Paper+Trail-Stop+3

=** Stop #3 - Base of the Falls **= = =


 ** Air Temperature: 38°F Soil Temperature: 37°F **  GPS Location: 34° 34.004' N, 84° 14.700' W  ** Soils ** **Color (H V/C):** (7.5yr 2.5/2)-Very Dark Brown [|Click here for a terrain and satellite map.] 
 * Texture:** Silty Clay Loam
 * Soil pH (and pH level):** 5.0 (strongly acidic)



The next stop on the map leads you to a winding staircase with 175 steps. After you climb these steps you reach the Base of the Falls, and you are left with a spectacular view. The 729-foot waterfall is the tallest in the state of Georgia with its seven cascades, and it is also one of the Seven Wonders of Georgia. (Morrison, 2008)

The __**topography**__ of this stop is breathtaking. The waterfall is spring fed, it turns into Amicalola Creek and flows through the park, reaching the Etowah River, and keeps flowing south until it makes its way into the Gulf of Mexico. The falls area is surrounded by 2,050 acres of cove hardwood trees, upland oak-hickory trees, and mixed pine trees. The vegetation around the area includes an abundance of wildflowers. Visitors are able to camp, picnic, hike and fish. This state park has many recreational activities to offer. (Golden Ink, 1994) The air temperature at this stop was relatively warmer than the rest of the stops, due to the lack of trees covering the area around the base of the falls. ** The soil found at this stop was a very dark brown, and the texture was silty clay loam. This causes the soil to feel very smooth like flour. The soil pH at this stop was 5.0 which is strongly acidic. **




 Waterfalls can be classified into two types: as a cataract or as a cascade. Amicalola Falls is classified as a cascade waterfall, because it is made up of a series of small falls that descends over a steep rocky surface. When rivers flow from area made of bedrock (a resistant rock such as granite) to an area of rock that is not as resistant, such as shale, erosion begins to occur. This erosion creates a ledge where the water can continue to flow and begin to downcut into the rock, eventually forming a waterfall. (Fuller, 2008)

This waterfall then goes into the plunge pool, the body of water at the bottom of the waterfall, and erodes the shale at the base of the falls. This erosion occurs because of the tremendous force exerted by the waterfall as it hits the plunge pool. This process, along with the collapse of overlying limestone will eventually cause the falls to retreat. (Arbogast, 2007)



 (Diagram courtesy of:[] )

**Question**: What kind of waterfall is Amicalola Falls?





Home | Objective | Maps | Background | Stop 1 | Stop 2 | Stop 3 | Stop 4 | Conclusion | Citations | Extras