Camelback Kames EarthCache
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Glacial Park spans some 2,806 acres in Ringwood, Illinois and is
fondly referred to by some as the “crown jewel” of the
McHenry County Conservation District.
Kame – a mound, knob or ridge composed of stratified sand and
gravel deposited by a subglacial stream as a fan or delta at the
margin of a glacier, by a superglacial stream, or as a ponded
deposit on the surface or margin of stagnant ice.
The most notable feature in the Glacial Park is a camelback kame
with a terrace pattern and borrow pit etched into the side of the
kame. Park ecologist Ed Collins says the pattern is actually from
generations of cattle contour grazing rather than a depositional or
erosion feature. Material from the borrow pit was probably used as
construction material before becoming a public trust. Another
geologic marvel includes, a rare, nicely sorted, fine, sand kame
that was a glacial top stream deposit. In contrast, the camelback
kame contains unsorted, till-like angular and rounded cobbles in a
much finer brown matrix. Most kames owe their origin to the last
days of a waning glacier. Geologists believe that the camelback
kame and some of the smaller ones in Glacial Park formed at the
leading edge of the glacier as a delta kame. This contrast attests
to the complexity of deposition systems near a glacier front. It is
believed that meltwater flowing down the Nippersink Creek valley
dumped debris layer after layer into a large lake. When glacial
floods reached the placid water of the ancient glacial lake, the
velocity dropped so drastically that sediment built distally as a
delta. If the kames had formed beneath the glacier due to sediment
deposition in crevasses or moulins rather than as part of a delta,
the brunt force of repeated jokulhlaups down the valley would have
destroyed them.
A kame is a geological feature, an irregularly shaped hill or mound
composed of sorted or stratified sand and gravel that is deposited
in contact with the glacial ice. It can have an irregular shape.
Kames are often associated with kettles, and this is referred to as
kame and kettle topography.
When the ice retreats further, the delta kame often collapses. Kame
terraces are frequently found along the side of a glacial valley
and are the deposits of meltwater streams flowing between the ice
and the adjacent valley side.
Kames are sometimes compared to drumlins, but their formation is
distinctively different. A drumlin is not originally shaped by
meltwater, but by the ice itself and has a quite regular shape. It
occurs in fine grained material, such as clay or shale, not in
sands and gravels. And drumlins usually have concentric layers of
material, as the ice successively plasters new layers in its
movement. Special thanks to the staff of Glacial Park for allowing
this Earth Cache in the park boundries.
To get credit for this Earth Cache post a picture of yourself with
GPS on the Camelback Kame, or post a picture of yourself with GPS
and the Kame in the background and answer the following
questions.
1. What is the elevation at the posted coordinates of the
Kame?
2. What are Kames made of?
I will only accept photos of
the actual cacher who is logging the find. I will not accept
pictures of pets, friends, and family (they can be in the picture
with you or included in a seperate photo).If you do not submit a
actual photo of yourself at the Earth Cache I will delete your log.
I will make exceptions if you contact me first.
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