The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and
Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a belt
within the Appalachian Mountains extending from northern New Jersey
westward into Pennsylvania and southward into Maryland, West
Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Alabama.
Alternating beds of hard and soft Paleozoic sedimentary rocks,
folded like the wrinkles in a kicked floor rug, are the hallmark of
the Appalachian Valley and Ridge Province. Bald Eagle Mountain is
in the western part of the Ridge and Valley province of the
Appalachian Mountains. Brush Mountain, and neighboring Nittany
Mountain and Tussey Mountain ridges, are part of the same Paleozoic
anticline rock formation consisting of older Ordovicial Bald Eagle
Sandstone and Juniata Shale, and newer Silurian Tuscarora
Quartzite.
During the Appalachian orogeny, these layers folded up with the
underlying and overlying layers into the Nittany Arch. The arch was
a Himalayan scale mountain that towered above what is now Nittany
Valley, where the oldest rock layers from deep within the eroded
mountain are now exposed. Younger rocks from the outer layers of
the arch are exposed on the West side of the ridge in the Bald
Eagle Valley, with the youngest across the valley at the foot of
the Allegheny Front. These sedimentary rock layers were tipped
almost vertical on the side of the ancient mountain where Bald
Eagle Mountain now lies.
Penns Creek has cut a deep, twisting (meandering) channel
through a series of high ridges and valleys. This is probably the
most scenic and lengthy series of water gaps in the Valley and
Ridge province. Penns View along Poe Paddy Drive is recognized as
one of the finest scenic overlooks in the United States. Outcrops
of red conglomerate of the Bald Eagle Formation (Ordovician age)
are exposed on the rim of the overlook.
This Earth Cache was set with an erosional classification.
Please note that it could also be set as a fault or fold feature
but any geologists would tell you that the rocky outcrop at this
site is formed by the erosion of softer more brittle rocks falling
to the valley floor.
In addition I would like to point out
that at no time do you need to crawl out and or down the face of
the mountain. Doing so could result in the termination of this
Earth Cache.
To complete this cache you will need to do the following: Locate
the rocky outcrop located at the posted coordinates at the top of
the ridge.
1. Send (do not post) the cache owner 3 specific things you
notice about the red conglomerate. This could be:
• Compositional info - besides being red
• Smooth or rough to touch – fine grain, coarse grain, or other
• Edges – sharp, rounded, cracked etc.
• Size of visible pieces of outcrop
• Other geologically related information that could give you
credit
Extra credit – What type of rock is this do you think this is?
2. Navigate to second waypoint in the valley below and
photograph your caching party or GPS with the visible outcrop on
the side of the mountain. Please post this picture. This waypoint
is on the rails to trails bridge (below the overlook)just South of
the old Coburn train tunnel and at the end of Tunnel Road. Tunnel
Road can be accessed from the town of Coburn along Penns Creek
Road.
3. If you are intending to complete this cache
on August 30th, 2007 as a milestone cache you will need to complete
the additional requirements.
Photograph a left footed wild boar smelling a 4 leaf clover at the
overlook.
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| Needed waypoint for second requirement |
View of outcrop from waypoint |
