The Knobstone Escarpment EarthCache
Indotguy: Archived by owner.
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About 6 miles northeast of Salem, State Route 56 begins a long descent through a deep rock cut. This abrupt change in topography is known as the Knobstone Escarpment and is considered the most prominent regional topographic feature in Indiana. It begins in southern Johnson County and runs south for approximately 150 miles crossing the Ohio River into Kentucky. The Knobstone Escarpment represents the eastern boundary between the rugged, hilly landscape of the unglaciated Norman Uplands Physiographic region and the low relief of the Physiographic region called the Scottsburg Lowlands.
The Norman Upland region is generally characterized by flat-topped narrow divides, steep slopes and deep V-shaped valleys The area is underlain with relatively resistant siltstones and interbedded softer shales of the Borden Group of early to middle Mississippian age.
At the base of the escarpment the terrain becomes more level as you enter the Scottsburg Lowlands. This lowland region represents a linear belt of low relief partially filled with glacial drift and underlain with shale bedrocks of Devonian/Mississippian age that offer little resistance to erosion.
The 58 mile long Knobstone Trail (KT) travels over the Knobstone Escarpment passing through Clark,Scott and Washington Counties. It is the longest foot path in Indiana and has been compared to the Appalachian Trail. Some hikers train for the Appalachian Trail by hiking the KT. The Trail is managed and maintained by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
To log this Earthcache fulfill the following:
1) Determine the approximate difference in roadway elevation between the top of the escarpment (Shields Road) and the Scottsburg Lowlands (Elk Creek Road, about 3.50 miles east). SEND ME YOUR ANSWER BY EMAIL. DO NOT post this information with your log or it will be deleted.
2) Post a photo of you, your GPS and a Knobstone Trail (KT) marker post with your log. (Photos are not mandatory but greatly appreciated. KT marker post are installed at points where the trail crosses public roadways. The KT crosses Highway 56 at the base of the escarpment about a mile east of Shields Road.)
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