As far as I can tell, there isn't a difference.
They are both spring fed, from groundwater aquifers, filtering through porous ground rich in calcium carbonate, lending the water an alkalinity, and a constant temperature and flow range.
But there must be a difference, because chalkstreams seem to be conservatively (almost jealously) defined everywhere you look. There's even a debate about whether some of the southern chalkstreams, like the Avon and Nadder, are "true" chalkstreams!
This chap even calls the Wye and Lathkill chalkstreams, the first I've seen it. They do look rather like the chalkstreams in the south... as do spring creeks I have seen in NZ and the US.
Chalkstreams in Northern England
This website says a chalkstream is a "heightened version" of what the Americans call a "limestone spring creek". But heightened in what sense? The amount of chalk in the ground, perhaps? If so, what's the minimum amount to be considered a chalkstream?
What is a chalkstream?
Anyone have any ideas, definitive or otherwise?
They are both spring fed, from groundwater aquifers, filtering through porous ground rich in calcium carbonate, lending the water an alkalinity, and a constant temperature and flow range.
But there must be a difference, because chalkstreams seem to be conservatively (almost jealously) defined everywhere you look. There's even a debate about whether some of the southern chalkstreams, like the Avon and Nadder, are "true" chalkstreams!
This chap even calls the Wye and Lathkill chalkstreams, the first I've seen it. They do look rather like the chalkstreams in the south... as do spring creeks I have seen in NZ and the US.
Chalkstreams in Northern England
This website says a chalkstream is a "heightened version" of what the Americans call a "limestone spring creek". But heightened in what sense? The amount of chalk in the ground, perhaps? If so, what's the minimum amount to be considered a chalkstream?
What is a chalkstream?
Anyone have any ideas, definitive or otherwise?
