You will cross Little Falls Creek about halfway through the hike using stepping stones. The hike involves a steep, rugged climb up a hollow and over a ridge or two using an old logging road and some single track trail. There are several small falls to take in along the way as well as some great views.
The word erosion derives from the Latin word erosionem meaning "a gnawing away". In earth science, erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that remove soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, then transport it away to another location. The particulate breakdown of rock or soil into clastic sediment is referred to as physical or mechanical erosion; this contrasts with chemical erosion, where soil or rock material is removed from an area by its dissolving into a solvent (typically water), followed by the flow away of that solution. Eroded sediment or solutes may be transported just a fraction of an inch, or for thousands of miles.
Natural rates of erosion are controlled by the action of geomorphic drivers, such as rainfall; bedrock wear in rivers; coastal erosion by the sea and waves; glacial plucking, abrasion, and scour; areal flooding; wind abrasion; groundwater processes; and mass movement processes in steep landscapes like landslides and debris flows. The rates at which such processes act control how fast a surface is eroded. Typically, physical erosion proceeds fastest on steeply sloping surfaces, and rates may also be sensitive to some climatically-controlled properties including amounts of water supplied (e.g., by rain), storminess, wind speed, wave fetch, or atmospheric temperature (especially for some ice-related processes). Processes of erosion that produce sediment or solutes from a place contrast with those of deposition, which control the arrival and emplacement of material at a new location.
While erosion is a natural process, human activities can drastically increase the rate at which erosion occurs. Excessive (or accelerated) erosion causes both "on-site" and "off-site" problems. On-site impacts include decreases in agricultural productivity and (on natural landscapes) ecological collapse, both because of loss of the nutrient-rich upper soil layers. Off-site effects include sedimentation of waterways and eutrophication of water bodies, as well as sediment-related damage to roads and houses. Water and wind erosion are the two primary causes of land degradation; combined, they are responsible for about 84% of the global extent of degraded land.
Types of erosion (based on their cause):
WATER EROSION
Rainfall can cause erosion when the rain hits the surface of the Earth. This is called splash erosion. When raindrops gather together and flow like small streams, this also causes erosion.
Rivers can create a huge amount of erosion over time. They break up particles along the bottom of the river and carry them downstream.
Waves can cause coastline to erode. The energy and force of waves causes pieces of rock and coastline to break off.
Floods can cause drastic erosion as they produce powerful rivers rushing into and washing over whatever they encounter. When ice and snow melt, they raise the level of water in rivers, which can then tear through an area, eroding the banks as they go.
WIND EROSION Wind picks up and carries loose particles and dust away. It also causes erosion when the flying particles crash into the land and break off more particles.
GRAVITY EROSION The force of gravity can cause erosion as it pulls rocks and other particles down the side of a mountain or cliff. It can also cause landslides which can drastically erode an area.
GLACIAL EROSION Glaciers are like giant rivers of ice that slowly move around. As they slowly move, they shape mountains, carve out valleys, and leave sediment behind.
HUMAN EROSION Human activity on and around the earth's surface, whether it is in your backyard or on (or off) the trail, are known to cause erosion 10 times more than naturally occurring processes.
To claim this Earthcache, using what you learned above, email or message me answers to the following questions:
1) The primary cause of erosion at the final location is obviously water. What other type(s) of erosion have shaped the features at the final location?
2) What observations lead you to this conclusion?
3) You passed several examples of erosion on the hike up from the trail head coordinates. Name one type you observed, describe its location, and tell me how you identified it as such.
4) Post a picture of yourself, your GPSr, or a personal item at the coords. Please be careful not to provide obvious answers in your pictures!
I hope you enjoy this cache and location as much as I enjoyed the hike and studying the content. The information comes from Wikipedia and other internet research.
Permission for this cache has been provided by a Chattooga River Ranger representing the Andrew Pickens Ranger District. Please stay on the trails provided, observe all rules for the area, and pick up any trash you may encounter. There is no trash container at the parking coordinates but you can carry it home with you for proper disposal like I did. Makes you feel good about yourself as an added benefit.
Congrats to theaveyards and Genomac1 on the co-FTFs!