Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Water flowing underground can find openings back to the land surface.

Detailed Description

Groundwater flowing out of Minnie Miller Springs, Idaho, USA.

An aquifer in Idaho pours water out of Minnie Miller Springs (some of the springs along the Canyon kick out 180,000 gallons of water a minute).

Yes, the water below your feet is moving all the time, but, no, if you have heard there are rivers flowing below ground, that is not true. Water underground moves, due to gravity, downward and sideways. If the layer of rock holding the water intersects the land surface, such as on this cliff face, water returns to the land surface as a freshwater spring.

Sources/Usage

Courtesy: Samantha Wright