Blogging helps me share things with people. My goal is for you to see something that brings a smile to you.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

The falls at Chagrin Falls, Ohio

As a child I used to like coming to Chagrin Falls (here's Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagrin_Falls,_Ohio  ) mainly because we would hike around them and then afterwards we would stop and get ice-cream. I remember loving to get the ice-cream more than anything else.  The place we would go to would make it on the location and to me it was the best tasting ice-cream ever.  I don't know if they still make their own ice-cream but the ice-cream place is still there next to the falls.  Now its a quaint little area to visit and it makes for a nice day excursion.

There's not much on the geology of the area but here's what's some stuff on the Chagrin River http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagrin_River

Now for my pictures of the area:
Chagrin Falls, Ohio
   This is looking down from the bridge.

This is as you go down the stairs. They are a natural waterfall http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfall

 Even though I grew up in this area and studied the geology I never seemed to have made it to this location on a field trip.  I assume the falls are made up from the Ohio formation but I don't know for sure.  There were no signs to help as far as that was concern.
Chagrin Falls, Ohio
From this picture you can see that there wasn't much water going over the rocks on this day.  What I liked is the fact you really could see the shale's that are underneath the water.  

What was interesting to see was the water that was seeping through the rocks and would be considered a spring. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_spring


 A lot of these stones are glacial debris that has weathered into the river.  They are fascinating to look at and you never know what you may find there. 
 Then we went back up and went to look at the other side of the road.
There wasn't much water flowing over the dam and usually when I've seen it before there is more water coming over. But there was still plenty to make the falls pretty.

 here were some geese that was enjoying the lake that was behind the dam.
I really wished there was more on the geology of the area.

I had visited the Brandywine Falls in the Cuyahoga national park and this is what the one book said about the geology of the park. 

Brandywine falls in Ohio - the Cuyahoga National Park.  (From "Geology of  National Parks" 6th ed Harris et al (2004))  
The top of the falls is the Berea Sandstone,  Mississippian age. 

The Berea is part of a delta system and coastal sands, the shales are prodelta marine deposits.

The geology in the area is:
                   Period                       Group                       Formation                    Member
   
        Pennsylvanian                 Pottsville                 Sharon Conglomerate   
       -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Mississippian                                                                                        Meadville shale
                                                                                Cuyahoga                    Sharpsville SS
                                                                                                                    Orangeville Sh

                                                                                Berea Sandstone
                                                                                Bedford Shale
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       
 Devonian                                                                 Ohio Shale                Cleveland Shale
                                                                                                                    Chagrin Shale

Since the park is so close to these falls I can only assume that some of the same formations are present.  If I have to venture a guess I would say the rocks are in the Ohio shale Formation and are probably the under the Chagrin Shale.

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