Mighty Little Scioto River EarthCache

The Little Scioto River has quite a dynamic geologic history. It’s channel was once much larger. It’s flow has been reversed. During the era before the last glacial period it was a tributary of the massive Teays River. It boasts the world famous “Sciotoville Rock” at it’s mouth with the Ohio River. And it’s bed and cliff sides are lined with the one of the most noted economic rocks of the region- “Sciotoville Clay” which was utilized in the pipe works of ancient Indians and the fire brick manufacturing of the industrialization era. Geologists say it is the most important stream in eastern Scioto County.

Today the Little Scioto River is a tributary of the Ohio River. It’s course runs southward from it’s origins in Jackson County for about 40 miles to the Ohio River here at Sciotoville. The floodplain of the Little Scioto River is fairly narrow now, rarely exceeding a quarter of a mile wide. The present day river is formed by the junction of Brushy and Rocky Fork Streams.

However, back when dinosaurs were running about, this little river was a bit more mighty. It’s course was reversed from what is it today, running northward through the valley here bounded by the hillsides to the east and west that wrap around the community of Sciotoville. It was a tributary to the massive ancient river system known as the Teays. The Teays River System drainage basin was once so large it has been referred to as Ohio’s ancient Nile.

Prior to the glaciers, this docile little river flowed north to near Minford and fed into the giant Teays River Valley which was some one to two miles wide. That valley became known geologically as the California Valley. The valley ran from Wheelersburg east of here into Pike County to the historic village of California. The name California Valley was established by early geologists. The valley was fairly level except where the ancient river was dissected by the older Little Scioto River where the valley was left noticeably terraced.

Little Scioto River has a tortuous course that carved a gorge-like valley in it‘s older days. Geologists say the vast amount of erosion along the lower portion of the Little Scioto had to be the work of a much larger stream than the present river. The old valley floor here lies about 300 to 350 feet below the hills which border it. The cliffs observed on either side of the valley here are quite steep and represent what once was a great bend in the old stream which flowed along the present day bed of the modern Ohio River before turning north at Sciotoville. Geologists say the opening here at Sciotoville is indicative of the Little Scioto being quite mighty in earlier periods of geologic time as it continued northward to feed into the Teays just north of here.

Northward flowing rivers were dammed up by the solid ice flow of the glaciers during the last ice of the Pleistocene Era. Large lakes were created by these rivers. As the glaciers melted, the old river courses were altered. Great masses of water flowed from melting glaciers southward into the ancient river beds. Their courses reversed from north to south. Many streams we see today were created during this period in the beds of older rivers. Such is the story of the Little Scioto. The system of pre-glacial rivers which once flowed northward across Scioto County have greatly modified the topography. These rivers left areas of fertile farmland and gently rolling land. They have also created some spectacular scenery in rock cuts. The directions of these older rivers can be seen in part today by following the courses of some of our present day streams like the Little Scioto.

Geologists say that deposits along the bed of the Little Scioto River include both Pre-Glacial and Glacial origin. The Pre Glacial deposits are comprised of mainly clay and sand. Glacial age deposits are comprised of gravel and sands. The older river deposits of sand and clay have little gravel and are often more than 40’ thick. Clays make up the bulk of the bed. The later deposits are well defined by the terraces along the lower Little Scioto River Valley floor. Near the mouth of the river the deposits are more fine grained sands while further up stream they are more clay. Hence the older deposits were laid down in slowly moving currents while the latter were deposited in still almost lake like conditions which existed during the Pleistocene.

Another geologic wonder associated with the mighty Little Scioto River is the proximity to a significant fossil horizon noted around the world by geologists. The “Sciotoville Rock” as it came to be known is located at the mouth of the river here. A rock ledge extending in the Ohio River at the mouth was a well known fossil locality for more than fifty years. Professional collectors obtained thousands of brachiopods and mollusks and other fossils part of this unique formation until 1920 when the US Army Corp of Engineers constructed dams along the Ohio River and the river level increased and covered the treasure.

Pennsylvanian Age rock is the predominant cliff exposed along the Little Scioto River. Erosion was extensive during the Mississippian Age time period and upper members of such rock were cut away. Sciotoville Clay is one of the most important formation rocks in Scioto County as far as economic value. It was the basis of the once thriving brick industry here. This important clay horizon or formation has excellent continuity and thickness all along the valley of the Little Scioto River. The Sciotoville Brick Company once stood along the Ohio River adjacent to the mouth here.

To see just how meager that Little Scioto is today than in pre-glacial times, travel to Sciotoville just off of US 52 to the coordinates provided. The shale and sandstone cliff sides of the valley to the east and west of the coordinates encompass Sciotoville and create what once was the ancient river bed of the Mighty Little Scioto River. The hillsides mark the width that this river once ran and the valley that has been cut northward as it flowed toward Ohio’s Ancient Nile River- the Teays River Valley near Minford.

Ample parking is available along both sides of Gallia Street here. You may also park on the business lot adjacent to the coordinates, as it is owned by our family. Proceed down the public right of way to the coordinates provided. Tasks 1-3 will be completed here. To complete the last task you will need to travel by car to estimate the scope of the valley width.

Task 1. Estimate the distance from your vantage point to the mouth of the Ohio River where the Scioto Rock fossil ledge is located just to the south.

Task 2. Take an elevation reading of your present location here near the mouth of the river.

Task 3. Estimate the present day width of the Little Scioto River?

Task 4. Estimate the width of the mighty Little Scioto River from ancient times that cut the present day valley that runs north between the hillsides here at Sciotoville. Mark a point at the present day location of the stream where you presently are located. Travel west in your car on Gallia Street (the main thoroughfare east and west here) until you dead end against the hillside where the Sciotoville exit ramp enters the village off of US 52. Take a reading of how far you have traveled from the marked point on your GPS. That will give you the width of the river that once rain between the two hillsides here.

Email us the answers. Be sure to include a picture of the Little Scioto River with your log.

As you complete the earth cache, take a moment to consider a time when this area looked very different than it does today. The once giant feeder river here to the massive Teays River just to the east and north of here saw geologic events create great fossils here that held clues to the past. Those same forces formed rocks that were of great economic importance to the industrial era and the brick factories. They carved out the landscape that we see here today.