The posted coordinates will take you to an Ohio Historical Marker
in the Cleveland Metroparks Garfield Park Reservation. From the
intersection of Broadway and Miles, take Warner Road southwest to
Webb Court. There is a small parking area near the Slavic Village Historical
Society. From the historical marker, you will take a nice, even
trail to an observation platform overlooking the falls. Down some
stairs is a second platform with an even better view, but all the
information necessary to complete this earthcache is handicapped
accessible Please stay on the path at all times and observe all
Cleveland Metroparks rules while visiting the Cataract Falls of
Mill Creek.
Mill Creek Falls, also known as Cataract Falls, is the tallest
waterfall in Cuyahoga County. The geologic story of this area
begins over 360 million years ago during the Devonian Period, when
this part of Ohio was covered by a shallow sea. During the
Devonian, the bedrock that makes up northern Ohio was formed. The
bedrock of Mill Creek is Bedford shale and Euclid bluestone, two
sedimentary rocks common in northeast Ohio. Sedimentary rocks are
formed from particles, or sediments that are compressed over
a long period of time. In general, shale is formed from
fine-grained, muddy sediments. Euclid bluestone is classified as a
sandstone, formed from larger-sized particles than the Bedford
shale nearby.
Fast-forwarding some 360 million years from the tropical ocean
of the Devonian Period, the Wisconsonian glacial episode began
approximately 117,000 years ago. The northern two-thirds of the
state of Ohio were covered by the Wisconsin glacier, and a number
of glacial lakes covered the area during periods of recession.
After the final glacial recession about 10,000 years ago, Lake Erie
and the Cuyahoga River
watershed began to take form. Mill Creek and other tributaries
formed and carved deeper and deeper into the surrounding bedrock.
Erosive forces wear away the bedrock and create the path of the
river. At Cataract Falls, the harder Euclid bluestone is more
resistant to erosion than the softer Bedford shale. As time passes,
the softer shale erodes more quickly and becomes undercut. The
bluestone then eventually breaks off and falls to the base of the
falls because it no longer has the shale underneath to support it.
In this way, the location of the falls moves slowly but surely
upstream.
The geology of the Newburg / Mill Creek area has been of
interest to industry since the area was first settled. One of your
requirements for logging this cache (question #2) is to learn what
early industry was dependant on the waterfall. In the 1880s,
another industry in the Mill Creek valley was brine production.
Even before modern bedrock began to form in the Devonian period, an
ocean covered the region. This saltwater sea left behind vast
underground salt deposits in what is now the Great Lakes area. The
salt was extracted by creating a well, flooding the well to
dissolve the salt and form brine, and pumping the brine back out. A
third industry in the area, in the 1910's, was drilling for oil.
Some wells were drilled in the Warner / Canal Road area, but these
were only productive for a few years. One final way that industry
has left its mark on Mill Creek and Cataract Falls was very
dramatic: in 1905, the Pennsylvania Railroad actually moved
the falls by diverting the path of the creek.
LOGGING REQUIREMENTS: According to Earthcache rules, in
order to claim the find, you must perform an educational task. So,
i have a few questions for you. Please send me an email with the
answers to the following:
1- According to the Ohio Historical Marker at the beginning of
the trail, what is the height of Cataract falls?
2- What role did the waterfall play in the early settlement of
Newburg by the Connecticut Land Company?
The Metroparks "Hide and Go Seek" sign has been replaced with
a new sign titled "Why a Waterfall?" Please read this sign to
answer the items in question #3.
3a- What is the name of the sedimentary rock layer at the top of
the waterfall?
3b- What is the name of the sedimentary rock layer at creek level
below the falls?
3c- Which two glaciers helped to form the Mill Creek area, and
which is the older of the two?
Also, with your online log, please post a photo of yourself with
your GPS (or just the GPS) with Cataract Falls in the
background.
Logs not accompanied by email and photo within a reasonable
amount of time will be deleted per Earthcache rules. I'd feel
rotten if I had to do that.
References:
Camp, Mark J. 2006 Roadside Geology of Ohio. Missoula,
Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company
Hannibal, Joseph, et al. The
Euclid Bluestone of Northeastern Ohio: Quarrying History,
Petrology, and Sedimentology
Ohio DNR website
Cuyahoga River Community
Planning Organization website
Thanks to the Cleveland Metroparks for allowing this
earthcache!!
Below is listed the old information for question #3. This
question has been changed because the signage on site was changed.
The answers to the old version will be accepted until February 1,
for the benefit of anyone using an old printout 
.
3- The Cleveland Metroparks "Hide and Go Seek" sign explains
that miles of urban streams have been enclosed in pipes and buried
in culverts to facilitate building. Then, 5 drawbacks of culverts
are listed. Include two of the five in your email
Unfortunately, the "Hide and Go Seek" sign is MIA! Until it is
replaced, please choose one of the following alternatives:
3a - Find answers for the question online. What are two drawbacks
of enclosing streams in culverts?
3b - Or, take a short walk to the SIGN2 waypoint listed below. This
sign talks about another geology-related industry in the area. What
local industry is the subject?