Field Trips Connect Geology Professionals with Students
Kayla Haman, SA-6429, Randall Mickle, SA-3171, Paul Downing, SA-4239 and Stacey A. Hundley, MEM-2546,
The students of AIPG at Wright State University are active in the geologic community. AIPG & WSU emphasize the importance of relationships with pro- fessionals in the field. Networking is an important key component in promoting employment success, including interact- ing with business leaders and alumni at conferences and events (Fertig, 2012). WSU students and members of the Ohio Chapter of AIPG have been working together to make these connections by creating, organizing and leading field excursions across Ohio.
Each year the officers of the WSU Chapter of AIPG meet with its members to determine which sites of geologic interest to visit. Sites visited include Hocking Hills State Park, Caesar Creek State Park, and Ohio Caverns. Each site of interest will be discussed in further detail later. Several profession- als joined the WSU students at these locations including individuals work- ing for the Ohio EPA, Department of Natural Resources, and private environ- mental consulting companies (Eagon & Associates, Inc.; Hull & Associates, Inc.; and Terran Corporation). The profes- sionals shared their geologic knowledge with WSU students, helping make these trips a success.
Hocking Hills State Park
In August, 2013 the first combined AIPG/WSU trip was held at Hocking Hills State Park. This park has several geologic points of interest, making this trip the most extensive of the three. Student-led presentations played a key role in the implementation of the event. At each stop, a WSU student highlighted the history and geologic significance of the site. Student members were able to develop their organizational and public speaking skills while describing the geol- ogy of the area.
Hocking Hills, located in South- Central Ohio, is famous for the Black Hand Sandstone formation of the Mississippian period. This formation is comprised of well-rounded quartz gravel and sand which was deposited from a large river delta. The name Black Hand Sandstone originates from an ancient black handprint placed on the walls of this formation. This is thought to have pointed early natives toward the flint deposits in the area. Hocking Hills is a non-contiguous Ohio State Park that covers 2,356 acres including sites such as Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave, Rock House, Conkle’s Hollow and Cantwell Cliffs (Hocking Hill State Park, 2015).
The tour began at Ash Cave, Ohio’s largest recess cave, formed by differ- ential weathering. Its name originates from the ash deposits of campfires left by Native American over time. (Hocking Hill State Park, 2015). At this stop, Greg Geise, 2013 AIPG/WSU President, pre- sented facts about the cave. Ohio AIPG members and WSU student chapter members explored the area, observing the magnificent formations and sheer size of the cavern.
Site two for the trip was Old Man’s Cave, the most visited area of Hocking Hills State Park. Presentation for this stop was given by Ashlynn Boedecker and Randy Mickle, 2013 & 2014 AIPG/ WSU Secretaries. Old Man’s Creek is responsible for carving out this beauti- ful formation, cutting through approxi- mately 150 feet in elevation from the Upper Falls to the Lower Falls. Hemlock trees and other plants not normally found in Ohio are abundant in this area. It has formed its own ecosystem comprised of plants normally found in Canada (Hocking Hills State Park, 2015). This cave feature was created by glacial activity that formed this area as recently as 12,000 years ago.
The third site for the day was Conkle’s Hollow with AIPG/WSU member,
Elizabeth Freeman, providing the pre- sentation. Conkle’s Hollow is a deep gorge that houses many ferns and mosses due to the cool atmosphere and indirect sunlight. Conkle’s Hollow was named for W.J. Conkle, whose initials and the date 1797 were found carved into the formation’s sandstone (Conkle’s Hollow, 2015).
Rock House was the final site on this geological journey with AIPG/WSU member, Paul Downing, presenting. Rock House, the true cave of the park, was formed by a principal joint being compromised by water. Rock House is 20 feet wide and more than 200 feet long, with perpendicular joints forming win- dows (Hocking Hills State Park, 2015).
Caesar Creek State Park
In April of 2014, WSU students were joined by members of AIPG at Caesar Creek Lake in Waynesville, Ohio. AIPG members and students gathered togeth- er to learn and explore one of the best Ordovician fossil sights in Ohio. The event began with presentations on the geology of the area followed by fossil collecting.
Caesar Creek Lake is a flood man- agement lake created in 1979 by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The lake was originally created to help relieve and control the flood levels of the Little Miami River in Southwest Ohio. It is a 10,500-acre park with a lake at summer pool of 2,800 acres. This is the deepest
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