Placed a cache up there and then decided a good subject for an Earthcache....but you can do the EC at parking area across the road...
The Allegheny National Forest is home to many many rocks and formations, and with Mother nature making additions, these areas become very unique and interesting… These rocks were left here from the glacial movement during the Ice Age from the Illinoian advance…… About 30 percent of Pennsylvania was covered by the glaciers… which helped sculpt the hills and valleys; and deposited such materials as boulders, sediment, and other debris, including pieces of Canada…(Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & National Resources)
These rock deposits are being affected by weathering and erosion… Please read about weathering, erosion, and soil formation and message me the answers... but mostly, enjoy your visit..
Per new EC recomendations, you may choose 3 questions to answer, but feel free to answer them all if you choose...and add picture to your log... Thanks
Look at the rock closest that has 5 trees. For question #2, start at left and number them, 1,2,3,4,5.
1. Do you think the trees will topple before the rock will split?
2. Which tree do you think will topple first? #1, #2, #3, #4, or #5
3. Why?
4. What other feature close by helps keep this area moist?
5. Name 3 organisms that are helpful with the mineral and nutrient cycling..
With biological and chemical weathering, such as snow, water, ice, wind, plant life, the rocks are slowly broken down… As joins and cracks form, more debris is left in these areas, including decaying plants and animals, eventually, making soil so that more and larger plant life can flourish…this is called bioerosion..
There are 5 factors that affect soil formation - parent material, time, climate, relief, and organisms..
- Parent material - the mineral and organic material from which the soil is formed - here you will see several medium size rocks and lots of forest material..
- Time - the younger soil will have the same characteristics of the parent material, but overtime and with more organic material, moisture, and chemical process, the soil can change…example fine dark rich soil…
- Climate - temperature and precipitation determine how quickly weathering will be and what kind of organisms will be available on and inside the soils…. Moisture determines the chemical and biological reactions that occur… warmer climate with more rainfall means more vegetation cover and animal action…
- Relief - landscape and slopes - here you will see gentle slopes, which helps keep runoff slower… and as many trees, there is more shade to keep areas moist..
- Organisms - living things that live on and in the soils… Plants (lots here), fungi, insects, bacteria, and small animals in the decaying process help with the mineral and nutrient cycling and chemical reactions..
The plant and tree roots continue through these joints and cracks to find moisture, which can widen and deepen over time, with more soil being made… and where the plants and trees can get a strong hold… The evidence of soil being present is found in the plants that appear to be growing out of or on top of the rocks... when, in reality, these plant roots are growing in soil that has formed in the cracks of the rocks.. The continual enlarging of these cracks through several weathering processes will, eventually, lead to spitting of the rocks…
References: - Websites: National Geographic: erosion and Weathering, SoftSchools.com, Wikipedia - Erosion, The Geological Soiciety of America - Earthcaching, An Educator’s Guide, eschooltoday.com, www.uen.org