TN Naturalists end 2013 season

•

2013 TN Naturalists with Mead's Quarry Lake in background

Special thanks to this year's class of Tennessee Naturalists taught at Ijams: Bill, Cindy, Joe, Joel, Judy, Laura, Libby, Linda, Liz, Lucy, Mac, Mary, Rich, Shelley, Sue and Tammy. 

Our last two outings explored the geology of the nature center (and everything I know about Ijams geology I learned from Harry Moore); two cold walks along the exposed rock on the River Trail and to Mead's Quarry Lake and beyond to Ross Marble Natural Area and the Keyhole. 

But, you know, in the winter, the wildflowers may be gone, the leaves have fallen from the trees and the warblers winged it south of the border but the rock formations are always here. The Holston Formation of exposed limestone that forms the basin for the lake and the blocks that make up the King Kongian Keyhole are Ordovician in origin, that means the rock is roughly 440 to 480 million years ago.  

For more information go to: Ijams TN Naturalists. 

At Keyhole at Ross Marble Natural Area at Ijams

•