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Geological History of Eau Claire
Event I –Formation of Original Rock
The first event in the chronological sequence of history of the Eau Claire area is the formation of the original rock. When we say the original rock, we do not really mean original because there were certainly geological processes forming that rock and those processes were involving rocks that existed prior to that original rock. We say original, and it simply means that that is how far we are able to track the geological past of the area. ... Basalt and shale were found in inclusions at Small Falls (upstream of the Eau Claire River, North of Fall Creek). ...
Event VII –Fault
The next event in Eau Claire’s geological history is a fault that set off the dike of gabbro at the Wissota Dam site, changed the water table of the area (affected the river channels) and left a lot of gabbro breccia at the stress boundary of the fault. ...
Event XI –Modern Processes
Today many processes continue to shape the geological profile of the Eau Claire area:
• Rivers erode the banks (Small Falls, Dells Dam, Wissota Dam)
• Outwashes are used in agriculture (Chippewa County, Hwy 53)
• Granite undergoes chemical and physical weathering, most occurs in contact with sandstone; feldspar in granite turns into clay (Irvine Park, Wissota Dam)
• Groundwater table changes—discharge through sedimentary rocks where it can’t go through impermeable material like granite (Irvine Park)
• Dissolution, biochemical weathering (soil formation)
• Ground water contamination (Irvine Park, waste from Presto)
• Changing river systems by damming
• Deposition of new sediment
Approximate Word count = 1766 Approximate Pages = 7.1 (250 words per page double spaced)
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