The presentation lays a framework for understanding the evolution of the Portage Escarpment in the Cleveland area. On Lake Erie's south shore, the Portage Escarpment is the terrain transition between North America's Appalachian Highland and Central Lowland provinces. Lake Erie and its lake plain lie in the lowland province. Cleveland's East Side Heights lies on the escarpment. Portage, Summit, and Medina counties lie in the highland province.
Euclid Creek window
Our window into escarpment evolution is the stream-cut bedrock sequence at the Quarry Picnic Area of the Euclid Creek Reservation in South Euclid, Ohio. The sequence features two of the escarpment's three sandstone formations: the Berea Sandstone and, below, the Euclid bluestone (Bedford Formation).
Deep History
To comprehend the relationship between natural and anthropogenic terrain evolutions, the 'deep history' perspective is introduced. Deep history views urban landscapes as the weave of natural and cultural forces. The deep history perspectives of Daniel Lord Smail, David Christian, Edward O. Wilson and the Eco-Modernists are introduced.
Event Cycles
The deep history perspective views landscape evolution as a series of two-phased cycles. In deposition phase, landscape is built up as natural sediment and/or anthropogenic transformation. In erosion phase, landscape is torn down with stream cutting and/or urban abandonment.
Bedrock Deposition
The Euclid bluestone and Berea Sandstone were deposited ~350 Ma in a shallow sea fronting the rising Appalachian Mountains to the east. The sandstones typify deposits in a fold belt foreland basin. An analog can be found in the Persian Gulf, in the foreland basin fronting the Zagros Mountains fold belt in Iran and Iraq.
Glacial Retreat and Stream Formation
In terms of natural process, the current Portage Escarpment landscape took shape as the last glacier retreated northward and meltwater cut deep ravines into the local bedrock sequence. By about 16 ka, small streams began flowing southward to the Chagrin and Cuyahoga Rivers. After 16 ka, newer small streams, including Euclid Creek began flowing northward from current Shaker Heights.
Anthropogenic Landscapes
As we see evidence for Portage Escarpment terrain evolution at Euclid Creek, the human transformations loom large. The area was extensively quarried during the nineteenth century. Moreover, as urban development has paved much of the Euclid Creek watershed, the stream is subject to flood events which can quickly change the local stream bed. Many historic Metroparks infrastructure components are highly eroded.
4. Weave diverse fields of study into a
unifying narrative of life on earth
David Christian
Big History Project
world history: 8 thresholds
Anthropocene
Deep History perspective
5. Edward O. Wilson
Comprehend history to rebalance natural & human forces
No matter how dominant our species has
become, we are still part of nature
Deep History
Inter-weaved human and natural history
Helps us understand our place in nature
Humans belong to nature
Deep History perspective
6. Humans over-rely on natural ecosystems
Decouple human welfare from environmental impacts
Cities occupy 2% of the Earth’s surface
April 15, 2015
Technology to stabilize the climate and protect nature
Develop cities
Deep History perspective
7. Landscapes grow and retreat in cycles
Event Cycles
time + event (action) = erosion to low peak
Humans act upon landscape in cycles
time + event (action) = deposition to high peak
cycle
9. years ago process phase era
40 a-? urban abandonment Post Industrial
210-40 a industrialization Anthropocene
16 Ka-present post-glacial erosion Holocene
23-16 Ka late glacial deposition Late Pleistocene
300 Ma-23 Ka hard rock erosion Mesozoic/Cenozoic
400-300 Ma hard rock deposition Paleozoic
Portage Escarpment
Event Cycles
1:
2:
3:
11. NE WA B
Cuyahoga shale
Cleveland shale
Chagrin shale
Sharon sandstone
Cuyahoga
R.
Chagrin
R.
Tri-C East
Lake Erie
Berea Sandstone
Euclid b’stone
Bluestone Heights Portage Escarpment
schematic view SE from Lake Erie
exaggerated vertical scale
13. Tinkers Creek valley
16 Ka - present
Stream development Euclid
PS
UC
16 Ka – present
plan view
Final glacial retreat
Glacial retreat & stream cutting
Defiance ice front, 16 ka
14. Tinkers Creek valley
16 Ka - present
Stream development Euclid
PS
UC
Final glacial retreat
Euclid ice front, 14 ka
16 Ka – present
plan view
15. Tinkers Creek valley
16 Ka - present
Stream development Euclid Gully Brook
PS
UC
Final glacial retreat
Painesville ice front, 13 ka
16 Ka – present
plan view
17. Euclid & Nine Mile
Upper Doan & Dugway
Lower
Doan & Dugway
Euclid Creek
Tunnel
NEORSD
Interceptor sewers
Tinkers Creek valley
Anthropogenic streams
Tri-C
East
PS
UC
18. Tri-C East
Shaker Hts
University Hts
East Cleveland
Bratenahl
Lyndhurst
Beechwood
W’by Hills
Wickliffe
S. Euclid
Euclid
Collinwood/
Nottingham
Glenville
Shaker Hts
Rich Hts
Bratenahl Bratenahl
Cleveland Heights
Univer.
Circle
Cleveland Heights
W’by Hills
Flats
Cuyahoga
R.
Chagrin
R.
Lake ErieEasterly, E 140th
16 Ka – present
profile view
Stream development
Portage Escarpment municipalities
Chagrin to Cuyahoga Rivers
19. Berea Sandstone
Euclid b’stone
Cuyahoga shale
Cleveland shale
Chagrin shale
Cuyahoga
R.
Chagrin
R.
16 Ka
Sharon sandstone ~1200’ above sea level
Defiance ice base
16 Ka – present
profile view
Stream development
20. Cuyahoga
R.
Lake Maumee
Cuyahoga shale
Cleveland shale
Chagrin shale
Chagrin
R.
Sharon sandstone
~800’ asl
14.5 Ka
Berea Sandstone
Euclid b’stone
Euclid Nine
Mile
Shaw Dugway Blue
Rock
Doan Kingsbury
16 Ka – present
profile view
Stream development
21. Cuyahoga
R.
Lake Erie
Cuyahoga shale
Cleveland shale
Chagrin shale
Gullly Euclid Nine Mile Shaw Dugway Blue Rock Doan Kingsbury
Chagrin
R.
Sharon sandstone
12 Ka (Niagara Falls opens)
~500’ asl
Berea Sandstone
Euclid b’stone
16 Ka – present
profile view
Stream development
22. Cuyahoga
R.
Lake Erie
Cuyahoga shale
Cleveland shale
Chagrin shale
Gully Euclid Nine Mile Shaw Dugway Blue Rock Doan Kingsbury
Chagrin
R.
Sharon sandstone
600 BC (Lake Erie rises ~40’ to present level)
~570’ asl
Berea Sandstone
Euclid b’stone
16 Ka – present
profile view
Stream development
23. Tri-C East
Cuyahoga
R.
Lake Erie
Gully Euclid Nine Mile Shaw Dugway Blue Rock Doan Kingsbury
Chagrin
R.
Shaker Hts
University Hts
East Cleveland
Bratenahl
Lyndhurst
Beechwood
W’by Hills
Wickliffe
S. Euclid
Euclid
Collinwood/
Nottingham
Glenville
Shaker Hts
Rich Hts
Bratenahl Bratenahl
Cleveland Heights
Univer.
Circle
~570’ asl
Cleveland Heights
W’by Hills Flats
1850-2013 AD (Anthropogenic change)
Heavily transformed
16 Ka – present
profile view
Stream development