Hell’s Hollow Trail McConnell’s Mill SP EarthCache
Hell’s Hollow Trail McConnell’s Mill SP
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Hell’s Hollow Trail McConnell’s Mill SP
Parking Lot is located off Shaffer Road. Coordinates: N 40° 55.890 W 080° 14.407
The Vanport Limestone is of Pennsylvanian age ranging from 10 to 25 feet thick. This is generally a lat-lying, high-calcium limestone.
Effects of Water on Limestone
Rainwater falls makes contact with the soil. This water mixes with the carbon dioxide, a bi-product of the breaking down of organic matter, within the soil and forms a weak solution of carbonic acid. This solution penetrates through the soil and into the pour space of the limestone. The carbonic acid creates a reaction by slowly dissolving the calcium carbonate within the limestone. The water collects and moves through the fractures, or “cracks” in the rock. As the groundwater moves through the fracture it enlarges the fracture and can become a channel or void. A cavern is a collection of interconnected channels and voids. Hell’s Hollow is contains examples of these features.
What you will need: GPSr, Camera, and Tape Measurer.
BE CAUTIOUS OF YOUR FOOTING I HAVE BEEN HERE SEVERAL TIMES. GIVEN THE WET ROCK SURFACES, MOSS, AND MUD IT HAS NEVER BEEN DRY.
Stop 1: N 40° 55.887’ S 080° 14.365’
Upon entering the trailhead from the parking lot you will cross a bridge. From this 1st bridge look both up and downstream and notice the long “cracks” in the bedrock of the streambed. These “cracks”, which run perpendicular to the flow of the stream, are fractures in the limestone. Surface water moves into these fractures and continues farther down into the rock.
Requirement #1:
To meet the photo requirement of an Earthcache, take a picture of yourself and GPSr using this area of streambed as a background.
Requirement #2:
Since this area of the streambed can at times be dry measure the bridge railing, this is the width of the streambed.
At the Trail Split, N 40° 55.893’ W 80° 14.275’, bear to the right.
Stop 2: N 40° 55.819’ W 080° 14.066’
Because the upper section of the Vanport Limestone does contains iron, which may or may not cause your compass to deviate along combined with the effects of the forest canopy and the high sidewalls f the hollow I am including a couple of photos to ensure you find this location.
Exit the path as shown above and walk upstream until you find the location to take your measurements.
If you look upstream from this location, you should see a noticeable drop, about 2 to 3 feet, in the elevation of the streambed. If you look downstream, you should see a narrowing of the stream. The area downstream is created by the erosion of just the top portion of an underground stream channel thereby creating what is known as a flume. Note the unusual shape of the stream bank in this area.
A recent storm has provided an additional marker to the measurement area. There is a rather large tree, which used to be upright on the other side of the stream, laying next to the fracture you will need to measure.
At this location, I want you to do the following:
Measure both the width, from one block to the other, and the depth of the fracture.
Also take a good look at the base of this fracture from both sidewalls. What do you see?
What is the vertical difference from your measuring point between these to blocks?
At this point, feel free to continue downstream where the path ends at the waterfall.
Requirements to gain credit for this Earthcache:
Submit the answers to the questions for Stop #1 and Stop #2 to me.
Guidelines for Submittal
(Updated 1 January 2011)
Requests for photographs must be optional. Exceptions to this guideline will only be considered if the requested photograph is related to an Earth Science logging activity such as recording a phenomenon. This particular guidelines was updated on 1 January 2011. All EarthCaches must conform to this guideline as photo requests are considered "additional logging requirements" (ALRs) and follow the guidelines set forth by Geocaching.com.
Existing EarthCaches that do not meet this guideline must be updated to comply. Cache owners may not delete the cacher's log based solely on optional tasks.
As of 1/1/11 the photo becomes an option…
Submit a picture of you and your GPSr from Stop #1 and log your entry.
ENJOY!
For additional information on the geology of McConnell’s Mill State Park, I recommend this website, (visit link)
I would like to thank, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of State Parks and the Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey for making this Earthcache possible.
Notes:
Along either, your decent into the falls, or your assent back out from the falls you may notice an opening in the cliff wall. This feature is a Lime Kiln, which is also a listed as a Waymark Site.
Until I can figure out how to embed images to the page.
Please note the referenced photos are listed as Exit Path and Measurement Area.
DEVELOPED BY A PLATINUM EARTHCACHE MASTER
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