The class took a field trip to glacial landforms in northern Pennsylvania and New York. They made stops at glacial terraces, Robert H. Treman State Park which included Enfield Gorge and Lucifer Falls, Buttermilk Falls State Park, and Taughannock Falls State Park. At each stop they observed and described the dominant landforms such as kame terracing, waterfalls and gorges formed from sedimentary rock that had been transported and deposited by glaciers and meltwater streams.

1. Geomorphology- 3321 Field Trip
By: Jesse Jones
April 12, 2015
Abstract:
The class left Sunday morning for the day as we headed north to seek out the different
glacial landforms in our regional area of the Pennsylvania and New York. We visited an
early stop at some glacial terraces along highway 15 and moved further north up to the
city of Ithaca NY and furthermore up along Cayuga Lake. The parks of interest with
some of the more sophisticated landforms were in Robert H. Treman State Park,
Buttermilk Falls State Park, and Taughannock Falls State Park.
Stop One
Location: Highway 15 (just before Tioga exit)
Date: 4/12/2015
Landforms: Glacial Kame Terracing
Soil- Alluvial Glacial till

2. Description- The soils that make up these terracing landforms are alluvial in
nature from small meltwater tributaries depositing large amounts of sediment
along the valley of the glacial.
Stop 2
Location: Robert Treman State Park
Date: 4/12/15
Landforms: Enfield Gorge and Lucifer Falls
Enfield Gorge Description- This landform actually serves as a swimming hole in the late
spring and summer months. Made up of mostly sedimentary rock with some granite
that was moved down from what may have been locate on the Canadian Shield.
Lucifer Falls Description - Made up of mostly shale’s, sandstones, and mudstones. Some
granite was found along the reach below the falls which may have come all the way
from the Canadian Shield. The one piece of granite we found in the stream and a quartz
vein about ¾ of an inch thick all the way through the rock. Lucifer falls itself was about
full flow with most of the snowmelt gone. We were only able to see about 80 foot of the
115 foot falls due to trails being closed from seasonal conditions.
Stop 3
Location: Buttermilk Falls State Park
Date: 4/12/2015
Landforms: Buttermilk Falls and gorge
Buttermilk Falls Description- This very popular falls in the Ithaca area was formed about
12,000 years ago during the Little Ice Age. Was given this name due to the large amount
of sediment load seen each year. Similar formation to the Lucifer Falls the gorge and fall
is primarily made up of shale, sandstone, and limestone.
Stop 4
Location: Taughannack State Park
Date: 4/12/2015
Landforms: 90 degree faults, Taughannack Falls, Taughannack gorge
Description- Starting at the falls itself, the fall is about 235 foot drop from the crest to
the bedrock. All throughout the gorge before the fall and at the fall there are great
exposures of 90 degree fault lines. That have been eroded over a long period of time.

3. The gorge and fall were formed from a connected tributary glacier that came down and
met with the main glacier which form Cayuga Lake. Most of the rock formation around
the area were limestone, shale, and sandstone. The gorge and hanging wall were
specifically formed fluvial flow from a stream that flowed underneath the tributary
glacier. Over time the water fall will retreat backward about 4-8 feet a year due to the
intense erosion from the stream. The bedrock of the reach above the falls was primarily
shale
Pictures from Field Trip
Location: Taughannack State Park
Taughannack Falls Fluvial Ripple Marks

4. Fluvial Ripples Taughannack Upper Gorge
Location: Robert Treman State Park (Lucifier Falls)

5. Description: Buttermilk Falls