Hellbender Bluff Park EarthCache
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Welcome to the newest of Columbiana County, Ohio parks. Hellbender
Bluff Park was dedicated Sept. 21, 2011 and encompasses 752 acres.
Currently, the park has several walking/hiking trails and you will
be using these trails to complete your Earthcache find. The park is
still under development, but you will have a nice time exploring
the area and completing this cache.
The park is named after the largest amphibian in Ohio. The
hellbender is an aquatic salamander which can occasionally attain a
length of 27 inches. In spite of its formidable appearance, the
hellbender is harmless. This salamander is listed as endangered by
the Ohio Division of Wildlife. The Hellbender Bluff Park is one of
the few surviving intact habitats home to these large salamanders.
The park is located west of St Rt 7 between Lones Road and East
Liverpool Road. The entrance and parking are located on East
Liverpool Road about .7 miles west of St Rt 7. Use the Rogers exit
on Route 11 and you will be almost there!
Here is a little background on how this land came to this point.
Mining began in the area in late 1970’s to extract a one
meter thick vein of coal and as the mining progressed along a vast
hillside, the overburden had to be removed to access the very
valuable coal which formed a shear bluff. Mining ceased in 1983.
The reclamation process used by the mining company simply involved
replacing all of the earth that was displaced during the mining
operation which mostly restores the land to its original contour.
However, the activity of so much heavy machinery leaves the soil
heavily compacted. The compacted soil makes a very poor medium for
tree growth because the trees cannot take root. A reforestation
project has been ongoing. Due to the ability to see various rock
levels in the bluffs and strip mined areas, this area is a unique
locality to study the physical, chemical, and biological changes
associated with the Desmoinesian-Missourian transition in the
Dunkard Basin. The area yields abundant and exceptionally
well-preserved fossils and has been the focus of many studies due
to the unique geological properties. A study in 1989 (Slucher),
revealed the ontogenetic change of mollusks and arthopods hatching
to maturity as well as intra-specific variation of shell
morphology. In addition, several studies reveal a plethora of
fossils from many different geological periods.
Here are a few samples of the fossils found in this general
area.
When examining the rock bluffs, the layers of rock visible to the
naked eye are many. The following chart from a 2004 study
(Easterday) gives a great description of the layers and tells us
what types of rock to look for.
As you hike, you will see fragments of shale. Shale is a
fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a
mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments. Shale is the
most common sedimentary rock and exhibits varying degrees of
fissility, which means it breaks off into layers. The typical color
is gray, but when other elements or organic materials are added and
then compressed over hundreds of millions of years, the colors will
vary. You will be seeing many colors of shale on your hike. The
colors of shale you will see in this area are another unique factor
about this park. About 386 million years ago, this area was a
basin. The deepest parts of the basin collected more sediment and
organic material while the higher levels were home to many shell
dwellers and arthropods. The area also hosted a variety of plant
life, many of which types are now non-existent. Some of the plants
and other organisms were trapped in the sediment and then
fossilized.
Now to get down to business… The park has a maze of trails
one of which will take you to the bluffs mentioned in the park
name. Park at the listed parking coordinates. There are no
shortcuts and most of this park is yet undeveloped. Use the
trailhead by the hellbender sign in the parking area. Follow the
trail along the hillside and as you go, make sure to pay attention
to the caution tapes which lead you on the trail the correct way.
As you approach the bluff, please use caution, the slope is steep!
There is never a reason to leave the trail, nor do you have to turn
back at any point unless you don’t follow the tapes as
described. The trail will loop around so you don’t have to
hike back up the slope and it will come out on the other side of
the forested area where the loop began. Enjoy the view of the
bluff, but stay back at a safe distance.
To earn your credit for the earthcache, you must answer the
following questions and email the answers to the cache owner.
Earthcache Questions:
1. Estimate the drop of the shear bluff wall from the trail to the
water.
2. Use the chart of rock types and layers from the cache
description and list the rock types you see as you walk the trail
along the bluff.
Congrats to egroeg for FTF!!
References:
Easterday, C. R. (2004). Stratigraphy and paleontology of Cemetery
Hill (Desmoinesian-Missourian: Upper Carboniferous), Columbiana
County, eastern Ohio. Ohio State University.
Slucher, E. R. 1989. Rock Camp marine zone - a new informal unit in
the Conemaugh Group (Pennsylvanian) of NE Ohio. Ohio Journal of
Science, Abstracts with Programs 89:11–12. CSA
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