Soils and Geology of Wisconsin Field Trip, September 2005
Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Eau Claire Dells County Park
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A little early fall color at Eau Claire Dells County Park |
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Overview of the geology |
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Eau Claire Dells |
Biron Dam
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Biron Dam offered a view of some of the oldest rocks in Wisconsin |
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Roche a Cri
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Roche a Cri is a dramatic bluff north of Friensdship |
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Looking at the sandstone, Indian petroglyphs, and more modern inscriptions. |
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At the north end of the bluff is a staircase of 303 steps. |
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It is a long way up |
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Down is a lot easier. |
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The view from the top includes most of central Wisconsin. |
Devil's Lake
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Saturday was spent in the Baraboo area. |
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View of Devils Lake |
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Devil's Doorway |
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The Potholes Trail offers a view of enigmatic potholes carved by running water, but there is no stream here now. Meltwater from glacial ice atop the bluffs probably carved them. |
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The Potholes Trail is about the steepest trail at Devil's Lake. |
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Making tracks for the van. |
Parfrey's Glen
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Parfrey's Glen is a dramatic slot canyon |
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Here we see conglomerate eroded off the bluffs and deposited in the Cambrian Period. |
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To protect the area, much of the route has a boardwalk. |
Ableman's Gorge (Rock Springs)
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Abelman's Gorge at Rock Springs is one of the best known geologic localities in the world. Once an abandoned quarry with iffy legal accessibility, it is now a state natural area. |
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A huge vertical sheet of ripple marks. |
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At Van Hise Rock |
Natural Bridge State Park
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There's a fungus amungus. |
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The arch formed through collapse of the roof of a natural overhang. |
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There probably was once an arch where the group is standing, but it collapsed long ago. |
Skillet Creek
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Baraboo quartzite at Skillet Creek. Excellent cross-bedding is visible here. |
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Portage
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The stop here was to view the former Fox-Wisconsin canal, but low water provided an opportunity to study river bedforms. The weather was every bit as unfriendly as it looked. |
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Current ripples |
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A small depositional delta front |
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Cross bedded sand |
Horicon Marsh and Mauthe Lake
Parnell Esker
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Created 26 October 2005, Last Update 15 January 2020