Wave Cut Cache EarthCache
Muskoka Falls Sundogs: Learning all done
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A wave cut is a wave action formation that occurs at the base of a cliff when wave action from a lake or ocean erodes the rock to form a cave like structure. Eventually, the cave structure collapses because of the weight above and that debris is washed away leaving behind a level area marine terrace, a flat plain or terrace.
When you arrive at the posted coordinates you are standing on a marine terrace...you may wonder...where's the Lake?
You are standing on the shoreline of a great lake, Lake Algonquin. This lake was formed as a result of the melting of the Laurentide Ice Sheet some 10,500 years ago.
The remnants of this lake are the Great Lake Michigan and Huron which at that time were one great lake.
The hills you see from this site were once islands. There is evidence of Lake Algonquin throughout the region at various levels. The shoreline of the current Lake Huron is 65 km away from this site.
This shoreline fragment of glacial Lake Algonquin is unusual in Muskoka, since an extensive archipelago of islands fringing the shoreline probably damped the effects of nearshore processes, and since any shoreline features that did develop are difficult to trace in heavily forested terrain.
Where did the water go? At one time, this lake drained into what is now the Mississippi around Chicago. At that time, the St Laurence was still covered by the Laurentide Ice Sheet so nothing could flow that direction. Once that ice sheet receeded, everything flowed east and the lake levels lowered.
Access is off of Deerhurst Canol Road. To log this cache, place yourself at the coordinates and note the elevation on your GPS. You will find yourself looking what is left of a marine terrace and to the hills to the north. If the current elevation of Lake Huron is 165 m above sea level...what is the difference in elevation from the current level of Lake Huron and the noted elevation at the cache site? Email through my profile your response prior to posting. Take note of the elevation on your drive home. Are you below or above the water?
You may be surprised on how big that number is...but there is something else to consider....the earths core is a liquid and the crust "floats" on that surface. Think of your living room couch. When you sit on it, it goes down. When you get back up, it returns to it's original form. The weight of 1km think ice sheet pushed the earths crust down. As the ice sheet melted, the ground "bounced" back. Lake Algonquin was form while the readjustment was taking place or while the surface was rising when the weight of the ice was removed....consequently, various shorelines of Lake Algonquin occur.
What is most notable is how far the earth's surface did bounce back (isostatic reajustment). Note the elevation at the cache site. Scientist estimate the elevation of Lake Algonquin to be about 20-25 m above the current Lake Huron level
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Treasures
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