Bear Ridge Drumlin Earthcache EarthCache
Bear Ridge Drumlin Earthcache
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Drumlins are oval teardrop-shaped hills which are linear and relatively long. Drumlins are formed by glacial activity and their blunt end points in the direction from which the ice approached. The other, more gently sloping end faces the direction in which the glacier was moving. Although it is known that drumlins are the result of glacial activity, their exact origins are often a debated topic because there are different types of drumlins. Generally there are three main hypotheses on how these features occur.
The first idea is called the erosional hypothesis and would explain drumlins which have a core composed of organized layers of sediments. In this process, preexisting sediments become waterlogged and are easily formed into drumlins which then become covered in a layer of glacial sediments.
The depositional hypothesis takes into account the pressures found beneath and within a glacier. It states that special conditions must be met for drumlins to occur since they are not always present in glaciated terrain. One of the possible conditions is that, under pressure, smaller particles may move faster while larger particles move slower.
The meltwater hypothesis includes aspects of the two other hypotheses. It is based on the idea that drumlins are caused by massive catastrophic meltings of glaciers. As melt waters flow beneath the glacier they form caverns in the ice. Sediment in the water enters the cavern, the flow slows, and the sediments are deposited into organized layers.
At these coordinates, you are standing on top of the Bear Ridge Drumlin (on the blunt side) of the drumlin. If you drive northeast along Bear Ridge Road, you will be traveling down the gently sloping side of the drumlin.
While at this site, you should look at the glacial sediments on the northern side of the road. You can see a wide range of sediment types and sizes all mixed together. This poor sorting is characteristic of glacial deposits
In order to get credit for this cache, take a picture of yourself with your GPS at the cache site, and also answer the following question:
Estimate approximately how high you are at the top of the drumlin, compared to the surrounding lower land.
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Treasures
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