Buttermilk Falls (Cleveland Metroparks) EarthCache
Buttermilk Falls (Cleveland Metroparks)
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This Earthcache is located in the Cleveland Metroparks North Chagrin Reservation. Permission was granted and a permit is currently on file.
There is plenty of parking at the North Chagrin nature center. Please follow the paved path to the cache. If you have time I would recommend walking or riding the Buttermilk Falls Parkway Trail. It's a 4 mile trail from Chardon Road in Willoughby Hills, along Buttermilk Falls Parkway to Mayfield Villiage's trails and two spurs west of Som Center Road. Entrances are off Som Center/Route 91, Chagrin River and Chardon Roads.
A waterfall is usually a geological formation resulting from water, often in the form of a stream, flowing over an erosion-resistant rock formation that forms a sudden break in elevation or nickpoint. These falls were created during the Wisconsinan glacial period. That means that Buttermilk Falls is 14,000 to 24,000 years old. When the glacier melted it left behind different types of land formations and debris.
In this part of Cuyahoga County there are different types of accumulation of glacial debris such as rock and soil. These glacial debris are refered to as moraines. Moraines are any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past ice age. The three types of moraines we have in the area are, ground moraines, wave-planned ground moraines, & end moraines.
In addition to the different types of moraines there are several different types of waterfall classifications.
Block: Water descends from a relatively wide stream or river.
Cascade: Water descends a series of rock steps.
Cataract: A large waterfall.
Fan: Water spreads horizontally as it descends while remaining in contact with bedrock.
Horsetail: Descending water maintains some contact with bedrock.
Plunge: Water descends vertically, losing contact with the bedrock surface.
Punchbowl: Water descends in a constricted form, then spreads out in a wider pool.
Segmented: Distinctly separate flows of water form as it descends.
Tiered:Water drops in a series of distinct steps or falls.
Multi-step: A series of waterfalls one after another of roughly the same size each with its own sunken plunge pool.
Requirements to log this cache: (DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWERS IN YOUR LOG. PLEASE E-MAIL ME YOUR ANSWERS)
1. Using the ten different types of waterfall classifications listed above, what type of waterfall are you observing ?
2. The water in the creek continues for how many miles until it reaches the Chagrin River ?
3. Where does the creek eventually empty into ?
4. What kind of shale is at the bottom of the creekbed ?
5. Take a picture of yourself in front of the falls from the observation deck and post it in your log. (DO NOT LEAVE THE OBSERVATION DECK UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TO TAKE YOUR PICTURE.)
**Any logs that are missing the above logging requirements may be deleted**
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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