The Missouri Ozarks boast one of the highest concentrations of springs in the U.S. Together, the ten largest springs release more than a billion gallons of water each day. A spring is any natural discharge of water from rock or soil onto the surface of the land or into a body of surface water. These natural wonders create photogenic scenes and draw thousands of visitors each year.
The Missouri Ozarks is a classic karst landscape characterized by sinkholes, disappearing streams, caves, natural bridges, and abundant springs. Karst terrain forms in regions with dolomite, a soluble bedrock. Rainwater, slightly acidic from absorbing carbon dioxide, seeps into the dolomite, slowly dissolving it over time. This process creates cracks and fissures that expand into underground channels, eventually forming caves. When a cave lies below the water table, it fills with water. Gravity and pressure then force this water back to the surface, and it emerges as a natural spring.
Under immense pressure, this water surges upward, churning and bubbling as it breaks the surface of the spring pool. One of the most impressive examples of this power is Big Spring, near Van Buren, Missouri, which gushes over 275 million gallons of water every day. Big Spring drains an area of the Ozark Plateau of 334 square miles and from up to 45 miles away. Not only is it the spring with the greatest output in Missouri, but it is one of the most productive springs in the world.
The source of an Ozark spring is often marked by a stunning turquoise pool of water, its hue enriched by the water’s depth. The deeper the spring, the more intense its blue color, as light is absorbed and scattered in the water. Missouri’s deepest spring, Roaring River has been explored to a depth of 472 feet by divers, though many believe it extends much farther. To put that into perspective, 472 feet is roughly the height of a 45-story building.
As water moves through the underground streams and rivers, loose particles of dolomite become suspended in the 56-degree water. Once the water surfaces in the spring pool, the suspended minerals will scatter light, and give the pool a turquoise color. The intensity of the color combined with the unique geological characteristics of the area provide each spring pool with a distinct hue of blue.
Standing at the edge of a cool Missouri spring, I am mesmerized by the sheer volume of rushing water and its dazzling brilliant blues and vibrant greens that seem unreal. Their crystal-clear waters emerge from deep within the earth, carving through ancient bedrock before flowing downstream. It’s a breathtaking reminder that extraordinary wonders can be found on the back roads and trails of the Missouri Ozarks.
https://www.nps.gov/ozar/learn/nature/springs.htm
© 2025 Vicki Sigman
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