According to Indiana USGS Quadrant Survey, White River Bluff is the only prominent geological feature outside of streams and rivers located in Anderson, IN. It is listed as having an elevation of 886 feet above sea level which is only slightly above the elevation of Anderson, IN as a whole. White River Bluff is composed primarily of earth. It overlooks the White River on its northern bank and is also the northern boundary of the river’s natural flood plain. It runs approximately .34 of a mile from Scatterfield Rd on the East to the Imel Drive parking area on the West.
So, what is a river bluff and how is it formed?
A bluff is a steep cliff or natural wall composed of rock or soil. Most bluffs border 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. This 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.
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.
River Erosion
River erosion is the gradual removal of rock material from the river banks and bed. As the velocity increases so too does the load it can carry and the rate at which it can erode. As the river winds its way from the source to its mouth it may erode by one or more of the four major erosion processes, attrition, hydraulic action, abrasion and solution.
Attrition
When river material, such as rock and soil, collide with one another, they break and become smaller particles. These particles become smoother and rounded as the process works over time.
Hydraulic Action
Water traveling at a high speed enter cracks in soil and rock at the side of the channel. The force of the pressure may cause the rock to weaken and break with the broken pieces of rock being swept away
Abrasion (corrasion)
Rocks that are carried in the river grind and erode the river side and bed. Some of the rock at the sides and bed of the channel are washed away. This type of erosion widens the channel through lateral erosion and deepens the channel by vertical erosion.
Solution (corrosion)
The process by which river water reacts chemically with soluble minerals in rock and soil to dissolve them.
For example, when a river stream flows over an area of limestone (calcium carbonate), it erodes the limestone by reacting chemically with it, dissolving it.
Claiming the Find and Showing You’ve Learned Something.
As with all EarthCaches this is largely on the honor system. As long as it is apparent you were at the location you will be allowed to take credit for the find. Obvious attempts and claiming the find without actually visiting the coordinates will be deleted. Any post including answer to questions below will also be deleted.
- Email me the following information from your visit.
- Estimate how deeply the White River has eroded into the surrounding area at this location. You may assume that the elevation of White River Bluff, which is 886 feet, coincides with the elevation of the surrounding area for this exercise.
- Describe at least one form of erosion present and visible at this location based on your personal observations.
- For extra credit, estimate the width of the White River flood plain at this location. Try to find a pair of locations that are more or less at the same elevation opposite each other overlooking the flood plain.
- Optionally post a picture of yourself or team in the general area of the coordinates with the White River in the background.
Currently Edgewater Park is closed for levee reconstruction. However the trail can be accessed via a small trail parking lot on Imel Drive from the West or a much longer hike from the Rangeline Nature Preserve to the East.
Please remember that as this is part of Anderson City Parks and the trail is closed from dusk till dawn. Remember to practice good CITO by carrying out more trash that you carried in. Finally, due to the nearby levee construction work please obey all restrictions when using the trail.