Do go chasing waterfalls...
Welcome to Swayze Falls and Short Hills Provincial Park!
The trail to Swayze Falls from the parking lot is wheelchair accessible from the Roland Parking lot, per the park trail system. It does however, have a hill to it, and will likely need someone to help push you up the hill if you are indeed travelling by wheelchair... Please come with a friend. I was granted special permission by the Ontario Parks Assistant Superintendent to allow this Earth Cache. All rules regarding access *must* be adhered to, or it will be archived. All answers can be done by visual observations from the trail marker/posted sign/viewing platform. Under no circumstances should you approach the falls or venture off the public platform for answers!
As with all Earth Caches, there is no container to be found at ground zero. Read the questions and with information from the cache page write up, the information board, and your own observations, please send in your answers to be able to log your cache as found. You may use either the email or messenger service. Failure to send in answers and an appropriate photo will result in your log removed. Please don't make me be a meanie!
To log this Earth Cache please answer the following and post your photo:
At the top/crest of the falls, where the bowl is largest:
1a) what is your estimated width of the entire bowl?
1b) what is the width of the crest line (water fall) area? (you may have to “guess” based on tree growth/greenery if there is no water in the bed)
1c) what is drop of the water falls (distance down)?
You can easily see two different rock layers in the falls drop. At this waterfall, as part of the Lockport Group and DeCew Formation, they are shale and dolostone. More information is on the signage if you need help…
2a) Which type of rock layer do you see on the top portion of the falls? Describe the colour and thickness of each of the layers/chunks within this rock type. What proportion of the total wall height would you say is this rock?
2b) What type of rock layer do you see towards the bottom of the falls? Describe the colour and thickness of each of these layers within this rock type. What proportion of the total wall height would you say is this rock?
3) Do you see evidence of waterfall erosion of a cap or plunge pool(s) beneath the falls?
4) Knowing Swayze Falls is aka Dry Falls, would you expect further waterfall retreat? Why or why not?
5) The information boards speak of other erosion forces at work at these falls. What are they? What evidence do you see of this at the falls area?
6) Proof of visitation AFTER publication is REQUIRED – if you prefer not to show your face in the photo, you may send it with your answers. Otherwise, please attach a photo of yourself and/or your geocaching name/personal geocaching tag with your log of the “falls”, without giving away the answers. Each member of your group much supply a photo of themselves there. In a group is okay, I just want to know you were each there.
The Niagara Region of Ontario is just littered with waterfalls of various sizes, types and shapes. We came to Short Hills park for our darling Deer Bait cache. Afterwards, we stopped and marvelled at Swayze Falls... aka Dry Falls. I giggled a little at the “Falls”, but the rock structure here is still quite remarkable.
Swayze Falls, with water runoff
Waterfalls are beautiful natural phenomenon of various sizes, shapes and power. They could be ephemeral in nature (occurring temporarily during spring run off or during heavy rainfall) or permanent. Or so they seem... Waterfalls are actually constantly slowly aging and changing through water erosion of the bedrock and the surrounding rock around them.
Waterfalls generally start in young rivers, following the natural channel. They form in the upper course of the river, where the harder rock lies next to a layer of softer rock. The bedrock itself is often loose sand, silt or soil and moves quickly along with the river at steep inclines.
They may start off as rapids of water, flowing over hard rock while the softer rock beneath gets eroded away, creating a notch in the river bed. The results of this erosion is the harder rock becomes elevated above the lower stream bed. The rate at which this process happens of course varies with the type of bedrock present and with the volume and rate of water flow. The main processes of erosion include hydraulic action (force and power of the moving river) and abrasion (the scraping of the load against the bed and banks).
Having the softer rock erode away, leaves a cap of harder rock and can begin the formation of a drop and a "plunge pool" at the bottom. As this cap increases, the force of the water dropping, and the eddy turbulence becomes more forceful, increasing the plunge pool and erosion of the softer rocks below. Eventually undercutting forms a large cap from the remaining harder rock and may make the waterfall plunge down over the overhang. Eddying, hydraulic forces and erosion continue to enhance this cap. Once unstable, the hard cap will break off, retreating the waterfall back upstream into the river water. This creates a new soft sloping surface where erosion then begins once again on the soft bedrock. Eventually, the river flow becomes steep enough and forms a new waterfall. The hard rock, when it breaks loose, also swirls around in the plunge pool. This swirling around can promote valley gorges and horizontal pits, parallel to the waterfall. The pit can become larger with each subsequent upstream retreat.
http://www.coolgeography.co.uk/GCSE/AQA/Water%20on%20the%20Land/Waterfalls/Waterfall_Formation.jpg
Swayze waterfall was formed a mere 12,500 years ago as the Niagara Peninsula became freed from the grip of a continental glacier. Originally located a few hundred metres to the east, the falls then retreated to this site through the process of erosion and a unique combination of 400 million year old sedimentary rocks.
Swayze Falls is also known as DRY FALLS. Over the past 200 years the removal of the surrounding forest has changed the runoff pattern of the stream. Runoff now occurs quickly after a rainstorm or when snow melts in the spring. Within a few days the stream flow decreases and may actually disappear, and the falls goes dry. Was there water there during your visit?
Congratulations to blueduck7 for your FTF! Thanks for visiting!
Sources:
The Effects of Weathering and Erosion http://thewayweatheringworksshan.weebly.com/waterfalls.html
Waterfall – river – landform http://lcgeography.preswex.ie/waterfall-river-landform.html
How Are Waterfalls Formed? The Magnificence of Waterfalls https://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/119747.aspx