The Family Stone EarthCache
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Standard hiking trail, with 2 somewhat steep hills, about 25 feet, each.. about a 33 degree gradient. Some loose gravel. 1 mile long, Mostly in shade, restrooms, picnic tables, benches and water nearby.
This is an EarthCache Adventure
called .. The Family Stone,
is located at Furnace Run
Summit County Metro Park.
Located at 4955 Townsend Rd., Richfield, Ohio.
Not only is the a beautiful park, fun, and has an interesting history and fascinating geology!
You will need to send me an email with answers to some questions, also a few supplies to take with you, a stop at the library before hand may be helpful with some research.
I have also included helpful LINKS, for your WWW research.
PLEASE do not leave any items, box, or physical cache at the site.
open 6am - 11pm
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Park History:
The family of Charles Francis Brush Jr.
donated 272 acres to the Summit County Metro Parks in 1929.
Brushwood Lake used to be a popular swimming park,
unfortunately, inconsistent water levels and beach erosion caused swimming to close in 1956.
The Lake at Furnace Run, although there is no more swimming, makes for a lovely spot to relax and fish, and in the winter, lighted ice skating!
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Technical Info:
In summary the lake was created near Furnace Run Stream and a tributary.
The stream was draining a 2,000-acre watershed, which Brushwood Lake was too small to handle.
Large amounts of sediment were deposited in the lake, and it had to be drained every five years.
They dredged material was placed along the abandoned Furnace Run.
Hence Furnace Run no longer functioned biologically as a stream, leading to excessive erosion downstream and siltation in the lake.
After study, a solution was proposed and project developed.
They decided to disconnect the stream from the lake.
This reestablished the stream's natural bed toad,
nourishing the flood plain and creating habitats for stream dwellers.
The sediments carried by the stream are no longer dropped in the lake, eliminating the need for extensive dredging, process of excavating materials underwater.
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Some Interesting Geological History for this Area:
In northeastern Ohio, glaciers have shaped our land by scraping uplands and then filling valleys with till, fluvial and lacustrine silts, sands, and gravel. They have widen valleys and by eroded bedrock highs.
The tills are vary in composition, and thickness. The thin layer of till on the uplands as opposed to thick deposits in the valley make it difficult to determine of the glacial history of an area.
The soil over much of Ohio is of foreign origin, not derived from the decomposition of our own rocks, but transported by Drift agencies, much of it being clay.
Fire-Clay is found below the lowest layer of Coal, which was used in making of the popular pottery here, years ago, in Summit County, Ohio.
The Shale layer just above the Coal, contains many fossils,
150 species have been found just in Summit county.
An interesting till was forms the surficial material in many parts of Richfield. Oxidized samples of this till are dark brown to dark yellowish brown. Fresh samples are usually dark gray while olive brown weathered zones occur along the joints penetrating unweathered portions of the till. Some black dolomite pebbles are also commonly found in the till.
btw: The highest lands in Summit County are the hills in Richfield, Norton, Green, Springfield, Tallmadge and Hudson.
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Interesting Geology of Furnace Run:
Furnace run has a rapid descent and has cut a deep gully in which the Paleozoic rocks are, but they are concealed by drift and clay deposits, where immense numbers of fossils can be found.
You may see blue, argillaceous shales, these do not seem to have fossils, but there are many loose Calcareous rock in the brook that do contain fossils!
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Other Nearby Geology:
Carboniferous Conglomerate has been quarried all over Summit county, north of Akron, not far from Richfield, and is now exposed in many areas, forming cliffs of sometimes 100 feet.
This can be seen noticeably, at the Gorge, Virginia Kendall and Nelson Ledges.
The red or brown color Conglomerate was used in construction of some of the best buildings in the area, because it contain much iron, which made it strong and durable. Colors can even vary to a deep reddish purple, which was used for many buildings in Cleveland. But for the most part, it is a drab color, about 100 feet in thickness, and near the base can have the appearance of a mass of quartz pebbles in cement.
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Interesting Trivia: Ohio has a Mysterious Geological Time Gap!
During the approximately 245 million years that followed the Permian Period there may or may not have been rocks formed in what now is Ohio. Natural forces erased all evidence of any rocks that might have been deposited during that time. Possibly the uplifting of bedrock, erosion, and weathering removed all traces, leaving a gap in the geologic record.
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Now..for Your part!
Educational Task #1
Erosion can be a big environmental problem.
When you hike the Trail,
you will notice the Park's reconstruction project,
to reconstruct this stream area from its' erosion.
Many things can cause this.
Name 2 different things or elements that can cause erosion, and explain how and what the results can be....
for example,
I will name one...here..
(you pick 2 others)
Glaciers can cause erosion. Gravity pulls and causes them to slide.
The moving ice picks up rocks and other materials which the rub against the earth's
surface and erodes, or wears away the ground beneath it.
Like sandpaper, it can leave grooves, and harm or remove vegetation.
When parts of a glacier melt, it can leave behind huge boulders.
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There two very nice short trails, the Rock Creek Trail, a very easy leisurely trail that follows along the creek, in shady woods, 1.2 miles long.
And the Old Mill Trail..a moderate hike, 1 mile log,
where Your Educational Adventure begins!!
Be Alert, check out the water areas. You may get a chance to spot some -Rainbow Darters- as the trail goes along the restored stretch of stream.
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Educational Task #2
Notice the features of the stream, is it Sandy?
Muddy? Algae? Rocky? Moving quickly? Standing still?
Research Rainbow Darter on the Internet,
explain why this particular fish would like it here.
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As you finish the trail, you will come across a HUGE Dedication Boulder which says:
To all those who love as he loved the far sky and smiling land.
N 41° 16.023 W 081° 38.257
You will need to bring with you a pencil, notebook and measuring tape and optional camera.
Study the boulder, and if you can, stop at the library before you come and bring with you a rock identification book.
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Educational Task #3
What Kind of Rock do you think it is?
(no sampling, please do not harm this rock in any way)
Use Observation Touch and Area Geological Information.
If you do not have a Rock and Mineral Identification book with you, write down your observations, such as colors, color patterns, crystals,bumpy, smooth, etc, that will assist you when you return home and try to identify this rock online.
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Educational task #4
Now for the Math Task!
Measure the boulder best you can, but no do crawl on it!
Have someone help you hold your tape measure, please.
Write these numbers in your notebook,
so you can figure out this answer when you get home.
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Here's how to calculate:
The average weight of a this type of boulder is approximately 168 pounds per cubic foot.
To estimate the weight, you need to measure the area into cubic feet by multiplying length x width x height.
Then multiply that number by the boulder's weight per cubic foot, (168) then divide by 2000 to convert this number into tons.
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Send me your best guess!!
..and I'll e-mail you back...
the rock type, and the actual weight of the boulder that is on file at the Metro Park's Office.
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PS: this may be too long for some PDA's
you may wish to Print off a Paper Copy
from your home PC and bring it with you
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below are some CooL Links that I know will help you
with your Educational Adventure Earthcache..
** some facts used in this listing, was researched at some of these sites also, and I give them credit for the information, Thank You.
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Good Luck! I'll be waiting to hear from you soon..
Be sure to write Furnace Run in your subject line. Thanks!
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and the last Task #5 Optional....
take a fun picture of you next to the boulder, so others can see how this huge rock, can make you look small! Upload it when you log in as accomplished!
Have FUN at Furnace Run!
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THANKS to Summit County Metro Parks for granting
permission for this EarthCache.
Special Use Permit Granted 7-6-09
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Helpful Links, that will give you some assistance,
and a fun erosion science project site, you may wish to try!
cut and paste to your browser...
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The Geography Site - Erosion
(visit link)
Furnace Run Metro Park
(visit link)
The Rainbow Darter
(visit link)
Erosion Experiment grade 4-6
(visit link)
Rocks For Kids Mineral Info
(visit link)
Geology for Kids -Erosion
(visit link)
Approximate Rock Weight
(visit link)
Identify Igneous Rocks
(visit link)
about the Furnace Run project
(visit link)
Geology of Summit County Report
(visit link)
QUATERNARY STRATIGRAPHY OF RICHFIELD TOWNSHIP, SUMMIT COUNTY, OHIO
(visit link)
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