THE EFFECT OF URBANIZATION ON TRAVERTINE FORMATION, GORGE METRO PARK, SUMMIT COUNTY, OHIO

Travertine deposits occur at the base of sandstone cliffs in the Cuyahoga River Gorge at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Historical reports (Hildreth, 1837) describe the distribution and rate of formation of these deposits, that were quarried in the early 19th century as a source of calcium carbonate for early industrial uses. They are associated with springs and seeps emerging from sandstones and conglomerates of the Pennsylvanian Sharon Formation. Carbonate-rich glacial tills that overlie the Sharon Formation are the most likely source of carbonate for the travertine deposits. Travertine formation was initiated sometime after the last glaciation (12,000 years ago) and the subsequent downcutting of the Cuyahoga Gorge. There are three predominant grain textures in the travertine rocks. Type I is flowstone, which both thinly covers and permeates pore spaces and voids in the Sharon Formation, other travertine textures, and cemented jumbled mixed clasts/boulders of both Sharon and travertine. Type II travertine is thicker and has an Alpine Lace/Swiss-cheese appearance, with voids and distinct laminae. Type III deposits consist of broken and reworked clasts of previously deposited travertine with evidence for multiple episodes of dissolution and recrystallization. All three types are found together in boulders of mixed sandstone, conglomerate, and travertine. Only types I and II are observed in situ, attached to the sandstone wall, and actively forming at seeps located along the rock face. The majority of the springs and seeps along the Cuyahoga Gorge are undersaturated with respect to calcite. However, the seeps associated with active travertine formation are oversaturated or close to equilibrium with respect to calcite. The laterally continuous character of the historical deposits, contrasts sharply with the current isolated nature of the travertines. Urbanization of the surrounding area is believed to be responsible for the decrease in travertine formation. The increase of impermeable cover (buildings, asphalt and concrete roads) on the recharge area, storm water run-off with its associated road salt contaminants, and increases in groundwater removal may have lead to a reduction in the carbonate-rich, travertine forming, spring discharge.