The Punch Bowl EarthCache
Hidden : 7/25/2008
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
4 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

This earthcache is located in beautiful Turkey Run State Park. It is not necessarily hard to get to, but can be a chore in inclement weather.


Turkey Run State Park has been a site of geologic exploration for nearly 100 years. Turkey Run State Park offers a unique view into the past. It's deep ravines offer the hiker a trip through time when the sandstone gorges represent 600 to 300 million years of nature's work.

The exposed bedrock is Mansfield sandstone. This deposit was formed during the Carboniferous Period when the buildup of sand at the mouth of the ancient Michigan River was slowly compacted and cemented into solid rock. The swampy environment of this period gave birth to vast coal deposits. Coal was mined here in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Seams of coal are still visible along many of the trails.

More recently, during the Pleistocene Epoch, the sandstone bedrock was carved into today's familiar canyons and formations by the eroding action of glacial meltwaters. The Punchbowl on Trail 3 is an example of a pothole that was scoured out by glacial erratics caught in swirling backwash. Erratics are pieces of bedrock from Canada that were carried here by the glaciers. Some of the larger erratics, or boulders, can still be seen in Boulder Canyon on Trail 9, and smaller ones, pebbles, in Sugar Creek.

While hiking, potholes can be seen in the ground rock, like potholes on a highway. The punch bowl is an example of a pothole to the extreme. It's large size, and beautiful waterfall is a popular site for hikers on Trail 3.



Caching this site requires visitors to calculate the water speed, as water continues to carve out the pothole feature. A recommended method would be to bring a floating object and record the time that it takes this object to move 50 feet through the canyon. This can then be translated to feet/second. Email this answer with your log and be sure to post a picture of yourself there.

Thank you to the Turkey Run State Park staff for allowing this earthcache in the park!

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