Nittany Mountain is NOT the source of the ground water flowing from Big Spring because . . .

1. Nittany Mountain is underlain by shale bedrock which has a very low permeability (ability to convey ground-water flow) and this shale bedrock also has a very limited ability to store ground-water recharge in its pore spaces.
2. As a consequence of the low permeability and effective porosity of this shale bedrock, almost all of the ground-water recharge on Nittany Mountain discharges through springs and seeps located on the lower mountain slopes.
3. So in spite of the very high elevation of Nittany Mountain and its location within the Spring Creek Watershed, Nittany Mountain cannot collect and convey 12 million gallons per day to Big Spring.  Return to the Quiz.

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