The three main stream systems of the county are Seneca Creek, Cabin John Creek, and Rock Creek. There is also the Patuxent River as the north county border. Seneca drains the west county, the Patuxent the north, Cabin John the center, and Rock Creek the east. These four waterways do a good job criss-crossing the county and offer many streams and tributaries. This week was focused on the Goshen and Magruder Branches of Seneca Creek
Site A - Upper Magruder Branch - Sweepstakes Road Bridge Crossing - This section of stream is in a fairly well developed area of the county. It lies between routes 124 and 27 on the south side of Damascus. Finding the bridge crossing was easy, and parking was also easy. The area is wetland, the creek is very small (not more than 5 feet wide), and very slow moving. Although it drains a large area, the wetland absorbs the floods well and flood stage is rare. I had a very hard time finding what I could be sure was "Native" rock as there have been many road run offs into the stream and I saw many rocks that just didn't belong there. Many of the rocks that could be native held little interest in the way of samples. I examined the stream walls and noticed that the soil level is greater than 18 inches of fertile topsoil then clay. Below about 36-48 inches of clay, there was a thick layer of stream deposits, but I didn't want to disturb the banks as they look fragile. I ended up just examining the area and took no samples.
Site B - Lower Magruder Branch - Woodfield School Road Bridge Crossing - This section of stream was actually harder to find. It lies between the Magruder Branch and Great Seneca Stream Valley Park. Parts cross private land, and the stream is very small (less than 5 feet wide). I accessed the stream from the road (easy parking) and travelled the stream bed to the north. I had an early run in with a spider web, but that was to be expected in late summer months. Stream flow was light, but evidence of recent flood stage was abundant. Many downed trees and lots of garbage in the surrounding area kind of surprised me. It looked like the locals liked to party a bit back in the woods, and the flotsam was carried downhill into the stream. The stream yielded no real keepers in the way of samples, so I moved to the west bank (hillside cut) and looked for outcrops. There were several larger quartz protrusinons from the ground so I spent some time examining them. The quartz was all milky quartz with very fine crystals (very common in Mont. County)and not too interesting. I left the stream with no real samples and a general disgust for the local people leaving the garbage behind.
Site C - Magruder Branch - Great Seneca Stream Valley Park - Watkins Rd bridge crossing - Site C proved to be disappointing. The stream was very, very small (2 ft wide) and very overgrown with grass. I didn't stop to collect, and moved on to the next site.
Site E - Goshen Branch - Great Seneca Stream valley Park - Wildcat Rd and Davis Mill Rd - Map wise this is a bit confusing. Seneca Creek transforms from the Magruder Branch to the Goshen Branch somewhere unknown in the area. This site (out of order) was a "Stop if I Can" site. I got to the intersection after crossing a single lane bridge, and found a very convenient pull off spot right there.
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| Goshen Branch - Wildcat Rd. Bridge |
The stream widens out in this valley as several small drainage tributaries join the course. The primary geology is Upper Pelitic Schist (Pre-Cambrian?) but there are some known Ultramafic formations in the area (both valley ridges). Most stream stones were cobble size filled in with gravel and sand.
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| Goshen Branch - Resistant Outcrop |
There are several outcrops in the area of more resistant rock. This one creates a bend in the stream and a deeper pool. I was losing light so I didn't have too much time to fully explore the stream, but this pormation bears future study. I unfortunately do not know what type of rock this outcrop is at this time.
I took one small sample can of sand and gravel just prior to the outcrop (slack water area) to test what's there. I will post results as soon as I have them.
Site D - Great Seneca Stream Valley Park - Davis Mill - The final location on my list was the former Davis Mill Site. Davis Mill Rd and Huntmaster Rd is the location. A Map of the stream trails. I stopped to examine the foundations of the old mill, but decided that since I was just 1/4 mile down streeam of the last site to revisit this area in the winter. The grass and brush was high, and the light was fading. Gives me a great reason to come back again in the future!
So all in all, my search yielded three sites that were a bust. The two I found interesting definately warrant a return. Please bear in mind that this is a protected parkland area, and permission must be attained through Montgomery County Parks to collect samples. Also, most of the park areas are trash free, so take everything you bring back out with you. I have long been a fan of Seneca Creek. I have fished in the stream since I was a little kids, and I would hate to have a detrimental impact on this wonderful stream. So please be responsible in your collecting and observing.
I will post some new images of the gravel and sands as soon as I get my new Digital Microscope set up net week!
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