Fall Creek Floodplain EarthCache
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Fall Creek is a tributary of the White River. It is 57.5 miles long and has a watershed drainage area of 318 square miles. It begins near the Town of Honey Creek Indiana and ends as the confluence with the White River in downtown Indianapolis.
Fall Creek Floodplain
To Log this Cache:
1) Go to the posted coordinates
2) Travel south on CR 750 W, measuring the distance of the floodplain, it ends as the rode turns sharply upward
3) Return to the bridge and measure the width of Fall Creek
4) Describe the land use of the floodplain
5) Describe the topography of the floodplain as you complete step 2
Floodplain
As you drive south, you will pass across a typical midwestern floodplain.
Floodplains are a natural feature of rivers. They form due to erosion, sedimentation and deposition actions of flooding rivers. Floodplains are either flat or slightly sloped land bordering rivers. Rivers carry sediment due to erosion from riverbanks, scouring, and runoff. As rivers flood, they crest their banks and the water spreads onto surrounding land. As the river "widens" it slows and the sediment settles to the underlying land. As the floodwaters recede, a new nutrient rich layer of soil is left behind.
Floodplains have many benefits. They host a diverse ecosystem. Numerous plants, and wildlife are attracted to this area. In part due to the fertile soil and availability of water. Plants thrive as do animals. Ponds, marshes, lakes, and bayous are common features.
Man impacts floodplains in several ways. Poor building practices have seen homes and other structures put in the way of floodwaters. Levees built in floodplains constrict the flow of water. This speeds up flooding rivers, taking the rich sediment downstream instead of enriching the floodplain.
However, farmers have long known the benefits of farming the fertile soil of the floodplain.
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Treasures
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