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There are educational questions that MUST be answered. Failure to answer them can and will result in your log being removed. See below for questions.
This Earthcache is located on a 1/2 mile paved trail maintained by the Janet Huckabee Nature Center. This is handicapped accessible if you have help coming up a hill near the center after coming off the trail. Except for the hill, the terrain is flat.
A braided stream is created when the discharge of water cannot transport its load. When there is a decrease in stream velocity, sediment is deposited on the floor of the channel creating bars. The bars separate the channel into several smaller channels creating a braided appearance. Braided channels are common in glaciated or recently glaciated landscapes where streams are fed by debris-choked melt water. Braided streams also occur in rivers with high slope and/or large sediment load, and are also typical of environments that dramatically decrease channel depth, and consequently channel velocity, such as river deltas, alluvial fans and peneplains. Braided rivers, as distinct from meandering rivers, occur when a threshold level of sediment load or slope is reached.
Geologically speaking an increase in sediment load will over time increase the slope of the river, so these two conditions can be considered synonymous and consequently a variation of slope can model a variation in sediment load. The channels and braid bars are usually highly mobile, with the river layout often changing significantly during flood events. Channels move sideways via differential velocity: On the outside of a curve, deeper, swift water picks up sediment (usually gravel or larger stones), which is re-deposited in slow-moving water on the inside of a bend.
The braided stream used for this Earthcache is a stream emerging from a wetland area and entering a lake. Wetland areas are areas where the soil is saturated all or part of the year. As the water flows out, it carries a lot of sediment out of the wetlands area without sufficient velocity to carry it fully to the lake. When stream water looks muddy, it is carrying rock material in suspension. Suspended load usually includes clay, silt, and fine sand. Although these suspended materials are heavier than the water, the turbulence of the stream flow stirs them up, and keeps them from sinking. A stream may also transport rock materials in its bed load. The bed load usually consists of sand, pebbles, and boulders that are too heavy to be carried in suspension. These heavier materials get pushed or rolled along the bottom, or stream bed.
To get get credit for this Earthcache, you must do the following: 1. Take a picture of the braided stream behind you. You are free to be in the picture if you want, or can put your GPS, or another item. Basically, make sure I know that you went. Your picture should be unique, and not an exact copy of posted pictures. And I know the area, I can recognize the stream. 2. Answer the following four questions. Internet research for at least one of them is required. A. What is the difference between a braided stream and a meandering stream? B. Looking at the cloudiness of the water, do you see a high level of suspended load? If so, what do you feel is the load? C. Estimate the width of the water in the stream and the width of the channel cut out by the stream using your GPS unit. D. If you continue down the trail towards the lake, you will come to a boardwalk over a dry braided channel. To your right you should see a beaver dam. While you can not see where the dry braid began upstream, give a reason why dry braids occur in a braided stream channel.
The Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center is the third of four planned Arkansas Game and Fish Commission nature centers funded by the 1/8th-Cent Conservation Sales Tax passed in 1996. The Center is open Tuesdays through Saturday's from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, and Sundays 1pm to 5 pm. If you wish to do this Earthcache during a time not listed, you will need to park at the Wells Lake Access point north on Wells Lake Road and then hike a longer hike. The cache is rated with the assumption that you park in the center parking lot, which is closer.
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