Eramosa Karst Educational Resources - Recently Updated Pages

Biodiversity

MsPage — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:06:51 CDT

The Eramosa Karst is home to a wide variety of plants and wildlife, including some that are at risk.

Species at Risk

Eastern Milk Snake
Ontario's Biodiversity Risk- Eastern Milk Snake
http://www.rom.on.ca/ontario/risk.php?doc_type=fact&id=291

Natural Resources Canada
http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/subsite/glfc-amphibians/lampropeltis-triangulum-triangulum

Monarchs Butterflies
Ontario Biodiversity at Risk
http://www.rom.on.ca/ontario/risk.php?doc_type=fact&id=149

Red Admirals
http://www.cbif.gc.ca/spp_pages/butterflies/species/RedAdmiral_e.php

Common Amphibians of Hamilton Wentworth

http://www.rom.on.ca/ontario/fieldguides.php

Local species: Butterflies
http://www.hamiltonnature.org/localspecies/butterfly.htm

Odonates: Dragonflies and Damselflies
http://www.hamiltonnature.org/localspecies/odonates.htm

Garlic Mustard Invasive Plant

MsPage — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:29:06 CDT

Garlic Mustard- Damaging Native Plant life in the Karst
Although it may look pretty with bright green leave, white flours, a garlic smell and taste this plant is an invasive weed that displaces native wildflowers, disturbs the soil chemistry, and suppresses the growth of native tree seedlings. Garlic mustard quickly spreads out of control and covers large areas, damaging native plant life. They are easy to spot in mid-to-late May with their prolific white blooms along roadsides, in parks, and on residential properties. The Friends of the Eramosa Karst are working with the HCA to help the effort to protect and preserve our forests and natural areas by pulling these plants in designated test areas.

Eramosa Karst -Test Plots:
On June 1 2009 three test areas were established in the Eramosa Karst to see if non chemical controls can be effective. In one area the garlic mustard was pulled out prior to turning to seed. In a second area the garlic mustard was pulled out and will be covered by landscape cloth and mulch. And in the third area there appears to be less garlic mustard and high amount of May Apple plants. The remaining garlic mustard will be removed from that area and other plants left undisturbed. We will be continuing to pull plants from the first area and then making observations in the other 2 areas. This study will need to continue for a number of years since the seeds that already in the soil can lay dormant for seven years (or more).

As we were pulling plants out from the root we did find a few small maple seedlings and other plants that were able to grow this year. It will be interesting to watch and see how the other plants respond to our efforts.

Karst wages battle against "pecky plant's" chemical warfare.
Garlic Mustard invasive species growing in Karst.
June 5 2009 Stoney Creek News

Royal Botanical Gardens - Classroom Simulation
Grade 4 and up
GARLIC MUSTARD INVASION:
A Simulation of an Invasive Species in Forest Ecosystems

http://www.rbg.ca/e_connections/garlicmustard.html

Biodiversity Education & Awarness Council
How to Remove Garlic Mustard and Educational Activities:
http://www.biodiversityeducation.ca/index.php/garlic_mustard

For more information see:
Hamilton Conservation -Garlic Mustard coming to a woodlot near you.
http://www.conservationhamilton.ca/corporate/news/3215_795.asp

Biodiversity Education and Awareness Council -Garlic Mustard Events
http://www.biodiversityeducation.ca/bean/ibd_events.php/garlic_mustard_events

Royal Botanical Gardens - Invasive Species (Grade 4 simulation)
http://www.rbg.ca/e_connections/exotic.html

The Nature Conservancy of Canada
Garlic Mustard What is it? Why is it a problem?
http://www.natureconservancy.ca/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10199&news_iv_ctrl=0&abbr=on_ncc_

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs
Problem weed of the month Garlic Mustard
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/hort/news/hortmatt/2005/10hrt05a4.htm

Stewardship Network of Ontario - Garlic Mustard Research
http://www.stewardshipcentre.on.ca/index.php/science_r_&_d

Karst Glossary

MsPage — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:06:03 CDT

Source: Buck, M.J., S.R.H. Worthington and D.C. Ford. 2003.
Earth Science Inventory and Evaluation of the Eramosa Karst Area of Natural and Scientific Interest.
OMNR, Guelph District, Southcentral Region. vi + 51 p.

View Report Photo's of Eramosa Karst Features
http://friendsoferamosakarst.org/photos/report%20photos/reportphotos.htm

active: Connected to the current hydrologic conditions and actively developing.

bare karst: A karst where bedrock is exposed and soil is thin or absent.

blind valley: A valley in which a stream sinks underground. The valley floor rises abruptly downvalley of the sinkpoint, closing it off topographically.

cave: A natural cavity in the ground which is large enough for human entry. An arbitrary minimum length of 5 m is used here to differentiate caves from rock shelters or overhangs.

clint: Slabs of limestone or dolostone forming a pavement. Individual slabs or clints are separated by grikes (solutionally widened joints) and are parallel to the bedding.

conduit: A dissolution void with a diameter greater than 1 centimetre, in which flow may be turbulent. Conduits typically form tributary patterns and connect a large number of dolines or solutionally enlarged joints to a spring. Most caves (including all those in this study) are large conduits.

doline: A topographically closed depression, commonly circular or oval in plain view. Five types are generally recognised, though most dolines are a combination of more than one type.

Collapse dolines are caused by the collapse of bedrock into an underlying void, and often have steep sides.

Solution dolines are caused by solution of the bedrock and centripetal flow to a central conduit.

Suffosion dolines are caused by the subsidence or down-washing of unconsolidated sediments into a conduit in bedrock.

Subsidence dolines are caused by the subsidence of bedrock above a solution void.

Buried dolines are ancient dolines that have been filled in by unconsolidated sediments such as glacial deposits.

dry valley: A valley which lacks a permanent surface stream.

exsurgence: A spring principally fed by recharge percolating down through the soil. Exsurgences are characterised by a limited range in discharge and chemistry, and typically remain clear after heavy rain.

fluviokarst: A karst area where surface creeks are present.

fossil: No longer active (in describing karst features)

grike: A solutionally enlarged vertical or steeply inclined joint extending for up to a few metres from the surface of the bedrock.

half-blind valley: A valley in which the stream normally sinks underground but there is overflow during very wet weather.

holokarst: A karst area where there is an absence of surface creeks.

interstratal karst Karst developed within a soluble formation that is overlain by low-solubility strata.

karren: Small-scale dissolution features on soluble rocks.

karst: A landscape characterised by solution features such as karren, dolines, caves, sinking streams and springs.

karst window: A depression with a stream flowing across it, caused by collapse of bedrock into a cave passage.

mantled karst: Karst deeply covered by unconsolidated overburden.

overflow sink: A sinkpoint for a creek that is only used under high flows when sinkpoints further upstream are unable to handle all the flow.

paleokarst Karst formed in previous geologic eras, now infilled by later deposits and hydrologically inert.

pavement: A level or gently-inclined bare rock surface in limestone or dolostone with solutionally-enlarged joints which are known as cutters,

Kluftkarren, or grikes. The flat areas between the joints are known as clints. These are usually indented with smaller pits and runnels of solutional origin.

phreatic: Used to describe cave passages and other features formed below the water table. The classic example is a tube-shaped passage.

rejuvenated: A relict or paleokarst feature that is being re-used in a modern hydrologic system.

relict: A geomorphic feature that retains its genetic form but no longer its function; e.g. a dry valley.

resurgence: A spring principally fed by one or more sinking streams. Resurgences are characterised by a wide range in discharge and chemistry, and typically become turbid after heavy rain. runnel: A bedrock groove formed by dissolution.

sinkhole: 1) A sinkpoint. 2) A doline (synonymous: ‘sinkhole’ is chiefly used in the United States).

sinkpoint: The point where a stream sinks underground into a conduit.

sinking stream: A stream which sinks underground at a sinkpoint.

soil piping: The transport of material through pipes in unconsolidated sediments. The pipes are typically round and a few mm to a few cm in diameter

speleothem: Any secondary mineral deposit found in caves formed by chemical precipitation. Speleothems in the area are composed of the mineral calcite, although a few may be formed of aragonite.

spring: A natural outflow of water to the surface.

sump: A cave passage that is permanently filled with water.

vadose: Used to describe cave passages and other features formed above the water table.

Features at Eramosa Karst

MsPage — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:07:46 CDT

View Report Photo's - showing these features
http://friendsoferamosakarst.org/photos/report%20photos/R1.htm

Specific geomorphic features identified at the Eramosa Karst
Source: Buck, M.J., S.R.H. Worthington and D.C. Ford. 2003.
Earth Science Inventory and Evaluation of the Eramosa Karst Area of Natural and Scientific Interest.
OMNR, Guelph District, Southcentral Region. vi + 51 p. TABLE 3

Geomorphic Feature	Examples at Eramosa Karst	Significance
Karren	A few excellent examples of a variety of small scale karren
Dolostone pavement	A few limited examples
Grikes	Numerous examples
Collapse dolines	A few examples
Suffosion dolines	Widespread in Eramosa Karst	* Provincial: although reasonably common in Ontario, this is the highest concentration known in the province.
Soil pipes	Widespread (typically associated with suffosion dolines and drainage courses)	* Provincial: the only known location in Ontario; potential to be the type-example for an erosion mechanism of doline formation.
Karst windows	Pottruff Cave Nexus Cave Window Entrance	* Regional: Pottruff Cave is the largest example along the Niagara Escarpment.
Caves	Nexus Cave	* Provincial: of the three caves of its type in Ontario, it is the largest, most complex and best preserved
Solution shaft	Unnamed shaft, Nexus Cave	* Provincial: one of only three in-cave examples
Sinking streams	Nexus, Stewart, Phoenix, Kinney and McGill Creeks	* Provincial: the largest concentration of sinking streams in a relatively small area.
Overflow sinks	Various excellent examples situated downstream from Phoenix and Stewart Creeks	* Provincial: clearly the best example in Ontario of overflow sinks in mantled karst developed in well bedded carbonates
Dry valley	Nexus dry valley	* Provincial: the very best example in the province
Blind valley	Nexus Creek blind valley (at the sinkpoint)
Half-blind valley	Phoenix Creek, Stewart Creek
Resurgence (spring)	Pottruff Spring, Nexus Spring
Exsurgence (spring)	Unnamed spring, situated 280 m northeast of Pottruff Spring

Karst Lesson - Weathering

MsPage — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:13:56 CDT

Karst Observation Activity:

The Weathering Process at the Eramosa Karst Conservation Area

Name:____________________ Date _______________________

Lesson Focus
Weathering Process -The term weathering refers to the destructive processes that change the character of rock at or near the Earth's surface. Types of weathering:

Mechanical - Processes of mechanical weathering (or physical disintegration) break up rock into smaller pieces but do not change the chemical composition. The most common mechanical weathering processes are frost action and abrasion.
Chemical. The processes of chemical weathering (or rock decomposition) transform rocks and minerals exposed to water and atmospheric gases into new chemical compounds (different rocks and minerals), some of which can be dissolved away.
Physical removal of weathered rock by water, ice, or wind is called erosion.

We often think of weathering as destructive and a bad thing because it ruins buildings and statues. However, as rock is destroyed, valuable products are created. The major component of soil is weathered rock. The growth of plants and the production of food are dependent on weathering.

To Understand the Weathering process
See "Do Rocks Last Forever"

Preparation - when visiting the Eramoas Karst take along
- Karst Map
- Clipboard
- Pen or pencil
- Camera
- Watch

TASK: Take pictures, or make a sketch with notes of the Rocks, Soil, Water, Plants and any birds or wildlife observed that show the weathering process and effects.

Further Questions for discussion/ reflection

1. What did you learn about the weathering process?
2. What different types rock and soil did you see?
3. How does water affect the weathering process?
4. If you visited the Karst at a different time of year: Spring, summer, winter, fall what do you think would be different?

Site Location	Photo/ or Sketch	Evidence of Weathering- notes

SEE ATTACHMENTS FOR HANDOUT BELOW

Eramosa Karst Educational Resources

MsPage — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:13:34 CDT

Welcome to Friends of the Eramosa Karst - Educational Resource Site. We are a local, non profit community group currently working to expand, and educate the community about Hamilton's newest Conservation Area, The Eramosa Karst Conservation Area.

Here you will find:

Karst Information
Curriculum Connections
Lesson ideas and activities
Students handouts
and educational materials for teachers, students and others interested in understanding the environmental ecosystem of the karst lands.

Friends of the Eramosa Karst
http://friendsoferamosakarst.org/

Hamilton Conservation Authority- Eramosa Karst
http://www.conservationhamilton.ca/parks/visit/eramosa.asp

You can help create this Resource!
If you are an educator or someone interested in creating this site please "join in" and help out. This type of web site is a wiki- it is a easy for multiple editors to work together and share ideas and materials.

Do Rocks Last Forever?

MsPage — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:14:04 CDT

Rocks are affected by the weathering process in our environment.

Below is an explanation of the weathering process
Four classroom experiments that can be used to explore how rocks are affected by conditions over time.
Observation Activity- handout for students and teachers to collect (photo's, sketches, and notes) on the weathering process observed in the Eramosa Karst Conservation Area.

Original Source the following lesson and experiments:
http://www.alcwin.org/Kids_Club-5.htm

Do Rocks Last Forever?

The weathering process in rocks

Do Rocks Last Forever?

We think rocks last forever. The boulder we played on in our parents' front yard when we were children is still there for our grandchildren to enjoy. The rock steps to the church are still in use a hundred years later, and the gravestones in the cemetery still mark where our ancestors were laid to rest. These rocks, to us, have lasted forever. But, if you look closely, change is taking place.

This change is called weathering. The term weathering refers to the destructive processes that change the character of rock at or near the Earth's surface. There are two main types of weathering, mechanical and chemical. Processes of mechanical weathering (or physical disintegration) break up rock into smaller pieces but do not change the chemical composition. The most common mechanical weathering processes are frost action and abrasion. The processes of chemical weathering (or rock decomposition) transform rocks and minerals exposed to water and atmospheric gases into new chemical compounds (different rocks and minerals), some of which can be dissolved away. The physical removal of weathered rock by water, ice, or wind is called erosion.

Weathering is a long, slow process, which is why we think rocks last forever. In nature, mechanical and chemical weathering typically occur together. Commonly, fractures in rocks are enlarged slowly by frost action or plant growth (as roots pry into the fractures). This action causes more surface area to be exposed to chemical agents. Chemical weathering works along contacts between mineral grains. Crystals that are tightly bound together become looser as weathering products form at their contacts. Mechanical weathering continues until the rock slowly falls apart into individual grains.

We often think of weathering as destructive and a bad thing because it ruins buildings and statues. However, as rock is destroyed, valuable products are created. The major component of soil is weathered rock. The growth of plants and the production of food is dependent on weathering. Some metallic ores, such as copper and aluminum, are concentrated into economic deposits by weathering. Dissolved products of weathering are carried in solution to the sea, where they nourish marine organisms. And finally, as rocks weather and erode, the sediment eventually becomes rock again--a sedimentary rock.

Four experiments that illustrate the effects of mechanical and chemical weathering are presented below.

PLASTER AND ICE (MECHANICAL WEATHERING)

What you need: plaster of paris, water, a small balloon, two empty pint milk cartons (bottom halves only), a freezer.

What to do:

(1) Fill the balloon with water until it is the size of a ping-pong ball. Tie a knot at the end.
(2) Mix water with plaster of paris until the mixture is as thick as yogurt. Pour half of the plaster in one milk carton and the other half in the other.
(3) Push the balloon down into the plaster in one carton until it is about 1/4 inch under the surface. Hold the balloon there until the plaster sets enough so that the balloon doesn't rise to the surface.
(4) Let the plaster harden for about 1 hour.
(5) Put both milk cartons in the freezer overnight. 6) Remove the containers the next day to see what happened.

What to think about: What happened to the plaster that contained the balloon? What happened to the plaster that had no balloon? Why is there a difference? Which carton acted as the control? Why? How does this experiment show what happens when water seeps into a crack in a rock and freezes?

What should have happened: The plaster containing the balloon should have cracked as the water in the balloon froze and expanded. Explain that when water seeps into cracks in rocks and freezes, it can eventually break rocks apart.

A SOUR TRICK (CHEMICAL WEATHERING)

What you need: lemon juice, vinegar, medicine droppers, two pieces each of limestone, calcite, chalk, and quartz.

What to do:

(1) Put a few drops of lemon juice on one of each of the four rock samples.
(2) Put a few drops of vinegar on each of the other four samples.
(3) Look and listen carefully each time you add the lemon juice or the vinegar.

What to think about: What happens when you put lemon juice on each rock? What happens when you put vinegar on each rock? Did the lemon juice and vinegar act the same way on each rock? Why did some of the rocks react differently? What does this experiment have to do with weathering?

What should have happened: Lemon juice and vinegar are both weak acids. The lemon juice contains citric acid and the vinegar contains acetic acid. These mild acids can dissolve rocks that contain calcium carbonate. The lemon juice and vinegar should have bubbled or fizzed on the limestone, calcite, and chalk, which all contain calcium carbonate. There should not have been a reaction on the quartz, which does not contain calcium carbonate. Explain that water commonly contains weak acids that dissolve rocks containing calcium carbonate and other minerals.

SHAKE IT UP (MECHANICAL WEATHERING)

What you need: 15 rough, jagged stones that are all about the same size, three containers with lids (like coffee cans), three clear jars, a pen, paper, masking tape.

What to do:

(1) Separate the stones into three piles of five. Put each pile on a sheet of paper.
(2) Label each pile A, B, or C. Label each can and jar A, B, or C.
(3) Fill Can A halfway with water and put in the stones from Pile A. Do the same with Can B and Pile B and Can C and Pile C. Let the stones stand in the water overnight.
(4) The next day, hold Can A in both hands and shake it hard 100 times.
(5) Remove the stones from Can A with your hands and pour the water into Jar A. Observe the stones and the water.
(6) Give Can B 1,000 shakes (you can rest between shakes). Remove these stones and pour the water into Jar B. Observe the stones and the water.
(7) Do not shake Can C. Remove the stones and pour the water into Jar C. Observe the stones and the water.
(8) Compare the three piles of stones and the three jars of water.

What to think about: How do the piles of stones differ? Why? Which pile acted as the control? Why? How do the jars of water differ? How does this show what happens to stones that are knocked about in a fast-moving river?

What should have happened: The stones that were shaken should have more rounded edges than the stones that weren't shaken, and the stones in Can B should have rounder edges than the ones in Can A. Both jars should have some sediment in the bottom, but Jar B should have more sediment because more shakes would have broken off more bits of rock. The same thing happens to rocks that are carried along in rivers or are tumbled about by waves.

STEEL WOOL AND WATER (CHEMICAL WEATHERING)

What you need: Three shallow dishes, three pieces of steel wool, salt, water, gloves.

What to do:

(1) Place each piece of steel wool in a shallow dish (wear gloves because steel wool can give splinters).
(2) Pour equal amounts of water over two of the pieces of steel wool. Leave the third piece dry. (3) Sprinkle one of these wet pieces with plenty of salt.
(4) Observe and compare the pieces every day for a week.

What to think about: What happened to each piece of steel wool? Which piece changed the most? Why do you think the steel wool changed? Which piece of steel wool acted as the control? What does this experiment have to do with weathering?

What should have happened: When iron gets wet, the water acts as an agent to speed up oxidation (oxidation occurs when oxygen combines with another substance). In this case, oxygen in the water combined with the iron in the steel wool to form an iron oxide, or rust. Rust is a weaker material than the original metal and erodes quickly. When salt is added to the water, it speeds up the oxidation of iron. So, the steel wool in the salt water should have changed the most. The same thing happens to rocks that contain iron as happens to cars during northern winters when salt is put on the roads.
_______________________________________________________________________________

The Weathering Process at the Eramosa Karst Conservation Area
When you VISIT the Eramosa Karst Conservation area take photographs, sketches and notes on the Weathering Process you observe.
see Karst Lesson -Weathering

Curriculum Connections

MsPage — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:23:27 CDT

The Eramosa Karst Conservation Area has many learning opportunities for students of all grade levels.
Elementary and Secondary teachers will find correlations between the Ontario curriculum and
the activities and experiences that can be conducted here.

Science
Geography
Biology
Grade 10 Civics- Active Citizenship

Grade 4 - Rocks and Minerals

What is a Karst?

MsPage — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:56:01 CDT

Term : karst

Definition : A topography characterized by caves, sinkholes, disappearing streams, and underground drainage. Karst forms when groundwater dissolves pockets of limestone, dolomite, or gypsum in bedrock

Eramosa Karst Videos
courtesy: Hamilton Conservation Authority
Take a video tour of the karst features. Marcus Buck, Hamilton karst expert and co-author of the report that helped turn the karst property into a provincial Area of Natural and Scientific Interest, leads us on a video exploration of the karst geological features that will be interpreted when the property is developed into Hamilton’s newest conservation area. (Video production courtesy of Van Valkenburg Communications).
**Karst Introduction** - (501 KB)
What is a karst? - (883 KB)
What is an ANSI? - (555 KB)
Why should the karst area be preserved? - (622 KB)
What is a sinkhole? - (919 KB)
Nexxus Cave - (1,024 KB)
Key features of the karst area - (735 KB)
Pottruff and Nexxus Caves - (752 KB)
Other features of the karst area - (1,078 KB)

More Photos and Video
http://friendsoferamosakarst.org/photo_gallery.htm

Grade 4- Rocks and Minerals

MsPage — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:51:17 CDT

Grade 4 Science and Technology

Ontario Curriclum Expectations (2007)

GRADE 4 | UNDERSTANDING LIFE SYSTEMSHABITATS AND COMMUNITIES
OVERALL EXPECTATIONSBy the end of Grade 4, students will:1. analyse the effects of human activities on habitats and communities;2. investigate the interdependence of plants and animals within specific habitats and communities;3. demonstrate an understanding of habitats and communities and the relationships among the plantsand animals that live in them.

Rocks and Minerals

Fundamental	Concepts Big Ideas
Change and Continuity	Rocks and minerals have unique characteristics and properties that are aresult of how they were formed. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)
Sustainability and Stewardship	The properties of rocks and minerals determine society’s possible uses for them. (Overall expectations 1 and 2)
Structure and Function	Our use of rocks and minerals affects the environment. (Overall expectation 1)

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS

By the end of Grade 4, students will:

1. assess the social and environmental impacts of human uses of rocks and minerals;

2. investigate, test, and compare the physical properties of rocks and minerals;

3. demonstrate an understanding of the physical properties of rocks and minerals.