Geologist-Led Walk and Talk at Amicalola Falls State Park

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Geologist-Led Walk and Talk June 6 and 7 at Amicalola Falls State Park
A June 6 geologist-led walk and June 7 talk at Amicalola Falls State Park is part of a series of walks, talks, and book signings around the state by the authors of the 2013 book, Roadside Geology of Georgia. The full-color 320-page guide is part of a Mountain Press Publishing series for the general reader that has sold over one million copies. “Our goal is to take the reader to Georgia’s natural wonders and explain the science that lies behind the scenery,” says presenter and book co-author Dr. Bill Witherspoon, who has taught geology to K-12 students and their teachers for 17 years at DeKalb County Schools’ Fernbank Science Center.
The walk on Friday, June 6 will begin at 11:00 at the parking area of the easy West Ridge/Falls Access Trail, with an activity geared to teach young and old to recognize local rocks and minerals. Geologic structures in bedrock along the walk to the falls reveal how these rocks were once under enough heat and pressure to flow like taffy. Crystals that cooled from magma are also seen. At Amicalola Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in the east, the difference in origin of a cascade versus a sheer-dropping waterfall will be explained.
The following afternoon at 1:00 at the park visitor center, Witherspoon will give a talk followed by book-signing, River Rivalries: the Battle That Made Georgia Mountain Scenery.  His presentation explains how eroding streams battling one another for supremacy can create scenic features that draw millions of visitors, such as Tallulah Gorge and Amicalola Falls.
The two events are free with admission to the state park. For full listing of Roadside Geology of Georgia author events, including walks and talks later in June at Anna Ruby Falls, FDR State Park, and Brasstown Bald, visit georgiarocks.us/book or facebook.com/RoadsideGeologyGA/events.
Contact for information: Dr. Bill Witherspoon, Fernbank Science Center,
678-874-7150, Bill_Witherspoon@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us.