Past and Present

 For my last post of the year, I’m going to wrap up by talking about what I saw in my landscape on my latest trip, and the possible way my landscape may have formed. 

First, the activity I have logged previously matches up with my experience there this last time. The only exception to this is the decline of bird sightings or hearing them in general. This was expected though, as the increase of their presence can be summed up to migration patterns, which correlates to the decline of sightings since they have continued on their journey. The only other unusual thing that I saw was growth of berries in places where I don’t recall there being berries before. To sum up their appearance, they are most likely invasive species, as these berries are seen throughout my spot and grow randomly in numerous areas.

Moving onto the history of this area. First looking at it from a large scale, the Appalachian mountains were formed by a series of continental collisions which folded the Earth's crust, lifting layers of rock, creating the initial mountain range. Then as Pangea started to break apart due to millions of years of erosion, the mountains became what they are today. At a smaller scale, building off this knowledge, we understand how this plays into Ohio Appalachia. What we focus on next is how water plays a part in this. After the erosion, there was a period of uplift which gave rivers the power they needed to cut through rock layers, carving the hills and valleys we see today. In my spot we see the hills that result. Glaciers also have an effect on the terrain of my area. As they retreated, glacial meltwater carved further into the landscape, which resulted in new streams and leaving behind the eroded features we see today in hills and valleys. As seen in my landscape, some features were created by rivers and others by the glaciers. For example, there’s places where there is evidence of a dried up stream. Around there, the erosion that resulted is seen clearly. The glacier evidence is also shown here through the landscape. While a glacier did not directly cause the terrain seen, it plays a role in it. The Teays River was modified by the glacier blocking it, sending it on a different course. As the glacier retreated, it created massive amounts of meltwater which carved new drainage paths. These drainage paths could include the dried up streams that I see in my place.