Wisconsin Niagara Escarpment

[Tales From the Shale]

Here's something I explore frequently. This is a section of the Niagara Escarpment in Central Wisconsin.

It consists of Silurian aged sediments, predominantly dolomite and limestone formations.

It extends for hundreds of miles and can be found as far from here as New York.

This area is locally known as The Ledge, and is as treacherous as it is beautiful. People have actually died here, drawn in by The Ledge, only to stumble over. Caution is advised if visiting.

I have navigated and explored this labyrinth like formation my entire life. However some depths I dare not travel to. This ladder pictured above, is the only human made structure I've found here. I have yet to see where it goes.

If you ever run through Wisconsin, I highly recommend you look at our ancient attractions. The Ledge represents only the tip of the iceberg here in Wisconsin.

 

[Ludwigia]

Thanks for sharing this with us. I've always been fascinated by this formation, having spent a lot of time over the years following it along various sections of the Bruce trail in Ontario. I could add to your report by mentioning that it is not a tectonic fault as one might imagine, but rather follows roughly the eroded coast of a Silurian ocean which dried out during the Permian age. It extends ca. 1600 kilometers, cropping out in NY state, running west through the falls and bending north by Dundas, Ontario  from where it follows up the Bruce Peninsula over Manitoulin island where it turns west over the northern tip of Lake Huron to Sault Ste. Marie and then heads back down south over Michigan and Wisconsin where it finally dips down again north of Chicago near the Illinois border.

[Missourian]

Always fascinated when stratigraphy is expressed in the landscape.

 

Out of curiosity, I looked online for a map of the escarpment. Courtesy of Wikipedia: