In previous articles, we’ve looked at how Blue Grotto and other springs and sinkholes formed. This process revolves around water moving underground. But it leads to a question. That is, why does the water move? Why doesn’t it just stay in one spot?
The answer is that there is a very powerful force at work here. It’s the same force that causes raindrops to fall from the sky. That force is gravity. In this article, we will show you what we mean.
The diagram below shows a cross-section of the Florida peninsula at the same latitude as Blue Grotto. The width of the peninsula has been compressed from 125 miles to just a few hundred yards. At the same time, the elevations of the ground and water table have been highly exaggerated.
- The area surrounding Blue Grotto is 75 feet above sea level.
- The top of the aquifer (water table) is roughly 25 feet below this or 50 feet above sea level.
- This means there is a force created by several billion tons of water that gravity wants to keep moving toward the sea.
This is why we have springs and sinkholes instead of groundwater that never moves. It’s something we too often take for granted. But it’s the reason our area is home to so many incredible dive sites.