GC9W5KX 🚨 The Trail is Eroding! 🚨 (Earthcache) in New Jersey, United States created by Ocean5000

GC9W5KX ▼

A cache by Ocean5000 Message this owner

Hidden : 6/16/2022

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

Formation of Soils in NJ:

The Wisconsin glaciation hugely impacted soil development in northern New Jersey. The terminus of the Laurentide ice sheet was in central New Jersey (south of here), meaning that this portion of the state was underneath a massive glacier approximately 75,000 to 11,000 years ago. Over this period, glaciers pulverized large amounts of rock and deposited small amounts of moraine. A portion of this moraine consists of large sand granules present in our soils.

The portions of the Northeastern USA above the glacial border consist of high sand content due to the glacial weathering of rock. Specifically, in this area, inceptisol soil is extremely common. Unlike the other types, it does not contain train amounts of metals such as Fe and Al due to the absence of large amounts of clay. Another contributor to soil development stems from the parent material until the soil layer. When parent rock material is exposed to the atmosphere or when organic matter and/or minerals are deposited on the earth’s surface, soil formation begins. As a result, finely textured parent materials tend to weather into finely textured soils; coarsely textured parent materials tend to weather into coarsely textured soils. In this portion of Eastern Morris County, the bedrock consists of siltstone, shale, sandstone, and conglomerate. These types of rock, when they weather, produce coarse sediment (mostly sand) rather than fine sediment (such as clay or silt). The image below highlights the bedrock and parent material of each part of NJ. Our region, where this EarthCache is located, can be identified in dark green.

The high concentration of sand in non-lacustrine soils leaves the land susceptible to soil erosion processes such as the formation of gullies. Sand, compared to clay, is enormous in grain size and this form of soil has large particles, in which water can flow easily. Tightly-packed soils such as those that contain large amounts of clay, are less porous and restrict fluids from lifting soil particles and eroding landscapes.

What is a Gully?

A gully is a landform created by running water and/or the sinking of soil and rock down slopes. This causes the erosion of soil, typically on a hillside, in river floodplains, or terraces. Gullies resemble large ditches or small valleys and can range in size. They are commonly related to intermittent or ephemeral water flow usually associated with intense rainfall events or snowmelt.

Types of Gullies:

U-Shaped: These are formed where both the topsoil and subsoil have the same resistance against erosion. Because the subsoil is eroded as easily as the topsoil, nearly vertical walls are developed on each side of the gully.

V-Shaped: These gullies develop where the subsoil has more resistance than topsoil against erosion. This is the most common form of gully.

Trapezoidal: These gullies are formed where the gully bottom is made of more resistant material than the topsoil. At the subsoil layer, there is much more resistance of getting eroded, and thus the development of further depth of gully is restricted.

Impacts of gully erosion:

Reduce land available for agriculture
Generate sediment and increase flooding that affects fences, farms, roads, and bridges
Wash sediment into waterways and water supplies, leading to sediment pollution
Speed up the rate of erosion by exposing subsoil
Increase turbidity (cloudiness) and nutrient loads in streams, rivers, dams, and ponds

Factors that increase the likelihood of gully erosion:

Sparse ground cover, with minimal vegetation, can increase the prevalence of gullies in an area. This can be caused anthropogenically (by land clearing or over-grazing) or naturally (fires, earthquakes, landslides). Steep ground/slopes increase the risk of gully erosion due to concentrated runoff flowing into depressions during storms. Additionally, soil that is primarily sodic in composition is at serious risk for this form of erosion. Sodic soils contain large amounts of Na+ ions that are attracted to clay particles. Increased levels of clay particles lead to poor soil infiltration and thus more of a risk of forming gullies.

Logging Tasks:

Study the land at the GZ. Name at least one factor that you observe that makes gully erosion more likely to occur in this area.
Is the gully present at the GZ u-shaped, v-shaped, or trapezoidal in shape?
Over many, many years, what do you think has led to the creation of this landform based on what you’ve learned in the description and your observations at the GZ?
What do you see in the area that helps stabilize some of the soil from eroding from the bank of the gully?
Estimate the width of the gully and the height of the banks.
As of June 2019, earthcaches now contain required photo logging tasks. Please provide a photo of yourself, your GPSr, or a personal item that proves that you have visited this site. Please post this in your log.