Power of Erosion 🗿 EarthCache

What this earth cache is about, this earth cache is meant to teach people about erosion and the beauty and/or destruction of erosion in a real life example.

first of all, what is a creek? A creek is a small stream of water that drains into a bigger body of water, such as a a river or a lake. What is a creek used for? A creek can be used for water, watering plants, and drainage. What are the components of a creek? Creek bed: the ground surface of the channel, usually made up of materials such as sand, rocks, sediment, and clay, channel: the primary part of acreek, this is where the water flows, banks: the elevated (lifted) lad bordering the channel, which can be effected by erosion from the flowing water, vegetation: plants that are growing in, around, and above the creek, such as trees, bushes, and vines, aquatic life: fish, insects, and other organisms that are living in the creek. How is erosion affecting this creek? Erosion is caused by varying factors such as wind and water flow, in this creek, during rain storms, the water wll drain into this creek there for filling it up and making the water flow faster, when the water flows faster and more aggresive along with sediment it will erode the sides and the bottom of the creek there for makeing it deeper and wider, it will also weaken the banks and cause them to evemtually collapse with out proper care and support. 

here are some key impacts of erosion of  a creek.

Sedimentation: Eroded soil particles carried by the water settle on the creek bed, filling in spaces between rocks and gravel, which are crucial for aquatic organisms to live and hide in. 

Habitat loss: As the creek bed changes due to erosion, it can destroy important habitats for fish, insects, and other aquatic life.

Bank instability: Erosion can significantly weaken creek banks, leading to collapses and widening of the creek channel. 

Water quality degradation: Increased sediment can cloud the water, reducing sunlight penetration and impacting photosynthesis by aquatic plants.

How does all this affect this area?

in the first stage of this earth cache, there is a senic view of the creek, this is where every thing is fine and peaceful, this area is in good-ish condition.

for the second stage, you will see a big metal wall, thats a dam, they needed to put a dam here to help controle the speed of water flow and hold sediment back to help reduce erosion, if you look at the walls of the bank, they have been angled and reinforced to stop erosion. so far, it has been working.

for the third stage, this showcases how powerful erosion is and what it does acording to the info, the bankes has collapsed  and the creek has gotten deeper, wider, and the water quality has degraded. this viewing point is not safe for wheelchairs.

NEW last stage (4) this is basically stage three but a wheelchair accessible and safe viewing point for erosion.

this will affect the lake that this creek drains into, making it smaller, polluting the water, and affecting local wildlife.

how to fix the damage and prevent further erosion, to fix the collapsed banks, rebuild the banks with the remaining soil and clay and make it at an angle, then reinforce the now angled banks with large rocks and concrete. there are many more ways to do this, this is the simplest method to do so.

Question time!

1. if you look at the creek walls(banks) for the first stage, what is holding them together?

2. what is the creek bottom made of, and what does it have in it?(water is not the answer)

3. for the second stage, is the wall at an angle, and what is the wall held together with?

4. list 3 things that causes erosion based on what you saw and the info from this lesson.

5. list 3 effects of erosion from what you saw and based on this lesson. 

call to action, contact the Collierville Parks. https://www.colliervilletn.gov/government/parks-recreation-cultural-arts-197