Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve EarthCache
Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve
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This EarthCache is located in the Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve. There is no charge to enter the Preserve but you need to be aware of private property and stay on the Preserve. Park and follow the trail down to the river's edge and then back up to the Observatin Deck.
The Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve is located in Calhoun County and comprises 201 acres containing steep, undisturbed bluffs bordering the Congaree River. The preserve harbors significant stands of American beech, oak-hickory and bottom-land hardwood forest. No comparable public sites exist in the coastal plain of South Carolina.
What is a bluff?
A bluff is a steep cliff, or wall of rock or soil that usually borders a river or its flood plain. Bluffs may form along a river where it meanders, or curves from side to side. Water on the outside of the curve flows faster and erodes or wears away the lower part of a river bank. No longer supported, the upper part of the bank breaks off, leaving a high, steep wall. Also know as Cut Bank. Erosion also produces bluffs along the edges of a flood plain. Over thousands of years, a meandering river gradually shifts from side to side across its flood plain. Where the meanders, or loops, of the river reach valley walls, the water may carve bluffs.
The soil makeup of a bluff can vary depending on if it is in a flood plane or not. Bluffs that are on the river's edge can tend to be rocky, and made of clay or limestone. They can be muddy at the base due to the river's rising water level. Bluffs that are away from the river, separated by a flood plane, will tend to be more compact dirt, rocky and also made of clay or limestone.
Below are 3 bluffs located on the Congaree River Blue Trail. They demonstrate how bluffs can be formed in different ways.
Picture 1
Picture 2 
Picture 2 
To log this EarthCache you will need to take the trail directly across from the parking. (waypointed as Trail head) Follow the trail til it forks. (Don't worry, its a loop and will bring you back) Follow the right fork as it takes you to the edge of the Congaree River. Make a waypoint on this portion of the trail when you are about half way between the fork and the curve of the trail. Take note of the soil makeup in this area. Continue following the trail around until you are below the Bluffs directly across from where you made your 1st waypoint. Make another waypoint here and take note of the soil makeup here as well. Also take an elevation reading at this waypoint. Continue on the trail as it takes you back up the hill and to the parking area. Walk along the road to the picnic shelter, meeting building and observation deck. Go to the Observation Deck and take an elevation reading. Email the following to my profile email:
#1 - Describe the soil makeup at your waypoint #1.
#2 - Describe the soil makeup at your waypoint #2. Also give your elevation reading from this waypoint.
#3 - Using your waypoints #1 & #2, give the distance between the 2. (This is the size of the Flood Plane you walked around)
#4 - What is your elevation reading at the Observation Deck?
#5 - Using the elevation of your waypoint #2 and the Observation Deck, how high are the Congaree Bluffs?
You can print a trail map *HERE*
Additional Hints
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