Photos from EaES Starved Rock Trip

September 7, 8, 9 

Starved Rock, an erosional remnant that has seen human occupation for ~10,000 years.  This feature is comprised of the Middle Ordovician St. Peter Sandstone.

Trees and landscape from Starved Rock.  Fall colors are just creeping in.  There is a wide diversity of trees in the park and include: Cedar, Juniper, White Pine, Cottonwood, Maples, and Oaks

Lovers Leap, directly east of Starved Rock.  This was a site that was also occupied by Native Americans and is comprised of the St. Peter Sandstone.

Dam on the Illinois river.  Dams such as this control flooding and are used for hydroelectric power.  They also enable regular river navigation by "raising" the river level.  Many dams such as these were built during and after the 1940's in response to the large floods of the 1930's. 

French Canyon.  Note erosional "swales" due to water erosion.  The St. Peter here is heavily coated by rock varnish, a complex mixture of Fe and Mn oxides, bacteria and fungus.  Rock varnish gives the St. Peter some resistence to surface weathering.

Canyon Mouth.  Here the small streams originating from the canyons empty into the mouth of the Illinois river.  A systematic change in vegetation occurs from this environment into the canyons.

Canyon Head or Termination.  Nearly all of the canyons at Starved rock end in a bowl shape as seen here.  This is the other end of the system in comparison to the image above.  One can see the large amount of sand accumulated on the canyon Floor.  Also note the vegetation that occurs abundantly on the canyon walls.

Bobcat Canyon, note student for scale.  Also note the mound of sand Students are standing on and the channel to the left.  here one can see many reentrants cut into the cliff.  these are features that have been observed at peak flow and are carved by water erosion.

 Hornets nest in White Pine.

Krekeler points to where he fell earlier.