ASP Rock Water Erosion EarthCache

This cache has been archived.

rainbowtree: DO NOT post a log to this cache.
If you choose to disregard CO's request and log this archived cache, be sure you have the following ...
1. Pics at the required coordinates with you or your signature item as verification of visit.
2. All questions completely/thoughtfully answered.
A special thank you to those who completed all the requirements as requested -and- added the Journeys to your log.

More
Hidden : 9/29/2016
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:


Cattaraugus County
Enjoy the wonders that abound within these Enchanted Mountains.


EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. Enjoy the journey (learning adventure) as well as the destination (smiley earned). Remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints. To get credit for this Earthcache, complete the following tasks:

1. MESSAGE :-) or EMAIL …. Why are the shale layers not eroding in a uniform manner?

2. MESSAGE :-) or EMAIL …. What is the amount of falling water you see at the time of your visit? Use the magnitude of flow chart to answer this question.

3. MESSAGE :-) or EMAIL …. Describe how this falling water is eroding the cliff. Give a specific example either in words or with a pic.

4. MESSAGE :-) or EMAIL …. Based on the reading, compare how water has eroded rock within Allegany State Park ... Bridal Falls / Bear Caves / Thunder Rocks.

OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in finding and creating this earthcache by adding A B C to your log.

A. Post a picture at or near the posted coords. This picture is your log signature verifying that you were at the earthcache.

B. JOURNEY OF THE MIND ... Science explains what we observe. Relate (in your own words) something you found interesting in the reading. This adds to your learning adventure and your log.

C. JOURNEY OF THE HEART ... Art shares our personal experience of what we see. Share something special you found on site, and why it is special to you ... prose / story / poem / picture. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.

D. BEAR CAVES - Find examples of two joints in the rocks. a. What is the angle? (acute/right/obtuse)? ... b. What does this tell you? ... Use the cave opening in the pic as your reference point.

E. THUNDER ROCKS - a. What are the ways water can sculpt rocks. ... b. Find any four examples of water sculpting in Thunder Rocks. Describe the location (ex. direction/steps/coords/bearing) using the parking area as your reference point. Alternatively, you can use pics to verify your finds.

Permit ALL 401

BRIDAL FALLS ... See Video
Bridal Falls is a tributary stream of Stoddard Creek. It flows over a shale cliff of Salamanca Conglomerate and falls 39 feet. The waterfall faces to the south east and has a two foot wide crest. It varies from an impressive amount of water to only a trickle during the summer months.

BEAR CAVES ... See Geocache
The rocks are Salamanca Conglomerate deposited via an inland ocean. These caves result from enlarged vertical cracks or joints in the rock. The main jointing is toward the northwest. The secondary or cross-jointing is at right angles to the first set.


As you approach the rocks, you will notice they tilt uphill. When a block breaks away from the main ledge, it naturally tilts downhill. Due to soil creep, the block gradually reverses its angle of tilt as it moves down the slope.

Unlike the caves of Virginia and Kentucky formed by the solution of limestone, bear caves were formed by vertical cracks or joints in the rocks intersecting at right angles. The cave itself is at the intersection of two joints. "The direction of the main jointing is 30 degrees NW which is the trend of Quaker Run valley, suggesting that the position of the valley is likely determined by the major joint system of the region. The secondary, or cross-jointing, is at right angles to the first set and again corresponds closely with the direction of the tributaries to Quaker Run."

The rocks are Salamanca Conglomerate deposited via an inland ocean. Note the cross-bedding (see pic) evident in the rocks. This is usually produced either by stream or wind action at the time of deposition. However, along shores strong currents or waves could have a similar effect. The flat shape of the pebbles resulting from sliding back and forth in water bears out the beach deposit scenario. Most of the pebbles are white quartz. Also, some of the blocks show vertical worm tubes and occasionally plant remains.

THUNDER ROCKS ... See Earthcache
These rocks are all sedimentary deposited via rivers and streams. Mechanical weathering due to water and wind result in the various rock formations. The rocks here are Olean Conglomerate made up of sand, quartzite pebbles, and oxidized iron compounds. The oxidized iron gives the rocks the brown streaks and swirls. Water is a major factor responsible for sculpting rocks.


CROSS-BEDDING - Sedimentary rocks are deposited as horizontal layers. However, the action of flowing streams oftentimes causes tilting of the layers. Conflicting currents or a decrease in the slope of a stream result in these slanted deposits. Cross beds reveal the direction of flow of the ancient river.

ICE WEDGING - Water gets in the vertical cracks (joints) and horizontal cracks (bedding planes) of a rock and freezes. Water expands when it freezes. This cycle of freezing/melting causes the crack to become ever wider.

DRIPPING WATER - “Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.” Ovid
Trees find a foothold in and among the rocks. After rain, the water dripping from the leaves to the rock below can cause small depressions over time.

FALLING WATER - Water erodes the softer rock faster than the more-resistant rock. Long, vertical cracks are possibly a result of a waterfall.

FLOWING WATER - Pieces are broken off and rounded. A record of storms, dry spells, and changes in the depth and direction of the river is written in the rocks. Zones with many large pebbles indicate rapidly moving water. Finer sediments are deposited by slow-moving water. Alternating bands result from seasonal changes in stream volume.

STAINING - Limonite is iron ore consisting of a mixture of hydrated iron in varying composition. Water had to be present for these rusty brown swirls and streaks in the rocks to occur. Limonite is very resistant to weathering and stands out as veins on the surface of the rocks. Limonite is one of the minerals that cements sand grains together when rocks are formed.

SHALE

Shale is a hardened, compacted clay or silty clay that commonly breaks along bedding planes. It can be fairly thick, or as thin as paper. Shales are easily eroded or worn away. When shales weather, they form clays or muds. The particle size is less than 1/256 mm.

The best exposures are found beneath ledges of harder more resistant rocks. Most shales are soft enough to be cut with a knife and can be very brittle. They are usually gray, but black, green, red or buff shales are also common. Shale and clay make up about 80% of the sedimentary rocks of the Earth's crust.

The rocks at ASP are sedimentary in origin. The more resistant conglomerates underly the shale layers. These layers vary in thickness and are uneven from top of the cliff to the stream below. This variation is due to several factors ... softness of shale, varied amount of water falling over the cliff, changes in temperature through the seasons.

MAGNITUDE OF FLOW

1st Magnitude - 2800 L/s
2nd Magnitude - 280 to 2800 L/s
3rd Magnitude - 28 to 280 L/s
4th Magnitude - 6.3 to 28 L/s
5th Magnitude - 0.63 to 6.3 L/s
6th Magnitude - 63 to 630 mL/s
7th Magnitude - 8 to 63 mL/s
8th Magnitude - 8 mL/s
0 Magnitude - no flow (sites of past/historic flow)

RESOURCES
A Popular Guide to the Geology and Physiography of Allegany State Park by A. K. Lobeck Published 1927
https://mspoirier115.edublogs.org/files/2015/05/Geology-Ch-2-2byycso.pdf
http://www.pitt.edu/~cejones/GeoImages/5SedimentaryRocks/SedStructures/CrossBedding1.html
http://www.comparerocks.com/en/conglomerate-rock/model-10-0

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



Attributes

No attributes available

Advertising with Us