Location: We have returned to the Coastal Plains to make our last stop of our trip - Westmoreland State Park. From Richmond, we will take 360 east to Route 3. This is about a 1 hour trip.
Equipment: Old Clothes (you don't mind getting wet!) and sunscreen.
Schedule:
8:00 Meet in
hotel conference room and discuss plans for the day. This will be
a shorter day so that people can return home.
8:15 Load vans
and head to Westmoreland State Park.
9:15 Arrive
at Park
9:30 Kayak
the Potomac and view the great dolomite shale cliffs.
12:00 Picnic lunch on park
grounds and discuss week's events.
1:00 Load vans
and return to Richmond to catch flights or relax.
Scientific Significance:
While kayaking on the Potomac River, you can view the
renown cliffs of Westmoreland State Park. The cliffs shown above,
which can tower 140 feet above the river, are made of dolomite shale (Virginia
State Parks, 2002). Also found within the cliffs of Westmoreland
are the Miocene and early Pliocene formations of the Chesapeake Group.
These deposits include the Calvert, Choptank, and Eastover formations (Dooley,
2002). The formations of the Chesapeake Group formed due to
rising sea level and widespread flooding during Miocene and Pliocene time.
The deposition of the Calvert and Choptank formations ended the Miocene
epoch, whereas the Eastover formation began in the Miocene but continued
into the Pliocene (Frye, 1986). These 3 to 12 million year old formations
are rich in fossils and have interested many geologists and paleontologist.
Types of fossils found thus far at Westmoreland include whale, crocodile,
turtle, shells, and sharks teeth (Dooley, 2002).
Westmoreland State Park is also a good spot to view wildlife. Bald eagles frequently soar above the shore. Beaver dams, such as the one shown below, can also be found within the park (Dooley, 2002).
Facts on the Potomac:
The Potomac River has a 14,670 square mile drainage basin with four states. These states include Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. The basin lies within all five of Virginia's geological provinces. Major tributaries to the river include Shenandoah, South Branch, Monocach, Savage, Cacapon, Anacostia, and Occoquan Rivers, as well as Conocoheague and Antietam creeks. The average flow of the Potomac River is about 7 billion gallons per day. The river serves as an important source of water for the Washington D.C. are, supplying approximately 460 million gallons per day. Approximately 100 million gallons of groundwater are used daily in rural areas.
Sunrise over the Potomac (Dooley, 2002)