Up Wiveton Down EarthCache

This cache has been archived.

Red Duster: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache I am archiving it.

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Andy
Red Duster
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Hidden : 6/21/2007
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

General Information Wiveton Down Nature Reserve is a Geological Site of Special Scientific Interest. The land is managed by the Norfolk County Council and the Parish Council who have worked together with the British Geological Survey and the Queen Mary College University.

Geology
The following information is summarised from the BGS/ QMUL documentation available at the field site and the BGS website.

The Blakeney Esker is a ridge, around 3.5 km in length, which runs south-eastwards from west of Blakeney, to Wiveton Downs, north-west of Glandford, in north Norfolk, UK. It is between 40 and 100 m wide and, in places, rises to around 20 m above the surrounding land. Further south, the ridge is lower for about 1 km and the sharp ridge is not as obvious. This is due to the removal of aggregate during the early 1940s, used in the construction of nearby Langham Airfield. The ridge forms a prominent feature again towards its southern end at Wiveton Downs, where the ridge surface rises up to 15 m above general ground level.


  


Find the reserve and Start/ Enter at N52° 56.339’ E1° 01.273’.
A bridle path crossing the road runs the length of the esker. The gully-like depression here was made during the excavation and quarrying of the esker for its sand and gravel which were used locally for construction.

Internal composition of the ridge:-
The name ‘esker’ originates from the Irish word eiscir meaning sandy ridge. The ridge is composed of two geological units, and these can be seen in some of the quarries that exist along its length.
Unit B – sand and gravel, with occasional lenses of till, making up the ridge.
Unit A – chalky till that occurs beneath, and adjacent to, the ridge margins.

 


Unit A lies beneath the ridge and the surrounding fields. It is a compact, cream-coloured very chalky till (boulder clay) that contains numerous clasts (pebbles) of chalk and flint. The texture of the till matrix is very silty, and feels smooth when rubbed between the fingers. This unit is a sub-glacial lodgment till which was deposited beneath a glacier.

Unit B infills channels cut into chalky till (Unit A) and forms most of the ridge. It can have a thickness of up to 15 m. The unit consists of clast-supported cobble gravels separated by pockets of yellowish orange sand. The main constituent of the cobble gravels is flint. Inclined sedimentary structures suggest the direction of water flow was broadly from the north-west and tends to lie parallel to the trend of the landform.

How the esker formed:-
The Esker is a ridge of sand and gravel deposited by meltwater flowing towards the southeast whilst the ice-sheet/ glacier melted and retreated towards the northwest. During the last Ice-Age, this area was covered by a thick ice-sheet. The melt-water river that formed the Blakeney Esker flowed through a tunnel in the ice over the land surface. Various water velocities are inferred by the layers of debris with differing constituent clast sizes. In the Wiveton Down reserve, the Blakeney Esker is remarkably straight, possibly due to faster retreat of the glacier.

Additional Information:-
The British Geological Survey website contains several excellent pages and links to the Blakeney Esker and related geomorphological, geological and glacial features in the region.

Earth Cache:-
The Up Wiveton Down Earthcache runs through the entire length of the Wiveton Down Reserve. To log this EarthCache you are required to walk along the axial length of the esker and observe the geomorphological features. The ridge linearity is nicely seen from “Long view” at N52° 56.282’ E1° 01.382’. Take a seat when the “End is in sight” at N52° 56.231’ E1° 01.639’ and consider if the Esker finishes within the reserve or continues southeast of the village of Glandford in a diminishing form.

To log this EarthCache You are required to email the answer to the following questions.
Question 1: Norfolk has experienced cold and warm climates over how many years?
Question 2: How many years did Anthony Gegan live?
Question 3: At N52° 56.385’ E1° 01.202’ are you closer to features A and B or D and E?
Question 4: Walk along the esker to N52° 56.419’ E1° 01.073’ to the northwest. From this vantage point you will note the continuation of the esker towards Blakeney. How far is it to Blakeney according to the nearby foot/bridle path signs?

Acknowledgement
Special thanks to the Norfolk County Council for allowing this EarthCache to be placed. Whilst in the area you may wish to visit the Glandford Church and Shell museum.... fascinating history.

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