482706 N 5264587
Decimal Degrees47.53448333, -111.22976667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 47° 32.069', W 111° 13.786'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds47° 32' 4.14" N, 111° 13' 47.16" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)406
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 4803 Giant Springs Rd, Great Falls MT 59405, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?
© 2024  Historical Marker Project.  All Rights Reserved.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
HMP is owned and operated by 3RiverDev (Fort Wayne, Indiana).
Terms and Conditions   |   Privacy Policy   |   Disclaimers   |   About   |   Contact Us