Stories in Stone

Stories in Stone. Cloudland Canyon Rugged Landscape. Bluffs and Ripple Marks , One of the characteristics that makes Cloudland Canyon State Park distinct from almost all other Georgia state parks is its rugged geographic features. Aside from the deep canyons, two specific geologic attributes can be seen easily from your vantage point: sandstone cliffs, or bluffs, as we call them locally, and ripple marks., Sandstone is relatively resistant to erosion; however, over millennia, natural fractures and undercutting have assisted water in eroding this resistant sandstone cap., Just behind you at ground level are ripple marks, small geologic features letting us know that water once constantly flowed over this surface. The specific size and design of these ripple marks tell geologists that this rock at the Main Overlook was once at the bottom of a wild river. Long after the river was gone, Cloudland Canyon itself was carved out by the current Bear and Daniel creeks., Limestone Rich Caves , From your current vantage point, almost all of the exposed rock within the state park that you see is sandstone. However, one thousand feet below you and two miles distant at the end of the canyon, underneath the houses, farm fields and forest canopy, an under-layer of limestone exists. This north end of the canyon is home to the park's limestone-rich Sitton's Cave, a wild cave with over one and a half miles of underground passageways. Both sandstone and limestone are sedimentary rocks; they formed when the area was part of an Inland sea., The Cumberland Plateau , Located in the far northwestern corner of the state, Cloudland Canyon State Park is the only Georgia state park located within the Cumberland Plateau, a part of the larger Appalachian Plateau., The plateau is characterized by long, flat-topped sandstone mountains, such as Lookout Mountain, upon which you are standing.