We sampled soil and water at two mineral springs (salt licks) in Baxter State Park, ME, and describe chemical characteristics of each. One site (Wadleigh) is a small spring-fed pond and the other site (Hudson) is a spring with water emerging at the base of a bedrock outcrop; both drain into nearby streams. These sites are frequently visited by Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) and by Alces americanus (Moose). Potassium (K) and sodium (Na) concentrations in water were substantially higher at licks than at upstream control sites—Wadleigh Lick: K = 2.33 vs. 0.31 mg/L, Na = 15.7 vs. 1.9 mg/L; Hudson Lick: K = 0.95 vs. 0.19 mg/L, Na = 9.4 vs. 0.9 mg/L. Chloride at the Hudson Lick was 120 vs. 10.7 µeq/L in water upstream. Exchangeable calcium (Ca), K, and magnesium (Mg) in soil at the Wadleigh site were typical of Maine soils but Na was greatly elevated. The elevated concentrations of K and Na in the water are typical of groundwater that has circulated through bedrock, instead of overlying till.
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Northeastern Naturalist
Vol. 21 • No. 1
March 2014
Vol. 21 • No. 1
March 2014