Karst Topography, joints, and differential erosion I
Stop 1. Behind the (50’s)MacDonald’s on Woodward Avenue: Storm water collection
and pumping facility.
Why did Muscle Shoals spend $19.7 million on the sorts of storm water
collection/control infrastructure as we see here? Is this a cost that all communities share
or is it unique to Muscle Shoals?
Traveling to stop #2.
Creating a Linear Transect. A useful way of acquiring a valid sample for a landscape is a
linear transect. Sometimes, a linear transect is also known as a “windshield survey”.
For the transect portion of this lab, begin at the intersection of 6th street and Gnat Pond
Road. Make sure there are at least 2 of you in the car, one to drive and call off the
mileage and a second to record your observations. At every 3/10 of a mile mile, record
the vegetation on both sides of the road and a descriptive term for the topography (flat,
steep, swampy, etc). In your write up, include a chart of vegetation and
topography(referenced to the base map). Indicate where significant changes take place.
Stop 2. LaGrange College Site:
Describe the dominant vegetation, how is this different from the vegetation visible below
the ‘mountain’? In terms of altitude… just how tall is this mountain? (it is only a few
parts of the world where a feature of this size would deserve the term ‘mountain’!!).
Stop 3. End of the pavement…What is the primary rock of this ‘mountain?’… What
inferences can you make about the erosion potential of this rock as opposed to the
limestone of our previous trips? What causes the different colors found in this
sandstone?
Using your observations from this trip, discuss the impact of differential erosion on the
makeup of the landscape.
Stop 4.The LaGrange cemetery…quoting from
http://www2.una.edu/history/old%20site/Cemetery.htm
“The town of LaGrange is now referred to as the "city of the dead," because its cemetery is the only thing
that is intact. This beautiful and mysterious cemetery is one of the only clues remaining from the Civil War
that can inform us about the families who lived on the mountain. There are currently 150 graves which are
known to The LaGrange Living Historical Association. But it is estimated that there are at least 200 graves
in the cemetery. The Association is making an effort to put names and locations on the 50 or so unmarked
graves in the cemetery.
“The cemetery holds many names and legends, as well as some interesting stories. It has
fallen victim to the times, however, and has suffered greatly from vandalism. There used
to be stone crypts covering most of the graves, but now there are only a few intact. A rose
bush that had been growing in the cemetery for over 160 years was removed by an
unknown visitor. The LaGrange Historical Association has attempted to preserve this
historic site and has managed to raise enough in donations to put a fence up around the
area, in an effort to deter vandals.”
Visit the historical web site http://www2.una.edu/history/lagrange.htm which describes
the beginnings of UNA. In your analysis relate the cultural history of this place to the
physical geography/geology that make this place unique.
In 1818-1819 one hundred and fifty people purchased land on the spur of the
Cumberland mountain, 400 feet above the surrounding valley. The earliest settlers,
who were the wealthiest people in the valley, used the land as a summer resort
which they called "Rocky Hill." As the settlement became more permanent, the
people demanded a place to educate their sons and daughters. The Methodist
church stepped in, and donations were collected to build a church for worship and
schools for education. They called it "LaGrange" meaning "the place," for the view
from the area was breathtaking.