spring, intermittent

1. A karst spring with a pulsating flow, caused by the presence within the rock of cavities and siphons fed by a subterranean watercourse. When the cavity is full, the siphon is complete and causes a pulse of water to issue from the spring. This diminishes or empties the water supply in the cavity and no further water is discharged from the spring until the system is reactivated. The discharge is said to be a reciprocating spring when a reduced level of flow is maintained between pulses [19]. 2. A spring flowing at irregular intervals [16]. Synonyms: (French.) source temporaire, source intermittente; (German.) intermittierende Quelle, periodische Quelle; (Greek.) thialepousa pege; (Italian.) sorgente temporanea, sorgente intermittente; (Russian.) peremezajuscijsja istocnik; (Spanish.) fuente intermitente, fuente temporal; (Turkish.) kesintili kaynak; (Yugoslavian.) periodicko vrelo, potajnica, obdobni izvir. Related to spring, ebb-and-flow; spring, periodic.