Down and Out Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Lost Rivers; Thousand Springs at the Snake River

The Lost Rivers arise in the mountains of Idaho, but disappear underground in the desert area surrounding the Idaho National Laboratories. They move through the Snake River Aquifer and re-emerge at the Thousand Springs area of the Snake River near Hagerman, Idaho (USA). Because of increased water use of the Snake River Aquifer, the output of the springs is decreasing.

Answer: The Danube

The lower Danube is literally not the same river as the upper Danube for about six months of the year. During this period, most of the water from the upper Danube disappears into a sinkhole near Mohringen and reappears in a spring that feeds the Rhine River.

As the Danube eats away at the limestone underneath the area where it disappears, more water is able to flow down the disappearing path and less water flows above ground.

Answer: 2 hrs

The water flows into a large cave in the Madison Limestone called the Sinks Cave and about two hours later flows out of the Rise. During spring run-off some of the water overflows and the overflow runs down a channel called the "Overflow Channel". Unlike the channel of the Danube, the Sinks Cave narrows down to small cracks that cannot be explored. No one really knows what path it takes during the two hours it is underground, but as there is no overflow during normal flow periods, the delay would not seem to be related to the constriction of the channel.

Answer: Intermittent Spring

The Intermittent Spring near Afton Wyoming is located in an area off of Swift Creek. It is a lovely canyon to explore, even when the spring is not intermittent, as is the case during spring runoff. While no one has entirely figured out what makes this and other springs of this type intermittent, the best theory is that it works in the same manner as a siphoned flush toilet. So you see - learning about toilet plumbing does have its uses!

Answer: The Manifold River

The Manifold River is located in a limestone (karst) region (Do you see a pattern forming here?) in the Peak District of England and disappears through several sinkholes and then rises again on the grounds of Ilam Hall, a National Trust site that is also maintained as an International Hostel. The term manifold does mean "a pipe or chamber that branches into several openings", but here, the several openings converge into one large one.

The River Why exists as a book only, the Mississippi River name is derived from a Native American phrase meaning "Great River" and, as far as I know, there is no Sprinkler River.

Answer: Turloughs

Turloughs are "seasonal" lakes that form in limestone areas, particularly in Western Ireland. While they appear to be associated with wet weather, they sometimes fill with water for mysterious reasons and may even be associated with the ocean (some are affected by tides). New turloughs seem to form where none have been found previously and older ones may disappear. Turlough water has been traced to springs at varying distances, but some have not been traced or the path varies, as is common in karst regions. Turloughs are in danger, as many people try to drain them or redirect them to surface channels.

As they contain distinct ecosystems both when dry and wet, and the flooding results in new deposits of silt, this may have consequences for the larger ecosystems in the areas where they are found.

Answer: River piracy

This is also called "river hijacking". The Slims River is one of the larger rivers to have been so hijacked and was documented via satellite (Earth Observatory, a website maintained by NASA has some nice before and after photos). This has happened primarily due to meltwater from the Kaskawulsh glacier following a new path as that glacier has retreated.

A majority of glaciers are retreating and unexpected events such as river piracy and glacial outburst floods (jökulhlaups) are expected to increase.

Answer: It exists in basalt of volcanic origin rather than limestone

Most disappearing rivers are located in limestone (also called karst) regions. The acidity of the river water dissolves the limestone (also giving you hard water at the same time) and caves and sinkholes are formed through which the river flows underground.

The Snake River aquifer is unusual in that it flows primarily through basalt (an igneous rock of volcanic origin). The ancient volcanic activity of the area can be seen at several rest stops in the area, as well as at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. I highly recommend visiting the monument, or at least taking a welcome break at one of the rest stops and walking some of the short trails associated with them.

Answer: Bacterial spores

While bacterial spores probably could be used to trace water, they aren't (probably due to legitimate safety concerns). The other three methods are used, and at Ozark Underground Laboratory (Missouri, USA) help to educate people about karst landscapes and hydrology. All three types of markers are recovered using packets of activated charcoal.

In this manner, the Ozark Underground Laboratory has found that much of the groundwater in the Ozarks doesn't just seep through the rock. Rather, it flows quite fast, enabling pollutants to travel further than expected.

These methods of testing have determined that certain flows can pollute wells in the area.

Answer: Jerusalem

Gihon Spring was the spring that fed the "Gardens of the King" in ancient Jerusalem. Bronze Age fortifications have been found near the spring, which is located underground at this time. Because the spring is intermittent, but is not ephemeral, aqueducts were built that carried the spring water to a reservoir to be stored for both drinking water and agricultural use.

The city of Jerusalem has a plan for a controversial project to restore the spring water to the outside, creating a park that they propose to call "The Garden of the King".

The project is controversial because the city would need to tear down homes of Palestinians living in the area. The city claims these homes are substandard and built without permits. The Palestinians claim that they were not allowed to get permits to build in the area and that their homes should be rebuilt to conform to city zoning standard where they are now located.