Rivers and streams are the main transporters of sediment and rock and they are known for their powerful erosional capabilities. Sediment and rock travel down gradient from location to location until they come to rest in a delta or they are deposited when the velocity of the water has become too slow to move the debris any further. Secondary streams, although known for moving less sediment or rock, still retain the power to erode and transport. Muddy Run, a secondary bedrock stream in Oneida Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, is one such example. Bedrock streams, instead of just flowing over the ground, cut down into the local bedrock (Seidl & Dietrich 1993). This following paper will answer two questions concerning Muddy Run. Firstly, throughout its geologic history, from what locations has Muddy Run been eroding and transporting rock? In addition, where did the rocks in Muddy Run once belong and how far could they have possibly travelled?
Muddy Run passes through Huntingdon, running through the Juniata College campus. Its catchment lies in a valley at approximately 700 feet elevation in the majority of locations. The down cutting of bedrock streams, such as Muddy Run, created the typography of the current landscape (Seidl & Dietrich 1993). This bedrock stream is separated from the Juniata River and Standing Stone Creek by ridges on either side of the valley (Figure 1). In addition, the valley is also formed by the south east slope of Warrior’s Ridge (White & D'Invilliers 1885). Muddy Run lies closest to the Juniata River (White & D’Invilliers 1885). However, Muddy Run is most likely a tributary of Standing Stone Creek. Based on the topographic map of Huntingdon County, the tributaries in the valley all appear to be flo...
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Yes this feature is the result of erosion and depositional processes however, it is not associated with the current water course. This feature may be the result of a Gilbert type delta that once occupied this area. Gilbert type deltas have three main components; topsets, foresets and bottomsets. Topsets are fluvial sediments (primarily sandur deposits) that were deposited on the subaerial delta surface. Erosive events occurring on the upper forslope can result in downslope channels and chutes. These features are then eroded by either strong currents or by debris flow resulting in these channels and chutes to become filled. Foresets are a combination of sand and gravel facies. The are deposited by gravitational processes on the delta foreslope and the grains tend to become finer and more angular downslope. Bottomsets consist of fine grained silts and clay and are deposited at the foot of the delta front.
1. 225 MY : Weathering and erosion of very old folded rocks on an area
Sedimentary rock from the older Silurian Period is further from the river banks (Geological map of Victoria, 1973). Mudstone, inter-bedded shale and greywacke depositions indicate the Maribyrnong River may have previously taken a different shape, and younger sediments have replaced the older sediments in more recent geological periods.
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The purpose of this paper is to explain and highlight different aspects of the Powder River Basin to include paleogeography, stratigraphy, maturation history of organic material, vitrinite reflectance data, sulfur content, both historical and current production data, as well as the environmental impact in the basin.
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The Don Valley Brickwork consists of many different layers of geological deposits, allowing us to observe and have a better understanding of how the sediments we see today are formed. The most bottom layer in the Brickworks are from the Georgian Bay Formation, and consists of grey- shale bedrocks. Fossils are often found in this layer and it is estimated that this deposit of sediments is around 445 million years old. Above the bedrocks is a thin layer of grey clay sand and gavels left behind by the Illinoian Glacier. This layer is called the York Till and occurred around 135,000 years ago. The next layer consists of a sandy deposit called the Don Formation, which is formed by the Sangamonian Interglacial Stage. Many plant and animal fossils are found in this layer due to warmer climate around 120,000 years ago. Above it lies the Scarborough Formation, which consist of clay and sand. This sediment likely occurred 115 - 106,000 years ago. The next layer above is the Poetry Road Formation, and consist of sand and gravel. This layer is likely formed during the early Wisconsin glacial substage around 106- 75,000 years ago. Higher is the Sunnybrook Drift which was formed 60 – 75,000 years ago. And on the surface, is the Halton Till, which was left behind by the final push of the Wisconsin Glacier.
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Biking from Franklin on the Allegheny Valley Trail, average travelers would assume that the path on which they were riding was nothing more than an ordinary trail in an ordinary town. Then around the five mile marker they would see the massive Belmar Bridge rising in the distance. Today the bridge serves as a reminder of our region’s rich history, harkening back to the days when oil wells dotted the landscape and railroads crisscrossed the countryside. At about the eight mile marker, a large rock covered in intricate symbols and markings juts out of the river. Centuries ago, Indian God Rock served as a waypoint for the Native Americans who created the paths on which the railroads were built. The Allegheny Valley, Samuel Justus, and Sandycreek Trails built by the Allegheny Valley Trails connect all eras of our region’s history, from the Native American period to the glory days of the oil industry, the years of economic decline, and the our recent resurgence as a center of tourism and recreation.
Ice dams in the Clark Fork area that backed up Glacial Lake Missoula actually caused some of the largest floods known to man. As ice will float, these ice dams would periodically rise up and burst, catastrophically flooding the Rathdrum Prairie, eastern Washington and into northern Oregon. Locally, these floods brought in glacial till and deep deposits of outwash that obliterated the St. Joe River once running through the Rathdrum Prairie. The southernmost edge of these deposits terminated where Coeur d’Alene exists today, damming the old St. Joe River and creating Lake Coeur d’Alene (Alt and Hyndman, 73). The new lake received the entire flow of the Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe Rivers, more than could be absorbed through the gravel deposits, thereby causing the lake to overflow and seek a new course, now known as the Spokane Ri...
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (2014). Burgess Shale Fossil Specimens. Retrieved May 2014, from http://paleobiology.si.edu/burgess/burgessSpecimens.html
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