ROCK CITY PARK
Adults $5.00 / Seniors $4.00 / Children 6-12 $3.00
Open Memorial Day to Labor Day from 9 to 5
THIS IS SEASONAL, BUT KEEPING IT ACTIVE FOR THOSE PLANNING A VISIT.
THANK YOU Cindy Smith (Park Director) and Dale Smith (Park Ranger) for permission to share this earthcache site.
THANK YOU Dr. Ovidiu D. Franţescu @ Pitt Bradford for your help with this earthcache.
THANK YOU University of Pittsburgh Bradford for the educational guide.
Enjoy your stroll and learning adventure as you wind your way around "gigantic rock formations". If you have all the required pictures, see Cindy or Dale for a special gift.
EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. ... "Geocachers must complete the tasks before they log the EarthCache as found." (4.3. EarthCache logging tasks)
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 …. Posted Coordinates ... The whole complex of rocks in this park is a result of depositions by the river system that flowed through this area. Based on your observations and reading, is the river system meandering or braided? Explain.
2. MESSAGE …. Waypoint Coordinates ... Here you will see clearly defined ripple marks. Based on your observations and reading, as you ascend Indian Stairs do the ripple marks indicate you are travelling upstream or downstream?
3. LOG …. Post a picture of another indication of the river system anywhere along the trail, but NOT at the coordinates. This picture is your log signature.
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in creating this earthcache by adding A and B to your log.
A. 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.
B. 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. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.
Journeys of Heart and Mind ...
Stories to Touch the Heart and Puzzles to Challenge the Mind / Rainbow Tree Story
MEANDERING RIVER SYSTEM
"Meandering rivers typically only contain one channel that winds its way across the floodplain. As it flows, it deposits sediment on banks that lie on the insides of curves (point bar deposits), and erode the banks on the outside of curves. When the river floods, it deposits fine-grained material on the floodplain. As the floodplain is a lot larger than the channel, deposits of meandering river systems are dominated by fine-grained material; coarse-grained channel deposits tend to be relatively minor."
The bed of meandering rivers is narrow. If the rock record shows individual channels, you are observing a meandering river system.
BRAIDED RIVER SYSTEM
"Braided Rivers exhibit numerous channels that split off and rejoin each other to give a braided appearance. They typically carry fairly coarse-grained sediment down a fairly steep gradient. As flow regimes in a river vary, braiding is developed by the systematic sorting as the stream deposits load sizes it is no longer able to carry. This bedload deposition will result in a number of different types of bars and bedforms, which inturn impede and divert the flow. Banks which are easily eroded will facilitate this process"
The bed of braided rivers is wide. If the rock record shows multiple criss-crossed channels, you are observing a braided river system.
RIPPLE MARKS
These are sedimentary structures in the rock record that indicate water current. Because this is a river system, the water moves in a single direction and the resulting ripples will have an asymmetric cross section. The long, shallow slope side is upstream, and the short, steep side is downstream. If there are pebbles present, this would indicate the water was fast moving (higher energy environment) so it carried all finer sediments downstream.
RESOURCES ... Rock City Park ... University of Pittsburgh Bradford Educational Resource Guide
http://www.seddepseq.co.uk/DEPOSITIONAL_ENV/Fluvial/Meander/meander.htm
http://www.seddepseq.co.uk/DEPOSITIONAL_ENV/Fluvial/Braided/braided.htm
https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/nature/upload/Denali-Geology-Road-Guide.pdf