This point, known as Chicken Ridge, set along the Silurian Escarpment, a bedrock layer formed by sediment deposits in shallow seas around 430 million years ago. Northeast Iowa's rugged terrain is characterized by an absence of drift, a term describing the glacial deposits found across much of Iowa. At this location the Volga and Turkey rivers carved two deep valleys that exposed layers of rock to create the scenic landscape. Buffy dolomite can be seen in road cuts, which also show cracks left by water dissolving the rock. Blocks of dolomite that have fallen down the bluffs are also visible in and adjacent to streams and rivers. Farther below, softer shale and older dolomite eroded to form "steps" to the floodplains. This geologic history shaped the region's ecology and how we use the land today.
To claim this Earthcache email us the following answers that can by seen at this location:
1. What direction are the two large valleys that where carved by the two rivers.
2. What are two conservation practices that you can see used in this area to help reduce erosion?
3. Standing at this location what direction is an example of dolomite and describe how it looks.
4.Last but not required post a photo of you or your team at this location.