Joint Orientation Readings from the Gorge of Massies Creek, Greene County, OH

It is often assumed that jointing in the dolomite bedrock of Massies Creek Gorge influences the course that the stream follows. These assumptions are based off of knowledge from previous work. In order to provide evidence for or against these assumptions, strike and dip measurements were taken on vertical joints within the bedrock walls of the gorge, with the focus being on the strike. These measurements, numbering 315 in total, were taken on both the north and south walls of the gorge, as well as in locations outside of the gorge, again on both the north and south sides. Care was taken to avoid any collection bias to get data that better fits reality, avoiding jointing that resulted from rockfalls or roots. These measurements, consisting of azimuth orientation readings, were then input into various programs, specifically Stereonet Desktop and Oriana, to analyze the statistical distribution of the horizontal orientation, with the purpose of determining whether or not the formation of Massies Creek gorge was influenced by jointing in the Cedarville and Springfield dolomites. Compared with satellite imagery of the gorge, this data shows the relation between the joints and the stream course. It is concluded that there is very likely no correlation between the orientation of joints, and the stream’s course