Northrup Falls Earthcache EarthCache
Northrup Falls Earthcache
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Northrup Falls is located in Colditz Cove. A TN Natural Area. Stay on the well defined trails and enjoy your walk to this Earthcache. Remember there is no cache hidden here and to try to Leave no Trace as you make your way to the site.
The easiest way to get here is to leave Allardt TN heading east on Hwy 52 and turn right on Northrup falls Road. There is a parking area for Colditz Cove on the right. The trailhead is clearly marked.
Waterfalls are generally formed when a river is young. The water flowing over the bedrock erodes the channel much more slowly than it does the softer material downstream. Over time an elevation difference develops and water literally falls from one elevation to the other actually accelerating the process as it does.
The sedimentary rock strata of the Cumberland Plateau are layered, and atop these strata sits a layer of rock called the Rockcastle Conglomerate, which consists of cemented-together coarse sand and small pebbles from ancient braided streambeds. The Rockcastle Conglomerate layer functions as caprock because it is very erosion-resistant.
As the land rose, replacing the sea with highlands, rivers became a powerful force for sculpting the landscape. Where the running water breached the erosion resistant conglomerate caprock, it was able to carve deeply into the softer sedimentary rock (mostly sandstone) below. This vigorous downcutting created gorges, cliffs, bluffs, and arches.
The deep cut underneath and around Northrup falls was used by indigenous peoples as shelter nearly 3000 years ago. These are sometime known as "Rock Houses"
In order to Claim this Earthcache Email me the following bits of information:
1. OPTIONAL: Post a picture of your group at the coordinates (or approximate) with the falls in the background.
2. Estimate how deep the ridgeline is undercut near the falls?
2.a. What geologic force created the "Rock Houses" or undercuts
2.b. Why did that force not act equally on the whole wall of the falls.
3. The soil at the bottom of the falls is primarily pebbles. What is the source of those pebbles?
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