Springs and the Water Cycle

A spring is a place where water moving underground finds an opening to the land surface and emerges, sometimes as just a trickle, maybe only after a rain, and sometimes in a continuous flow. Spring water can also emerge from heated rock underground, giving rise to hot springs, which people have found to make a delightful way of soaking away their problems. Note: This section of the Water Science School discusses the Earth's "natural" water cycle without human interference.