Wooster Geologists

Guest Bloggers: Eddie Fatica, Nolan Hendricks, Stephen Shickluna, Gabe Jones, Sihan Tian

Figure 1. The hydrology team at Geyers Chapel spring.

Background:

This week, our hydrology class explored the physics and functionality of natural springs in our wonderful Wooster, Ohio. We visited three locations during this lab, including Kinney Fields, Geyer’s Chapel, and the beautiful Secrest Arboretum, to observe and test springs firsthand. At each site, we examined how factors like geology, surrounding agriculture, water table depth, and aquifer pressure influence the way a spring forms and flows. We also took measurements of water quality and water temperature to help us compare each of the 3 springs to each other.

Methods:

At each area we visited, we performed a series of tasks to help compare each spring. We checked the water temperature of each spring to determine how deep the water had traveled underground. The colder the water, the deeper it had traveled from underground. Then, our T.A., Arjan collected water samples from each spring, which will be used in the future to tell us the components of each spring. Lastly, we used the probe to help determine how far the spring was from the bedrock, as well as what kind of material was around and under the stream (Figure 2.).

Figure 2. Eddie F. using the tile probe to locate bedrock.

Figure 3.  T.A. Arjan taking the temperature of the spring water.

Figure 4.  Arjan taking a water sample at Secrest Arboretum.

Results:

At our first site, the Mckinney fields (40°49’50.81″N, 81°56’28.62″W), we were able to identify colluvial deposits near the site of the well house . We identified the overburden as glacial till/clay and assumed the water table was under that. (Figure 5.) Measurements revealed the water temperature to be 13.9 C, showing that this area was, indeed, a spring. It should be noted that while we did take samples to determine the water chemistry at each site, those results have not been revealed to us yet. After taking the water temperature at the first site we moved to Geyer’s Chapel (40°52’42.31″N, 81°53’50.75″W) finding the water temperature to be at 12.6C, warmer than the last site, yet still indicative of a spring. Our third and final site was Seacrest abortorium (40°47’0.50″N, 81°55’19.65″W).  This spring, being a seep spring, had a temperature of 15.2C. Here we were able to identify an unconformity after poking around with a tile probe. We found very hard rock about 2-3 feet under the water. This rock was assumed to be a few hundred million years old while the glacial clay that overlayed it was assumed to be 20,000 years old.

Figure 5. A sketch of the well-house and the surrounding geology.

Closing Thoughts:

This fieldtrip was a great practicum in determining where springs may be located, what kind of rock may be surrounding them, and how to use certain tools to assist in these processes. When field tests and models such as the 3-point problem are combined, determining stream flow becomes easy. Knowing the direction a stream flows is essential for contaminants / pollution management and prevention for municipalities.

The class at the CFAES weather station that provides hydrologic information back to the mid 19th century.

ODNR Monitoring Well on the grounds of the CFAES campus.

Guest bloggers: Anika Knowles, Cheyenne Wentz, Ellie White and Leo Casalini

The HYDRO ’26 Macroinvertebrate team.

The Objective

The team gathered before starting the survey at Site 1.

Students enrolled in this year’s Hydrology course took a trip down to Apple Creek, a local tributary of the larger Killbuck Creek, to aid in the completion of a macroinvertebrate survey led by entomologist Carrie Elvey of Ohio State University and Steve of Trout Unlimited. The survey was done with the express goal of assessing the current health of Apple Creek and by extension to add to the larger understanding of its health over the years. By surveying the amount and the type of critters, or macroinvertebrates, found in the stream, an estimation could be made of the creek’s health. A healthy stream is a diverse and plentiful one.

Methods & Collection

Three of the HYDRO ’26 team (Amrin, Gabe, and Amelia from left to right) using the Kick Siene net.

Survey sites 1 and 2 (labeled in yellow) along Apple Creek.

The macroinvertebrate survey was done by splitting up and using different methods of collection. Both Dip nets and Kick Siene nets were used to catch the macroinvertebrates, as well as the basic method of picking up a rock and seeing if any macroinvertebrates were on it. This was done for about 20 minutes. Macroinvertebrates were placed into two bins for safe keeping until being separated further into a smaller tray based on species. The different types of species were then recorded. The same process was then repeated at site 2.

Macroinvertebrates separated by species in an ice cube tray.

Carrie Elvey helped the class learn how to identify the macroinvertebrates that were found and how to distinguish between similarly shaped ones. For example, in the top left corner of the ice cube tray above, there are two critters that may seem the same. Upon closer inspection, one of them has visible gills along its abdomen, a characteristic of a mayfly. The other critter without visible gills on its abdomen is a stonefly, as their gill tufts are under their arms.

Figure 1. Apple Creek’s reported annual stream health from 2012 to 2026 as recorded from site #1.

Figure 2. Apple Creek’s reported annual stream health from 2012 to 2026 as recorded from site #2.

Results

Based on our surveys, both of the sites have excellent water quality. Site 1 scored 27 (Figure 1) and Site 2 scored 37 (Figure 2), both above the threshold of 23. In Site 2, we found more of the species sensitive to changes in water conditions and chemistry, including a right-handed snail, dobsonfly larvae, and sow bug, hence the higher score. Both sites had caddis fly, mayfly, stonefly, blood midge, water pennies, left-handed snails, among other invertebrates. While these numbers indicate that the water quality is excellent, the scores have declined since the survey process began in 2012. This could potentially be due to the nearby cement plant, recent storm/flood events, or the history of dredging and oil spills, that could have increased runoff into Apple Creek.

A couple of dudes on Dude Mountain

Guest bloggers – Cheyenne Wentz and Anika Knowles: Day 1 (June 23^rd): We arrived in Ketchikan and took the ferry across the fjord from the airport to Revillagigedo Island (where the town of Ketchikan is located). After picking up our rental car, we drove to Rotary Beach and explored the tide pools for a few hours. We saw lots of life, including mussels, sea snails, kelp, crabs, and 51 sea stars. We also were introduced to salmon berries, and we picked and ate an abundance of the red-orange fruit. After a dinner of pasta, we caught the end of sunset over the water.

Ferry ride from the airport to Ketchikan. 

Pointing out sea stars at Rotary Beach tide pools. 

Ochre Sea Star (left) and salmon berries (right)

Day 2 (June 24^th): For our first day in the field, we went to Perseverance Lake and hiked around, learning the difference between red cedar and yellow cedar while marveling at all the other flora and fauna including banana slugs, sundew, alder trees, and many different ferns. We also learned to identify devil’s club and cow parsnip, both plants that you don’t want to touch. We had lunch on some logs overlooking the lake, then began coring trees and preserving them in straws.

Red cedar – less dense foliage, sweeter smelling, flatter needles

Yellow cedar – more dense foliage, kind of citrus smelling, rounder needles, more droopy

Yellow cedar (left) and redcedar (right)

Cheyenne and Nick extracting a redcedar core.

Perseverance Lake.

Day 3 (June 25^th): In the morning, we had some local coffee along with our breakfast before heading back to the Perseverance trail to continue coring redcedar and complete that site’s chronology. It was raining almost the whole day, so we sported our fashionable yellow raincoats. We saw LOTS of skunk cabbage and devil’s club, along with a few more banana slugs, on our way to the trees. For coring, we tried to choose trees that weren’t leaning at a big angle, didn’t have visible rot, and were decently large. We noticed that the redcedar is much easier to core than the yellow cedar, which our triceps thanked us for. We had lunch on a mossy knoll and then traversed to a lake with no name where we saw some trees that had been stripped, a traditional practice of the Tlingit and Haida indigenous peoples. After the day’s work, we stopped at Connell Dam and Totem Bight State Park where we learned a little bit more about the Tlingit and Haida culture and history. We finished the day with taco Thursday complete with bean juice and cinnamon tortillas (shoutout WOODs club!).

Cheyenne and Anika standing by a stripped redcedar.

Anika and Cheyenne coring a redcedar.

Connell Dam (left) and Totem Bight State Park (right).

Day 4 (June 26^th): We continued on to our second site—Lunch Creek Trail. We explored the trail to scope out where the best redcedars were to core, then stopped for lunch at a bear-frequented spot where we set up a hammock. As we cored trees, we found some ripe wild blueberries and talked to some friendly hikers. After the day’s work, we hiked down to Settler’s Cove to sit and watch the water for a bit.

Settler’s Cove

Day 5: After three days of hard work, we had a chance to explore around Ketchikan and rest a little. We spent a few hours at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center where we learned some more about the natural history of the area. Fun fact, Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the country! We also heard from one of the retired loggers and his experience in the timber and wood pulp industry.

Yellow cedar drawing (left) and Anika taking notes (right).

Day 6: We drove to Dude Mountain Trail and hiked to the summit which was very foggy but we got some good views as the clouds moved. We had lunch up at the summit then cored mountain hemlocks and yellow cedars on the way down, trying not to eat any of the bugs that were swarming us. There was a sweet spot in the middle where the most reliable trees to core were. We also learned the difference between mountain hemlock and western hemlock. Hemlocks are a hard wood, compared to the cedars which are a soft wood, so it was a lot harder to core the hemlocks. We also found some core holes from the previous Wooster trip to Ketchikan (shoutout Amanda and Proto).

Mountain hemlock – needles all the way around the branch

Western hemlock – needles two-dimensional/parallel

Cheyenne and Anika coring a Mountain Hemlock.

Fog on Dude Mountain.

One more day of sampling and then a trip to Misty Fiords before returning to Wooster for data processing.