Barker Bluff Ridge

Barker Bluff is a part of a scarp face of a prominent cuesta which extends about 10 miles northwesterly from the Ohio River. It is a complex feature with a discontinuous cliff near crest and several discontinuous ledges, mainly limestone, exposed downslope. The Bethel sandstone forms the cliff of the escarpment with Cypress sandstone forming the cap of the bluff. The underlying Downey Bluff limestone and Yankeetown shale are rarely visible because they are covered by debris fallen from above. The resistant Shetlerville and Levias limestone form ledges and clifflets which support prairie glades. Both contain abundant fossil fragments and oolites. Below the Levias limestone the Rosiclare sandstone forms a low bench. At the base of the bluff is the Ste. Genevieve limestone forming a gentle slope. This formation consists of both crystalline and oolitic limestones and is widely quarried in Hardin County with large quarries present both east and west of Barker Bluff. Loess soil deposits cover the upland with silt and sand deposits found on the lower slopes from eroding upland formations. Upper slopes contain soils of the Wellstone-Berks complex, while lower slopes are of Zanesville silt loam.