Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to visit this
small, but beautiful, state park roughly 12 miles east of
Valentine, NE. We have received intelligence that a remarkable
earth formation has been spotted in the immediate area, and further
investigation is required.
Equipment required: Please stop by requisition before you
leave, and pick up a thermometer, a working camera, and a GPS
receiver unit. Your mission will certainly fail without the first
two, and will be much harder to succeed in without the last.
Background Information: What you are looking for/at is
commonly known as a “waterfall.” While we are used to
water falling in the form of rain or snow, or sleet, sometimes it
gets bored of doing the same old thing, and just decides to fall
for the heck of it. Such is the case here. There are multiple
classifications of “waterfalls”.
- Block: Water descends from a relatively wide stream or
river.
- Cascade: Water descends a series of rock steps.
- Cataract: A large, powerful waterfall.
- Fan: Water spreads horizontally as it descends while remaining
in contact with bedrock.
- Horsetail: Descending water maintains some contact with
bedrock.
- Plunge: Water descends vertically, losing contact with the
bedrock surface.
- Punchbowl: Water descends in a constricted form and then
spreads out in a wider pool.
- Segmented: Distinctly separate flows of water form as it
descends.
- Tiered: Water drops in a series of distinct steps or
falls.
- Multi-step: A series of waterfalls one after another of roughly
the same size each with its own sunken plunge pool.
Smith Falls is the highest waterfall in Nebraska, one of over
230 similar waterfalls feeding into the Niobrara River Valley. From
previous observation, we know that 7 springs feed into this 66 ft.
high waterfall, with roughly 1302 gallons per minute pouring over
the edge. Even in the coldest weather, the falls never completely
freeze. The Niobrara River drains nearly 12,000 square miles and
runs for 76 miles through northern Nebraska, cutting through four
distinct rock features along the way - the Ash Hollow, Valentine,
Rosebud, and Pierre formations. At Smith Falls, the water has cut
down to the Rosebud formation, a erosion resistant layer that dates
from the Miocene era.
Remarkably, this area is also home to several species of trees
and birds not common in the Nebraska area, including several forms
of aspen. When the glacier retreated 12,000 years ago, the climate
changed, becoming warmer and drier, turning to prairie, and tree
such as spruce and birch disappeared from the state. Save in the
canyons east of Valentine, where creeks still feed into the
Niobrara River, such as here. The coolness of the water, and the
narrow, north-facing canyons permit these trees to grow here,
roughly 400 miles from where they are commonly found. Keep your eye
out for them as you make your way along the board walkway. All in
all, a truly remarkable… HEY! Give that back!
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Our apologies, cacher. Dr. Hideakey from Botany snuck into the
lab again. Not to worry, we have wrested the keyboard back now.
Now, where were we? Oh, yes, giving the mission brief.
Mission brief: Upon arrival at Smith Falls State Park,
please proceed to the waterfall.
- Using the equipment listed above, obtain a reading on the
temperature of the water at the base of the falls.
- Classify the type of waterfall, using the listing given
above.
- Also, headquarters would like a picture of you and your GPS
against the backdrop of the falls.
Once you have completed these tasks, email all data to me for
verification, and post the picture in your log. Without this
information, your mission will FAIL… no smiley for
you!
Beware! As often happens in such cases, we are not the only ones
interested in this unique formation. As ever, try to exercise
discretion as you fulfill your mission. Depending on the season,
the odds are high that teams of “muggles” have been
dispatched, and will be found playing in the waterfall proper. And
should you find yourself there on a hot summer’s day, we will
look the other way if you decide to join them!
This earth cache will self-destruct in five eons. Good luck,
cacher!
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