Providence Canyon

Providence Canyon is a little off the beaten path and a short drive away from both Kolomoki Mounds historical site and White Oak Pastures,( you could actually visit all three of these places in one day).  White Oak Pastures provides excellent meals and lodging if you decide to lengthen your explorations.
http://gastateparks.org/ProvidenceCanyon

Located about 150 miles southwest of Atlanta in the Coastal Plain eco-region of Gerogia, Providence Canyon was formed over 150 years ago from agricultural erosion.  Forests were cleared on a massive scale for cotton fields and timber, and with no vegetation to protect it the remaining topsoil was washed away by rains, creating the deeply eroded gullies and canyons that are still slowly eroding today. I found a geologic guide by Lisa Joyce, which noted to a story that the canyon was started by water leaking from the roof of a barn that used to sit on top of it. While this may not be true, you gotta love a southern folk tale. We are full of them. 

Because the canyon is created by loose sediments, rapid changes can occur suddenly and visitors are warned to be extra careful in wet or rainy conditions.

The exposed clay formations of the canyon gives us a look back in time, and through geological analysis one can even see where the ocean once flowed over the area, lowered, and flowed again.  Some of the major sediments present are iron-ore, mica, and kaolin clay.



We visited Providence Canyon on a sunny Thanksgiving Day, 2015.  It was a typical South Georgia day in November, just chilly enough for a light jacket and hardly no wind at all. 
 
The slightly running stream of water and minerals at the bottom of the canyon is full of iridescent particles that are hard to see from the photographs alone.

Kaolin clay mining production near Providence Canyon in Bluffton, Georgia. Photo take 11/24/2016