Integrative Natural History of Minnesota's North Shore, Part 31: Going with the Flow | Gooseberry Falls State Park
Between the Middle and Lower Falls. Looking east-southeastward.
On this day I was fortunate to see the rocky bed of the Gooseberry River at a time of low discharge. An extensive section of the surface of this North Shore Volcanic Group basalt, often covered by rushing water, was exposed to view.
At first glance it looks as though this lava flow came spreading through here in a still semi-fluid state just a few months ago. But then one notices the signs of sustained weathering in the basalt’s lighter coloration and the extensive pitting caused by the gradual removal of its feldspar amygdules.
Still, it’s not hard to imagine the flow as it first issued forth from a vent in the Midcontinent Rift late in the Mesoproterozoic, some 1.1 Ga ago. Of course, there were no trees in those days, let alone any other land plants, but one can easily visualize how the flow surface scrunched up in places to produce low ridges and hollows like rolling swells in the sea.
As far as the trees visible here go, they’re the North Shore mixture of Arbor Vitae (Thuja occidentalis), White Spruce (Picea glauca), and Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera).
To see the other photos and descriptions of this series, visit
my Integrative Natural History of Minnesota's North Shore album.
Integrative Natural History of Minnesota's North Shore, Part 31: Going with the Flow | Gooseberry Falls State Park
Between the Middle and Lower Falls. Looking east-southeastward.
On this day I was fortunate to see the rocky bed of the Gooseberry River at a time of low discharge. An extensive section of the surface of this North Shore Volcanic Group basalt, often covered by rushing water, was exposed to view.
At first glance it looks as though this lava flow came spreading through here in a still semi-fluid state just a few months ago. But then one notices the signs of sustained weathering in the basalt’s lighter coloration and the extensive pitting caused by the gradual removal of its feldspar amygdules.
Still, it’s not hard to imagine the flow as it first issued forth from a vent in the Midcontinent Rift late in the Mesoproterozoic, some 1.1 Ga ago. Of course, there were no trees in those days, let alone any other land plants, but one can easily visualize how the flow surface scrunched up in places to produce low ridges and hollows like rolling swells in the sea.
As far as the trees visible here go, they’re the North Shore mixture of Arbor Vitae (Thuja occidentalis), White Spruce (Picea glauca), and Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera).
To see the other photos and descriptions of this series, visit
my Integrative Natural History of Minnesota's North Shore album.