Author Harry Moore leads Geology WalkAbout at Ijams

Harry Moore at geologic fold located in the Chapman Ridge Formation on the River Trail

Special thanks to retired geologist and UT Press author Harry Moore for leading our Geology WalkAbout last Saturday. Our tour began at the Visitor Center, moved down the River Trail east to the sandstone cliff at the boardwalk, paused at the geologic fold and ended at the old Ross Marble Quarry site, with a stop at Meads Quarry Lake.

Along the way we learned that four layers of rock underlie Ijams Nature Center. Beginning west at the homesite and going east to Toll Creek, the four exposed formations are Ottosee, Chapman Ridge, Holston and Lenoir. The industrial grade limestone marketed under the name Tennessee Marble was found in the Holston Formation. Both Meads and Ross Marble Quarries were located along this gray-to-pink layer of rock.

Books by Harry Moore:

A Roadside Guide to the Geology of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Geologic Trip across Tennessee: Interstate 40 

Discovering October Roads: Fall Colors and Geology in Rural East Tennessee, with Fred Brown

The Lonely Road: Ultimate Sacrifices, 

with Alice Ann Richardson Moore

 

- Text and photos by Stephen Lyn Bales

Geology WalkAbouts at Ijams