PROJECT NATURE NEWSLETTER

PROJECT NATURE NEWSLETTER ISSUE OCTOBER, 2019 ISSUE OCTOBER 2019 PROJECT NATURE NEWSLETTER Events

The Big Sit Who Lives Here Blacklick Woods Metro Park - Nature Center Blacklick Woods Metro Park - Nature Center 12th October 10:00 am - 11:00 am 12th October 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm 13th October 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Take a 1-mile walk to look for animal homes Count birds at the nature center feeders for 15 minutes or more. Your data will help scientists learn about bird populations Go Nuts! Glacier Ridge Metro Park - Shelter House 12th October 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Learn about nuts and seeds on a short hike and make Weekly Bird Hike a buckeye necklace to take home! Scioto Audobon Metro Park - Grange Insurance Audobon Center 12th, 19th, 26th October 10:00 am - 11:30 am Full Moon Hike Hike with experienced birders to find and learn about Battelle Darby Metro Park - Cedar Ridge birds (Binoculars and field guides can be provided) 13th October 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Take a brisk 4-mile hike through fields and forests

Walk The Creek Darby Creek Fall Cycle Blendon Woods Metro Park - Nature Center Battelle Darby Metro Park - Nature Center 12th October 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm 13th October 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Enjoy a walk through the woodland creek Visit the living stream at the Nature Center to explore how the fall leaf cycle supports life in the Darby Creek

Creature Feature: Reptiles & Amphibians Sunny Sundays Highbanks Metro Park - Nature Center Inniswood Metro Gardens - Herb Garden 12th October 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm 13th, 20th, 27th October 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm Meet our education animals to learn about how we On Sundays throughout the summer, members of take care of them the Herb Society of America, Central Unit, will be in the Herb Garden to answer visitors’ questions

Wild Ones: The Invisible Forest Feed The Stream Inniswood Metro Gardens - Innis House Battelle Darby Metro Park - Nature Center 12th October 10:00 am - 12:00 pm 19th & 27th October 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm ISSUE Learn how the simple act of saving land can be the Enjoy the fish feeding frenzy as you help feed them most powerful thing we can do together to protect worms, crickets and minnows in the living stream at the the beauty, balance and biodiversity of our world Nature Center OCTOBER 2019 PROJECT NATURE NEWSLETTER Events

Off-Trail Ravine Hike Web Maze Highbanks Metro Park - Nature Center Blacklick Woods Metro Park - Ash Grove Picnic Area 19th October 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm 20th October 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Join Ohio Geological Survey on an off-trail 4-mile hike Walk through a web-maze and learn about spiders in the ravine to learn about the geology of Highbanks. through this family-friendly maze

Stranger Things Display Autumn Lantern Stroll Blacklick Woods Metro Park - Nature Center Sharon Woods Metro Park - Schrock Restrooms 20th October 8:00 am - 6:00 pm 19th October 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Discover the weird side of nature that is seldom Candle lanterns will light the way on a 1-mile stroll celebrated by viewing our display through the fall forest

Fall Hike Scarecrows and Wildlife Woes Clear Creek Metro Park - Maintenance Shop Inniswood Metro Gardens - Greenhouse MP Center 26th October 10:00 am - 12:30 pm 19th October 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Join us for a 4-mile off-trail hike through the forest to a Join for a discussion about cohabitating with wildlife sandstone maze and giant oak tree. Terrain in the and learn how to appreciate animals while dealing backcountry is unimproved, uneven, and steep in with pest problems. Make a small, decorative areas. Water and hiking boots are recommended scarecrow and learn recipes and tips to keep unwanted animals away from plants and other food sources Hike To The Giants Highbanks Metro Park - Oak Coves Picnic Area 27th October 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Signup Required! Forest Fungi take a rugged 4-mile off-trail hike to the 300-year old Blendon Ravines - 5280 Cambria Way giant sycamores along the Olentangy . 20th October 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Hiking will be over rough terrain off-trail through a state Search for some common mushrooms at the Blendon nature preserve. Expect to climb up and down 60-75 Ravines property. Meet at 5280 Cambria Way. Park degree ravines. Sturdy hiking shoes are required. along the street.

Last Leaves Tree ID Walk Bison Bison Three Creeks Metro Park - Confluence Area Battelle Darby Metro Park - Nature Center 27th October 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

20th October 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm ISSUE Learn to identify trees from their leaves, bark and Not a cow, not a buffalo, it’s a bison! Join for a 1-mile seeds on an easy 1-mile walk hike and learn about this 2,000-pound animal OCTOBER 2019 PROJECT NATURE NEWSLETTER Events

National Bison Day Woodpecker Wonders Battelle Darby Metro Park - Nature Center Blendon Ravines - 5280 Cambria Way 2nd November 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm 10th November 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Celebrate the bison! Enjoy crafts, games, and snacks in Search for woodpeckers on a 1.5-mile off-trail hike the nature center. Learn all about our national mammal through the Blendon Ravines property. Meet at 5280 and meet the herd on a short walk Cambria Way; Park along the street

Project FeederWatch Weekly Bird Hike Blendon Woods Metro Park - Nature Center Scioto Audobon Metro Park - Grange Insurance 16th & 17th November 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Audobon Center Drop by the Nature Center to count birds at our feeder 2nd, 16th, November 10:00 am - 11:30 am window and help collect data for this important citizen Hike with experienced birders to find and learn about science project birds (Binoculars and field guides can be provided)

100 Years of Coyotes Morning Birds Battelle Darby Metro Park - Nature Center Blendon Woods Metro Park - Nature Center 16th November 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm 3rd November 9:00 am - 10:00 am 2019 marks 100 years of Coyotes in Ohio. Come and Visit Thoreau Lake and see the wintering waterfowl learn about this misunderstood animal on a 1-mile hike, as we call out to them

Morning Coffee and Birds Winnowing Rock Hike Battelle Darby Metro Park - Nature Center Clear Creek Metro Park - Park Office 3rd November 7:30 am - 8:30 am 16th November 10:00 am - 12:30 pm Come grab a warm brew and watch bird in the quite Enjoy forest views on a 4-mile backcountry hike. early morning at the Nature Center Terrain in the backcountry is unimproved, uneven, and steep in areas. Water and hiking boots are recommended

Nature School: Trees ISSUE Blacklick Woods Metro Park - Nature Center Owls 9th November 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Battelle Darby Metro Park - Nature Center Come learn how to identify some common trees in 17th November 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm central Ohio Lure in owls using calls on a 1-mile hike OCTOBER 2019 Epoch-HowItAllBegan! Age is referred toas the proto-continents. Ocean currents circulated around SouthAmerica in a counter clockwise advancement and retreat thathas taken place over thelast 2.5million years! Glaciers have pattern between theequator and theSouthPole. About2.5mya, volcanic activity welded thetwo several pieces called proto-continents. North America andSouthAmerica were two separate about 2.5mya andendingaround15,000 years ago is known as thePleistocene Epoch. defined thelandscape and modified ago andretreated around 15,000 years ago. Thatwas only oneof themany cycles of glacial land m continents together with what is now known When we think of theIce Age, we tendto think of theglaciers thatadvanced some 100,000 years About 250million years ago(mya), plate tectonics brought all thecontinents together into asingle gradually advanced (at“glacial pace”!) southwards. This “short”period of geologic time starting circled around SouthAmerica were now blocked andforced torise up north from theequator. industry such asclay, sand andgravel, andextensive aquifers for ground water. Theperiod of Ice topography bybotherosion as well as deposition. They are responsible for therich agricultural and rose back upduring glacial retreat. kilometers of ice. Consequently, during the periods of glacial advancement, sea levels dropped, third of thepresent land area of theentire planet was covered bynearly 43million cubic precipitation in theform of snow. Every winter more snow piled up, turning in were first made in Europe around 1 soil in all theglaciated part of thecontinent, andmuch of theraw material for theconstruction evolve! covered Canadaandmidwestern United Stateswas recognized in theUS. Over thenextcentury Suggestion of thefact thatglaciers hadonce covered alarge part of thenorthernhemisphere This current is today’s warmer air tothepolar region. Thewarmer air held more moisture, which resulted inmore and ahalf, ourunderstanding of thePleistocene epoch hasgrown greatly andcontinues to PROJECT NATURE ass. This super continent was known as Gulf Stream Pleistocene Epoch NEWSLETTER . Warmer ocean currents from theequatorcarried with them 0. Bymid 1840’s, evidence of early continental glaciers that 83 inage patterns (). Glaciers transformed the the dra . Atthe For PastIssues, goto as theIsthmu Pangea pe ak of thePleistocene glaciation, almost one- . Around 180 mya, Pangeabroke apart into s of Panama. Theocean currents that https://u.osu.edu/maemega/project-nature/ sheetsthat to ice

OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE the evidence of glaciers of that period was first studied anddocumented. TheNebraskan and ice sheet(before 240,000 y than what precipitated in the wint cycles was erodedor reworked bysucceeding glaciation. Theonly pre- deposits that Nebraskan temperatures, andnotthewinter temperatures, that dictated theglacial advancement (or retreat). glaciers advanced. Conversely, if theamount of snow that melted inthesummer was greater remain in Ohioare in theCincinnati area. Themo advance of thenextcycle, is called theinterglacial period Kansan cycles havenow beencombined andreferred toaspre-Illinoian I In the1920’s, aSerbian geophysicist andastronomer, Milutin Milankovitch theorized thatthe Milankovitch Cycles If more snow accumulated in polar regions during the winter than could melt in thesummer, Since the Ice Agewas triggered some 2.5mya, glaciers haveadvanced andretreated several times. Glacial AdvancesandRetreats . Foreach cycle, theintermediate warm period between theretreat of glaciers and been thebeststudied because very little (geologic) time haselapsed since the glaciers retreated slight variations in theeccentricity, axial tilt, wobble, andtheorb resulted incyclical variation in theamount of solar radiation reaching the earth’s surface. These But thequestion was what caused these cyclic events! about 14,000 years ago for erosion and other forces towear away theevidence. The While there havebeenalmost 30glacial advances (and retreats) during the Pleistocene epoch, climate patterns tocause the glacial advanceorretreat during thePleistocene epoch. Glaciers enteredOhio around 24,000 years ago andretreated around 14,000 years ago. slight variations in solar radiation, that occurred in 100,000 year cycles, influenced earth’s Wisconsinian cycle beganabout110,000 years ago originating from Hudson Bay in Canada. ce Agein North America hastraditionally beenstudied in terms of thefour major cycles - PROJECT NATURE , Kansan , Illinoian, andWisconsinian. Thesehavebeennamed for thestatesinwhich NEWSLETTER ago) covered western Ohioand reached asfar southas northern ears glaciers retreated. Itwas thelow (orhigher) summer er, For PastIssues, goto st re cent cycle -theWisconsinian stage-has . Much of theevidence for earlier glacial https://u.osu.edu/maemega/project-nature/ of earth around thesun it cycles. Thepre-Illinoian the

OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE shaped theGreat , brou valuable resource for theconstruction industry. Theoutwash is also astorehouse of avast massive ice sheetsgouged outU-shaped valleys, created hills (as moraines and ), formed and amount of potable groundwater. glaciers brought sediments (outwash) in theform of boulders, gravel, sand andclay, which are a several hundred toseveral thousandfeet thick in Ohioat thepeak of aglacial cycle. These The several glacial cycles transformed thelandscape. Theice sheetsare estimated tobefrom and left theprecursor of anagriculturally rich soil (glacial till). Themeltwater from the retreating PROJECT NATURE NEWSLETTER foreign rocks (glacial erratics), changed thecourse of rivers ght in a . EarlyPre-Illinoian;b.Latec.Illinoian;d.Wisconsinian For PastIssues, goto Maximum extent ofdifferentglacialcycles Source: IllinoisStateGeologicalSurvey https://u.osu.edu/maemega/project-nature/

OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE Oxygen-isotope analyses; andfission-track dating, among others. and events. Radiometric dating (or measuring the duration of thedecay of radioactive elements) There are several tools thatgeologists possess in their arsenal todate glacial materials, features Deciphering IceAge Protactinium 231-thorium 230dating, which can datedeep-sea clays back to300,000 years ago; is oneof themost important techniques to determine Pleistocene history. Carbon-14 dating can methods include theK-Ar method, which could extend the dating upto 100,000 years ago; accurately date organi PROJECT NATURE c materials such aswood and boneupto 60,000 years ago. Otherdating NEWSLETTER Photo Source:OhioDepartment ofNaturalResources,Division Geological Survey Megagrooves carvedinto limestonebedrockatKelleysIslandinLakeErie For PastIssues, goto https://u.osu.edu/maemega/project-nature/

OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE field; theyalso track thetemper pebbles and cobbles embedded within thetill can point tothedirection in which theice sheetsof differently andin a slightly different direction thanin theother. Theorientation of theelongate understanding the tills from different glacial events. Ice sheetsin oneglacial cycle moved sediments and compare it with the standard time scale of changes in polarity of earth’s magnetic consequently, sea level drop parent bedrock from which it eroded. Theorientation of scratches and striations left onthe shelves indicates a reduction of sea level byas much as140meters. 25,000 year old elephant a specific employ paleomagnetism During periods of glacial advancement, more andmore water of theplanet froze, and sheets moved. underlying bedrock bythemoving ice sheetscan beindicative of thedirection in which theice the study of volcanic ashlayers in soil provides very accurate time lines for correlation because P On theotherhand, during periods as theice melted, sea levels rose. Evidence of dead compare glacial conditions onthecontinent with thosein theoceans. There are other non-isotopic techniques used to study glacial sediment. Forexample, geologists Fluctuations inSeaLevel Effects ofGlaciation shells of organisms helps correlate thesediments with stand Atlantic Ocean in water as much as 120meters deep. Dating of thedeep-sea sediments such as teeth havebeen found byfishermen from over 40sites as far as 130kilometers outin the To distinguish sediments from different glacial cycles, geologists may employ several met coral reefs onseveral oceanic islands indicates thatsealevels were much higher at one point in structure of conifer wood as yet another method of dating. they were deposited instantaneously. Finally, they measure thechangesin theamino acid the Pleistocene thantheir current level. PROJECT NATURE article shape andthe distribution of particles of different sizes within thetill can help in riod moved. Composition of larger particles in thetill can help geologists locate the pe NEWSLETTER , by which theyrecognize thereversal in magnetic polarity of the pe d. Evidence of submerged beach ridges far outonthecontinental -induced reversal of coiling direction of deep-marine shells; ature For PastIssues, goto ard glacial time-scales, andhence https://u.osu.edu/maemega/project-nature/ hods.

OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE first studied theTeaysRiver system). aft the beaches thatformed along theshorelines of these lake stages. Present-day reached glacial the early river channels can befound in thedeepvalleys cut into thebedrock that are now full of complex drainage changes. Evidence of modern OhioRiver is a result of these the pre-glacial river systems. The channels were atalower elevation than and cut new channels. Thenew The lake eventually spilled over divides river in western . Advancement Carolina andWestVirginia, ent Prior toglaciation, several rivers in Ohiodrained tothenorth. Amajor pre-glacial river system, River CoursesAltered The are adirect result of thePleistocene glaciers. Lake Erie is one of Ohio’s most Great Lakes is called Lake Tight square-mile lake in southern Ohio.This directions. Theblockage created a 7,000- of the earliest glaciers created adam and flat valleys atanelevation higher than themodern river systems. cut new channels and flow in other blocked the rivers andaltered the called the its current form only about4,000 years ago! drainage system byforcing therivers to important natural resources. Whentheglaciers retreated some 14,000 years ago, alarge and complex network of lakes formed in theErie basin, some of which were 230ft deeper than today’s Lake Er PROJECT NATURE the geologist William G. Tight, who er nt. Intheunglaciated parts, theold andits tributaries haveleft broad sedime Teays, flowed northwestward from its headwaters in Appalachian highlands of North ie . Several sets of sandy ridges, each set of which is at asimilar elevation, marks NEWSLETTER (named erin g Ohio, thenIndiana, before joining the ancestral Mississippi For PastIssues, goto Source: OhioDepartmentofNaturalResources, https://u.osu.edu/maemega/project-nature/ Division of Geological Survey Pre-glacial riversystem

OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE At thepeak the earth’s crust, is usedtoexplain how different topographic heights exist onearth’s surface. schist underlying from outwash forms well-defined layers, or material of thesoil in much of theglaciated part of Ohio. Most of therock pieces in till are unlike the parent bedrock that underlies it. Therock fragments in thetill include topographical map, are called ca Glacial Features Isostasy is afundamental geological concept thattheearth’s crust “floats” onthedenser andfluid Isostasy widened, deepened and filled in valleys. Theseoutwash-filled valleys, appearing as "fingers" onthe rried bystreams, outwash deposits developed well beyondthe extentof theglacial advance. Outwash looks much different from till, andmainly consists of sand andgravel. Thesediment Outwash shapes and types, is called glacial till, or simply, till. Typically gray ortan in color, till is theparent Till Rebound is an extremely slow pr weight of theice sheetscaused adepression in theearth’s crust, much like pressing onapiece of responsible for thesuccess of agriculture in Ohio. Between different lobes of ice sheets, meltwater streams poured into valleys andalternately Evidence of postglacial rebound exists in raised ocean andlakeshore features such asbeaches. wood floating onthesurface of water. After theglaciers retreated, thecrust would thenrebound. PROJECT NATURE , andgneiss Sediment deposited directly from glacial ice, that consists of debris of different sizes, mantle of a glacial advancement when theice sheetswere massively high, theenormous Sediment depositedbymeltwaterfromretreating glaciersiscalledoutwash. . Their parent bed . This concept of the stateof equilibrium orbalance between themantle and NEWSLETTER valley trains. oce ss andcontinues tothis day! ck lies in Canada.Till is extremely rich for agriculture and is ro strata For PastIssues, goto , as it settles outof water. Since thesediment was https://u.osu.edu/maemega/project-nature/ granite , quartzite , gabbro ,

OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE recessional moraines are ridges left behind astheglaciers retreated. Intheglacial map of Ohio Sediment thatwas deposited asaflat blanket with irre (below), theseries of endmoraines depicted ingreenare recessional moraines. Terminal moraines, asthename suggests, mark themaximum advance of theglacier, whereas One such relic of the features formed bysediment-deposition from retreating glaciers, eskers are themost uncommon. mined for sand andgravel. behind ashills after theice completely melted. Theseare called eskers. Among thevarious geologic sand andgravel. gravel that forms at theend of aconveyer belt. Theseridges are left behind asendmoraines. End features thatare referred toasgroundmoraines. Most of Ohio, for example your backyard, is valley”. Since sediments that formed eskers were deposited byflowing water, it mainly consists of about 25ft high, it is defined asa“fossil subglacial stream deposit without anaccompanying place. This meant thatrate of melting of thesheet-front during thattime equaled therate of ice cycles occurred over thecourse of several thousandyears. During the slow retreat, there were Moraines at the baseof theice sheet. Thesediment deposited insuch tunnels bythemeltwater, was left Eskers shaped pile into holes and cre relatively flat groundmoraine! Moraines are accumulation. This resulted in till accumulating in oneplace, creating ahilly ridge, akin toapile of sand arecalled kames. Spangler Hill is a large , justnorthofScioto Downs, that has been melted, thesediments were lowered totheground, forming sandy hills. These mounds of stratified intermittent pe PROJECT NATURE contains non-layered sand and gravel and clay! and eskers mainly consist of layered sand and gravel. In contrast, till, which is deposited by ice, by deposited is which till, contrast, In gravel. and sand layered of consist mainly eskers and hrceitc ic te wr sre b te ae ta dpstd hm Tu otah kames, outwash, Thus them. deposited that water the by sorted were they since characteristic etrs ht omd rm eiet dpstd y ae hv a omn n distinctive and common a have water by deposited sediments from formed that Features As glaciers retreated, sometimes themeltwater would form sinuous ice-walled tunnels Outwash frommeltwaterstreamswasalso depositedontopoflow-lyingiceorasfan- fu rther classified into two types - ds of time, onthescale of hundreds of years, when theice sheetsstayed still ata rio There are two kinds of moraines - gla cier in Ohiois theCircleville in Pickaway County.10miles long and NEWSLETTER vasses along theice margins or in stagnant ice. Whentheice finally For PastIssues, goto Terminal Moraines Ground Moraine gula r topography andnoridges, formed https://u.osu.edu/maemega/project-nature/ andEndMoraine andRecessional Moraines. . Glacial

OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE parts of theworld, where they typically donotbelong. Forexample, there aren’t anynatural Glacial Erratics boulder was carried 700miles by theice sheetstoOhio andleft behind after theglaciers retreated. outcrops or exposures of granite -anigneous rock -inOhio. Butmany boulder-size pieces of structure tothe granite outcrop between Otta granite can befound randomly distributed throughoutthestate.Glacial erratics are found in all in Tawawa Park in Sidney, OH, named were carried down by theadvancing ice sheets.Forexample, the1,250 cubic foot, 103tonpiece of be traced back totheir parent outcrops further northinCanada from which theybroke off and sizes, ranging from sand-si PROJECT NATURE Source: OhioDepartmentofNaturalResources,Division Geological Survey These are non-native isolated boulders randomly occurring in glaciated NEWSLETTER rge boulders. From their mineral composition, these erratics can ze tola Glacial MapofOhio For PastIssues, goto wa andSudbury in Ontario, Canada. This massive Big Rock , is similar in composition and https://u.osu.edu/maemega/project-nature/ Illustration ofglacialfeatures

OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE ponds, while others ha plain called kettles. Many of these depressions are still filled with water as lakes or kettle southeast Columbus. History Connection. These semi-circular depressions, about30ft wide and15ft deep, cut into solid glaciers. Their orientation indicates thedirection of theglacial movement. Asice sheetsform, they Striations main ice sheetshadretreated, andslowly melted creating awater-filled low spot in theoutwash behind stranded andsurrounded by outwash. Thesehugechunks of ice remained long after the Kettle Lakes years, carved outmegagrooves in thelimestone bedrock. Possibly thelargest andthebest- Erie. Amile-high ice sheetthattraveled multiple times back andforth over thelast 2.5million the striations. Aworld-famous example of glac bedrock, it acts like sand paper abrading the surface, creating these striations. Bigger boulders rock are atestament tothepower of moving ice sheets! swampy depression. Pickerington Ponds are kettles at preserved glacial grooves in theworld, theglacial grooves atKelleys island were designated asa finer sediments like sand, polish therock surface. Gushing streams of meltwater can further shape become embedded atthebase of t pick up sandgrains, coarse gravel, rock fragments andlarge boulders from thesurface, that National Natural Landmark lodged in the ice sheet have thepower tocreate large grooves ontheunderlying bedrock, whereas PROJECT NATURE ice sheet. a split or a crack, usually in rocks. Crevasse refers to a deep hole or fissure in a glacier or French word crever, meaning “to break or burst” - a crevice is a narrow opening forming While both the words have similar meaning and etymology - both are derived from the Glacial striations are scratches or grooves carved in thebedrock bymoving As theglaciersreceded,someblocksoficesheetbrokeoffandwereleft me filled with sediment and peat andhave assumed theform of a ve beco Crevices andCravasses NEWSLETTER in 1967andare maintained asaSt sheet. Asthe massive ice sheetmoves across thesurface of he For PastIssues, goto l striations exists in Ohioat ia Pickerington Ponds Metro Park in morial site bytheOhio ate Me https://u.osu.edu/maemega/project-nature/ Kelleys Island in Lake

OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE some regions, owing totheir unique conditions, retained this vegetation a climate warmed andtheglacial vegetation was replaced bymore warm-climate-friendly species, learn more aboutOhio’s forests, read theAugustissue of Project Naturenewsletter). Asthe boreal forests were replaced byOak-Hickory andMaple-Beech deciduous forests of today. (To persisted in Ohiountil about10,000 ye The plants andtrees of theboreal forests in Canada were common in Ohioduring the Pleistocene. Ice AgeFlora andFauna These included spruce Bog in Champaign Countyis oneexample of this unique habitat. PROJECT NATURE , fir NEWSLETTER , cedar , tamarack ago when theclimate warmed andtheconiferous ars , hemlock Stage's PondnearAshvilleinPickawayCounty-akettlepond For PastIssues, goto Image Source:OhioDepartmentofNaturalResources, , andlarch . This northern or glacial vegetation https://u.osu.edu/maemega/project-nature/ Division of Geological Survey lict species. s re Cedar

OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE It was believed thatthefirst human migrants arrived in North America from Siberia bycrossing deposited bymeltwater. Some remains have also beenfound in caves andsinkholes. beaver, mastodon, wooly mammot found in clay andpeat that was deposited informer glacial lakes as well as in thesandand gravel humans, and habitat loss. Some of theextinct IceAgeanimals thatroamed in Ohio were thegiant distributed in thestate. Age animals went extinct for various reasons including rapid climate change, over-hunting by becoming awidely accepted theory that thefirst human inhabitants came via thecoast, andnot the land bridge of ice across theBering Strait between Asia an Ice AgeHumans Many Ice Age animals were very different from theanimals we find today in Ohio.Alot of Ice Flattened theLandscape Glaciers RolledIntoOhioand Additionally, well-crafted flint spear heads, unique tothe Paleoindian culture, are widely across theland bridge! Thefirst human culture in North America is collectively known as the Paleoindians have been found in Ohio, several mastodon skeletons thathave beenfound in the Paleoindian state sh first advanced. Good evidence of this is the did notgrind down themountains. Forces of erosion hadalready donethatbefore theglaciers of fact, glaciers deepened valleys andleft behind hills in theform of moraines andeskers. Glaciers existed andrendered thetopograp includes Campbell Hill -thehighestpoint in thestateat1549ft. TheBellefontaine Outlier is a landscape, they didn’t bulldoze thehills and mountains andflattened the landscape. Asamatter It’s acommon notion thatOhio’s flatness is due totheglaciers thatground down any hills that PROJECT NATURE evidence that theanimal was butchered, indicating thatPaleoindians didlive inOhio. ow . Theywere nomadic huntersand gatherers. Although noskeletal remains of NEWSLETTER and sabertooth. Skeletal remains of these animals have been h, flat. While it’s true that theglaciers modified Ohio’s hy Bellefo - NoTheyDidn’t! For PastIssues, goto ine Outlier nta ska. However, it is now d Ala https://u.osu.edu/maemega/project-nature/ in LoganCounty, which

OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE can beclearly seen apex at theBellefontaine Outlier. This Ohio form curvilinear profiles with an moraines in thewest-central part of level therocky outcrop. The outlier glaciers advanced, theice s eroded away layers of rocks over thecourse of millions of years, this surrounded by much older rock from the Silurian period (about 430mya). While theelements glacial lobe rather presented a hard barrier tothe the state, where the ridge moraines Devonian-age (about 380 mya) bedrock covered byglacial till. This isolated “island” of rock is resources –Daytongetsitswaterfromthem! (depicted ingreen) appear like agarland Springfield, anarea thatis very flat, outlier down, theglaciers bifurcated ice sheet. So, instead of grinding the entirely filled with glacial sediment. there is a buried valley 400feet deep, For example, along Interstate 70near Scioto glacial lobe into two lobes from that point -the Such b was by filling thevalleys with sediment. draped onaChristmas tree! did flatten thelandscape in some areas One way, however, in which glaciers PROJECT NATURE d valleys are important water urie . Consequently, the ridge A geological outlier is an area of isolated rock surrounded by older rock. Conversely, an inlier is an isolated rock surrounded by younger rock. andtheMiami on thegla cial map of NEWSLETTER t did not hee Outlier andInlier For PastIssues, goto

Source: OhioDepartmentofNaturalResources,Division Curved ridgemorainesaroundtheBellefontaineOutlier Campbell Hill https://u.osu.edu/maemega/project-nature/ outlier survived. Whenthe of Geological Survey

OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE the planet will co This implies thatourplanet hasa very sensitive thermal budget, andfrom that reference scale, glacial cycle hasbeenrepeating itself for thelast 2.5million years, it is only logical topredict that different from anything in thepast! Only time will 0.7 degrees Cis a rather large temperature-increase. significant impact onthecourse of natural events, andwhatever comes nextwill bevery overall average yearly temperature between normal andglacial climate is less than 10degrees C. [email protected] the following. Studyof ice cores from theGreenland ice cap has revealed thatthedifference in 10,000 years. Wehavebeenexperiencing interglacial conditions for about 10,000 years now. So, to beliving in an interglacial period. The past glacial cycles hadaninterglacial period of about called anew epoch - We defined theendof Pleistocene Epoch when theglaciers receded about14,000 years ago and What ComesNext! Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist R To subscribe to the newsletter or for any questions/comments/feedback, please email human activity. It’snotcoincidental that this spike in global temperatures started with the century, theaverage global temperatures over land andoceanhave increased by about0.74 years. Thequestion is if there is if the Milankovitch cycles continued, we should bereaching full glaciation in thenext25,000 degrees C.Ithasbeenawell-accepted fact in thescience community thatthis is a direct result of industrial revolution. While amere 0.7degrees Cmig PROJECT NATURE ajat Saksena what comes next, butitwould be fair tosay that humans have made a tell ol down onceagain and anotherglacial ice sheetwill advance. Wejusthappen Holocene NEWSLETTER -following thatevent.ButtheIce Agehasn’t ended! Justasthe g unusual aboutthis interglacial period. Injustthepast anythin For PastIssues, goto [email protected] http://indusdsign.com/ Project Nature logo designed by Sushil Narsian, Indus Design ht so und like avery small number, consider https://u.osu.edu/maemega/project-nature/

OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE