Abstract

Erosion can cause clear, measurable change to the environment over time so it is important to know how fast areas are eroding, and where. This study looked at Rathburn Run in Wooster Memorial Park near Wooster, Ohio, to find the rate of erosion for Rathburn Run and to hypothesize why Rathburn Run is eroding at its current rate. Erosion pins were placed at six points along the river and monitored over the course of 10 months. Historical imagery at a site was compared to current images to find the amount of erosion into the banks over time. A Schmidt Hammer Rebound test was conducted at each odd numbered site, and joints were measured at three areas in Wooster Memorial Park to better understand the layout of the gorge. Samples were taken from each site and classified after Lazar et. al.’s 2015 classification method and run through an XRD to find the components of each rock. The samples were also used for a modified Jar Slake test. Three of the erosion pins were lost over the course of the year, and approximately .4cm to 2.5cm of bedrock was eroded at sites 1, 3, and 5. Between 2000 and 2017 the bank eroded away at a rate of approximately 14cm per year. The main minerals in the bedrock throughout the river were Quartz, Illite, and Kaolinite. The bedrock in the middle of Wooster Memorial Park was stronger than the bedrock at the upstream and downstream sites. The weakest bedrock was at the upstream sites, but the rate of erosion into bedrock is similar to the rate of erosion into bedrock at the downstream sites. There are also slightly higher rates of discharge at the upstream sites in comparison to the downstream sites. The reason that the erosion into bedrock is similar despite the differences between the upstream and downstream sites is likely because the bank is being eroded at a fast rate.

Advisor

Judge, Shelley

Department

Geology

Disciplines

Geomorphology

Keywords

Spangler Gorge, Wooster Memorial Park, Erosion

Publication Date

2017

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2017 Sharron Osterman