The Fat Man's Woe EarthCache
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The Fat Man’s Woe is a roadside earthcache that give you a look at the volcanic past of the area.
The road that you will be traveling on winds its way in and around the volcanic cliffs known as the Fat Man’s Woe. This was the main road into the southern parts of the Allagash before the Telos Bridge was constructed. Once the Telos Bridge was constructed it allowed a much wider road and the road along this section became less used. The road is still in excellent shape but is extremely narrow. It has either cliffs, talus fields from the cliffs or the lakes edge forcing it along its narrow winding path.
The towering cliffs above the road are volcanic rock formed in a massive underwater eruption during Ordovician time. If you look at the cliffs closely you will see the pillow-like structure indicating these underwater eruptions. The rocks have with stood the forces of the glacier that has shaped the land around. As you drive along the road you will see sections of rock that was plucked by the glacier then crusted by its massive weight and a great deal of talus along the edge of the road.
According to Dabney Caldwell, "Roadside Geology of Maine", the Fat Man’s Woe is andesite lavas, the kind that typically erupt from volcanic chains that develop above a sinking slab of oceanic crust. He states that scientist believe that the eruptions took place during the beginning of the Acadain mountain building event, while the floor of the Iapetus Ocean was slowly sinking beneath what is now called Maine. If you look carefully at the cliff you can see the bands of Katahdin Granite that later intruded the Fat man’s Woe near the top of the cliffs. This was the last of the active rock in the area.
Remember this is an earthcache and there is no container just an educational activity. To log this Earthcache: You must send me the answer to the following question through my profile: At the posted coordinates you will be standing next to the cliff face overlooking the lake. Here you can see the pillow like nature of the rock. As you look at the rock formation near the foot of the cliffs and the large sections of talus next to the cliff you can see some very uniquely shape sections of volcanic rock. Please describe the shape of the rock that you have found and try to explain why it has its unique shape. Please begin your e-mail with the name of the earthcache and make sure your log includes the number of people in your group. It also would be nice if you would post a photo so others would know what they have to look forward to at this earth cache.
Please use the parking lot and do not park along the road where the signs say no parking. While this is not a very busy area it is narrow and winding so be careful. To find the location just follow your GPS a short direction up hill. Once you have found the location you may want to further explore the bottom
If you enjoy this earthcache you may want to check the Maine Geological Survey located at (visit link)
They have developed a number of information sheets or field localities giving a great deal of information about geologic features. They also have a number of books and maps about Maine’s natural history/ geology that you might find interesting.
Additional Hints
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