Wasaga Dunes EarthCache
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-- THIS IS AN EARTHCACHE, READ BELOW FOR LOGGING REQUIREMENTS --
This cache will take you over the Wasaga Sand Dunes to a little known spot - away from the bustle of the Beaches.
Wasaga Beach is the world's largest freshwater beach. Stretching 14 kilometers, The beach can be seen as a barrier island system in development. One of the main reasons for Wasaga Beaches success as a Tourist spot is the sandbars in the Nottawasaga Bay. You can walk out a 500 hundred meters into the water and still find spots that you can stand on. The Sand in this area is made from grounded Shale and Limestone, deposited over time by lagoonal and alluvial (suspended in water) bay deposits.
Unlike Marine coastal barrier beaches, The Wasaga ecosystem does not need to contend with rising tides and oceanic swells - so the sand dunes make very well sorted out sand structures, and subenvironments along the beach. The term for this type of beach is "Lacustrine" meaning it has formed in sedimentary layers.
Thirteen Thousand years ago, Ice lobes advancing from the Canadian shield made Till deposits of ground limestone, and Shale. These Till-fields, formed by Glacial outwash, lay out in the Nottawasaga Bay, and have spread the sand around the area. Glacial Lake Algonquin formed when the Ice was retreating, and spread the Till through the Nottawasaga Valley. As Lake Algonquin retreated, It exposed Wasaga beach Around 7000 years ago. Dune Formation began about 3500 years ago as Glacial lake Simcoe was cut out of the drainage area of the Nottawasaga. Till began flowing back towards lake Huron, and depositing sand at the mouth of the river, and in the area of the bay (hence the sandbars that Wasaga Beach is famous for).
Away from the bustle of the beachfront is the Duneyard. The Sand from these dunes has been deposited over time by the Nottawasaga River, and Alluvial (suspended in water) deposits by the bay. As the water receeded from Glacial Lake Algonquin, wind began forming the dunes by repeatedly moving sand particles over a slope - making the dune shape. There are 4 types of Sanddunes represented here:
- Cresent Dunes - Solitary Crescent shaped Dunes, with horns facing towards the direction of the wind
- Traverse Dunes- Large Crescent Dunes that have combined to form ridges
- Parabolic Dunes-Dunes anchored by plant life, so that parts of the dune migrate, while others do not
- Longitudinal Dunes-ridges that run parallel to the wind
To Log this cache, Take a picture of your self at the area, and email me the type of dune that the trail passes over to get to this location (If you are having trouble, see the hint). Feel free to log a find without receiving an email response - BUT PLEASE POST YOUR PICTURE IN YOUR LOGS!!!!!
Click the logo to visit the COG website!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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Treasures
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