Rock-houses and Waterfalls
Photo by Ammosuperman
If American Indians who lived here in the past would have
advertised property, this would have surely been listed as:
Multi-story quarters with a great view, running water, pristine
creek in front, surrounded by beautiful wooded area, easy
access.
This location is near the Paintsville dam with a parking lot
close by and an access road directly in front used by fishermen
along the nearby creek. There are multiple waterfalls leading down
from above and rockhouses on two levels, one above the other. The
stream that flows from above is an intermittent waterway, flowing
after rains or when the snow melts, as seen in the photos.
The rock is composed of sandstone, a type of
sedimentary rock initially formed millions of years ago when
this entire region was under a shallow sea. At that time however
the bottom of the sea would have been much higher than the hilltops
you see around you. As the waters of the ancient sea receded,
caused by an uplifting of the land when Earth’s crustal plates
collided (this formed the Appalachian Mountains), erosion by rain
and water flowing over the surface began changing the landscape.
Valleys were formed and hills appeared between them.
We can see that this area was not greatly affected by the
crustal plate collisions. By looking at the layers of the rock that
form the rockhouses and the waterfalls we see the layers in a
horizontal pattern. Had they been affected by the collision
process, the layers would show synclines and anticlines. In most
cases, anticlines are arch-shaped while synclines are trough-shaped
as seen in the picture below.
Photo
fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Syncline.JPG
Syncline near Fort Davis, Texas
The Rockhouses
Photo by Ammosuperman
Typically rockhouses are formed when harder material, such as
the rock layers seen here are overlaying softer, more easily eroded
materials. Over the millions of years since the sea receded and
erosion began changing this land, rockhouses have provided shelter
for the Indians who were known to have inhabited the area. Evidence
of daily life can be found in many across the state. Flint tools,
bone fragments, and pottery shards, as well as carbon build up on
the rock walls from ancient fires can still be found at some
locations. It would only make sense to use such areas for shelter.
If you chose one that faced east, you would get the warmth of the
early morning sun while avoiding westerly winds. Walls could be
constructed from materials found in the forests such as branches,
bark slabs, grasses, and leaves. Warm, secure living quarters could
have been constructed in a couple of days in areas such as
this.
The rock shelters seen at this location are small compared to
some in the state. Many, such as this one are located at the
confluence of two hills allowing water runoff from both hillsides
to flow down the series of waterfalls.
Qualifications for credit:
To get credit for the EarthCache, email the answers to the
following questions and then post a picture of you holding your
GPSr with the rock shelters in the background (this can be taken
from the road if necessary) when you log your find. Posts with no
pictures or without emailing the answers will be deleted. If no
picture is possible, for instance you dropped your camera over the
cliff and it broke or the batteries died, let us know first and we
will work something out.
Questions:
1. What is the estimated height of the upper rock house?
2. What type of rock is found at this location, igneous,
metamorphic, or sedimentary?
3. Why would areas such as this make suitable shelter?
Credits and Ammosuperman EarthCaches:
This EarthCache was created by a team of two Platinum EarthCache
Masters, Ammosuperman EarthCaches are a collaborative effort. We
have used resources such as the Internet and magazine articles as
well as personal experience in visiting the sites, as research
tools in its construction. Our goal is to learn more about our
planet and to pass along what we have learned to others having
similar interests. We hope you enjoy the experience.
Special thanks to David Jackson and Nathan Shelton from the
Army Corps of Engineers who gave permission for us to place this
EarthCache at this location.
