Amicalola Falls Earthcache EarthCache
Amicalola Falls Earthcache
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Located 15 miles west of historic Dahlonega GA, you will find the tallest waterfall in the state of Georgia which is the third tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi. The falls are located in Amicalola State Park and borders the Chattahoochee National Forest. The paved trail climb / boardwalk steps along Little Amicalola Creek upstream to the falls is a moderate to moderately strenuous 0.50 mile hike one way; steep in parts with gorgeous wooded water views along the way. The trail ends for this earthcache at Viewing platform number 7 at the base of the initial waterfall drop but for the more adventurous they can continue up the seemingly endless stairway to the top of the falls. Signposts along the path help bring out the character in the landscape.
The name "Amicalola" is thought to be a corruption of the Cherokee word for "tumbling waters." This is appropriate as the fall on Little Amicalola Creek was known to the Cherokee and their ancestors for hundreds if not thousands of years before the first European explorers pushed into their lands. The earliest known written description of the waterfall was penned by a Georgia surveyor in 1832 who wrote of its stunning beauty, but also noted - as have many modern visitors - that he was "completely exhausted by the time I reached half-way." He saw it before the Cherokee were forcefully removed from the area and marched west at bayonet point on the Trail of Tears in 1838. Their departure opened the area around Amicalola Falls to settlement and by the Civil War there was a small settlement there that included a water-powered mill and a Methodist campground. The Crane family, owners of the mill, held the land surrounding the waterfall until 1940 when they sold it to the State of Georgia. It is now the centerpiece of Amicalola Falls State Park, a stunning park area that features hiking trails, overlooks, cabins, campgrounds a 56-room lodge and the southern jumping-off point for the Appalachian Trail.
The water that becomes Amicalola Falls starts about a mile upstream in the mountains of the Chattahoochee National Forest. Underground springs combine with runoff from rain and melting snow to form the small creek which steadily grows in size until it reaches a width of 12 feet and a average depth of 1 foot just above the initial drop. Once the water reaches the top of the falls it then begins its drop of 729 feet. After tumbling down the rock face the water reforms into a small creek for about a mile where it then combines with Amicalola Creek. Amicalola Creek then flows into the Etowah River which flows southwesterly into the Coosa River which then combines with the Tallapoosa river to end its 500 mile journey in the Gulf of Mexico .
The rocks we see along Little Amicalola Creek were not always the way the see them now. About 500 million years ago these rocks were almost two miles below the surface of the earth. Extreme heat and pressure changed their composition. Geologists call rocks that have been changed in this way “metamorphic". As the pressure squeezed them the rock cracked and quartz filled the resulting cracks. You can see the quartz in the thin lines on the surface of the rocks.
Waterfalls are generally grouped into the following categories:
Block: The water descends from a relatively wide stream or river.
Cascade: The water descends a series of rock steps.
Cataract: A large waterfall.
Fan: The water spreads horizontally as it descends while remaining in contact with bedrock.
Horsetail: The descending water maintains some contact with bedrock.
Plunge: The water descends vertically, losing contact with the bedrock surface.
Punchbowl: The water descends in a constricted form, then spreads out in a wider pool.
Segmented: Distinctly separate flows of water develop as it descends.
Tiered: The water drops in a series of distinct steps or falls.
Multi-step: A series of waterfalls one after another of roughly the same size, each with it's own sunken plunge pool.
I hope you have enjoyed your visit to the Amicalola Falls Earthcache and can take away some knowledge of how these lovely Falls and surrounding area were formed. So often we take for granted the beauty before our eyes. Thank you for taking the time to visit, to learn…. to leave nothing but footprints.
To receive credit for this EarthCache you will need to answer the following four questions. FOR OBVIOUS REASONS DO NOT POST ANSWERS IN YOUR LOG. Send an email through this cache page by clicking on our name at the top of the cache page.
1. After reading the cache page and visiting Amicalola Falls, what role do you think underground springs and natural runoff played in the creation of these falls?
2. The water which created Amicalola Falls takes a very long journey that might come as surprise to many. What have you learned are the beginnings and ending of this journey?
3. 500 Million years ago heat and pressure changed the composition of rock in the area. What do Geologists call this change which occurred 2 miles beneath the earth’s surface and what mineral filled the resulting cracks?
4. From the waterfall categories description above, which category best describes Amicalola falls and why?
5. At viewing platform number 7, you will have climbed much of the 729 foot waterfall. You will be standing at the base of the initial drop. The initial drop ends at this point due to protrusion of the rock face. Tell me your estimate of the height of the initial drop of the waterfall to viewing platform number 7. Do you think that this initial drop distance will increase, decrease, or remain the same over time and why?
Optional: Post a picture of yourself with your GPS in front of the Falls Have fun and enjoy the falls.
NOTE: Normal park hours are from 7:00am until 10:00pm. There is also a small parking fee ($5).
A special note of thanks here to the Amicalola Falls State Park Manager for his permission in allowing the placement of an Earthcache at Amicalola Falls.
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