Craig Crossing Oxbow EarthCache
Woodland Clan: Letting this one go. Not especially challenging or inspiring location.
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An oxbow is formed when a river cuts through a meander neck, shortening the river's course. The old channel is then blocked off as the river deposits silt at either end of this old channel, generally forming an oxbow lake. As flooding occurs, the flood water deposits sediment into the oxbow lakes. Over time, these oxbow lakes become oxbow swamps or marshes. Eventually, the oxbow swamp loses it's ability to hold water and completely fills with sediment. When this happens, it is referred to as a meander scar. Meander scars can be a source of fossils as organic material can become trapped in the oxbow lakes during periods of deposition.
Meander scars are particularly helpful in determining the age of a river. A young river will have very few or no meander scars, a small flood plain, and usually does not meander. A mature river will meander, have several meander scars, a well defined flood plain. An old age river has even more meander scars, a very wide (up to many miles across) flood plain, and will meander continuously throughout the course of the river.
TO LOG THIS EARTHCACHE AS A FIND, YOU MUST:
1.) Go to the posted coordinates, and in an e-mail to woodlandclan@hotmail.com, tell us the source of this particular oxbow.
2.) What event caused this area to form an oxbow?
3.) As you cross over the shortcut to the second stage, please describe the type of sediment you observe.
4.) OPTIONAL, BUT STRONGLY ENCOURAGED -- Go to the additional waypoint coordinates, and take/upload a photograph of yourself at the site.
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Treasures
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