Red River Gorge Virtual Field Trip

Red River Gorge Stop #1

Chimney Top Rock

View from Chimney Top Rock.

Sandtone Ridges

At this stop, there is a good overlook of the gorge. As you look out across the valley there are many hills, each at about the same height. Look at one of the hills. Notice the steep cliff at the top. This is the resistant sandstone holding up the ridge. Now look at another hill; hopefully you see the same unit. In the Geologic Setting section, it was mentioned that deep valleys are produced where this sandstone layer is breached. Now try to imagine what the sandstone looked like before it was eroded. If you notice, all of the sandstone is at about the same elevation. If the eroded areas were filled back in, these beds would all be connected forming one large sheet.

Now imagine how long it took for all the erosion which formed the Red River Gorge to occur. Geologically speaking, it really didn't take that long. With erosion still continuing, the gorge will widen and the sandstone-capped hills will eventually disappear. When all of these rocks are gone, a part of the Earth's history will be lost forever. If you consider the amount of erosion that takes place every day, there must be a large sequence of rocks that have already disappeared. Much of the Earth's geologic history is missing. The rocks that are left for us to see make up only a small percentage of all rocks deposited. One of the important things that geologists try to do is fill in the gaps by using the pieces that are left. It is all one very big and complex puzzle.