Chicago Bog Earthcache EarthCache

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Hidden : 6/2/2008
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

This Earthcache invites you to visit the Chicago Bog in Lime Hollow Center for Environment and Culture. The above coordinates take you to an observation point along the bog trail. The trails are open from dawn until dusk. Dogs are not allowed.

Chicago Bog Earthcache




Lime Hollow:

Conveniently situated on the western edge of Cortland County in upstate New York, with properties in adjacent Tompkins County – the Center offers over 12,000 visitors a year free-of-charge, on-trail access to a 375-acre, geographically unique, and ecologically diverse outdoor oasis.

Bogs:

A bog is a type of wetland. Bogs are typically acidic, and accumulate peat (dead plant material). Bogs are formed when the groundwater flowing into it is naturally acidic, or when the water in the bog comes entirely from rainfall.

Glacial Activity:

The hills and depressions which form the landscape of Lime Hollow were created by glacial activity approximately 10,000 years ago. During the late Pliocene, much of the Northern Hemisphere experienced the spread of ice sheets. As the glacier advanced, it gouged the land and carried material south. As the climate warmed, the glacier retreated, leaving depressions, temporary lakes and great piles of rock and gravel behind. It is this glacial activity that laid the groundwork for today’s bog.

The most easily recognized glacial landforms here are the eskers and kames. Eskers are believed to be formed by streams which flowed within and under glaciers through ice-walled tunnels. After the retaining ice walls melted away, the stream deposits remained as long winding ridges. Eskers may exist as a single channel, or may be part of a branching system with tributary eskers. They are characteristically shaped as sinuous ridges, and can have gaps that separate winding segments. The ridge crests of eskers are not usually level for very long, and are generally knobby. Kames are irregular hills formed as gravel was left behind from the melting glacier. In contrast, a drumlin (see nearby earthcache: GC1732E), is an elongated, streamlined hill formed parallel to the movement of the glacier.

The Chicago Bog:

The Chicago Bog is a floating ombrotrophic bog. An ombrotrophic bog is an area of wet, spongy, peat-forming ground that derives its water supply and nutrients entirely from rainfall. As a result, these bogs have very little oxygen in the water, are highly acidic (pH less than or equal to 4) and low in nutrients. Plants decay slowly here and form floating mats. Over 50% of the Chicago Bog is covered by a floating mat. As the mat spreads, peat accumulates underneath the mat. Bogs are generally dominated by Sphagnum mosses, black spruce, and ericaceous shrubs. The Chicago Bog is dominated by Sphagnum fuscum and the shrub Chamaedaphne calyculata (leatherleaf). Plants that prefer acidic soils (cranberry, blueberry) thrive here as well. The peat formed here is mostly organic and fibrous.

Cache Instructions:

1. Bring a cup (or something to pour water) and a plastic ziplock sandwich bag with a quarter cup of baking soda in it with you from home.
2. Park at the trail head at on Gracie Road (N42 33.772 W76 14.797).
3. Walk along the loop trail (approximately one third of a mile) to the observation point (posted coordinates).
4. Notice the glacial forms as you walk the trail (information can be found on signs along trail to help you).
5. When you get to the posted coordinates, add water from the bog to your sandwich bag, leaving about an inch or two of room at the top of the bag. Quickly push all the air out of the bag and seal it shut. Give it a gentle mix and observe it carefully for a few minutes. Bring the bag home and examine it again after an hour or two.
6. E-mail me the answers to the questions below and then log your find.

To Log this Earthcache, e-mail me the answers to the following questions:

  • As you walked along the trail to the coordinates, what glacial earth forms did you see along the way?
  • How do these forms contribute to the creation of the bog?
  • Describe what happened after you sealed the plastic bag shut – what are your observations?
  • Explain why this reaction occurred.
  • Please do not post the answer in your log.




Sources:
Glenn Reisweber, Executive Director, Lime Hollow Center for Environment and Culture
Lime Hollow Web Page (http://www.limehollow.org), and a lovely bog tour from Lime Hollow staff member, Tom
Finger Lakes Geology (http://www.priweb.org/ed/finger_lakes/nystate_geo1.html)
Overview of New York Geology (http://gretchen.geo.rpi.edu/roecker/nys/nys_edu.pamphlet.html)
Geology of New York: A Simplified Account (Y.W. Isachsen, et.al., 2000)
Cornell University Department of Microbiology (http://www.micro.cornell.edu/cals/micro/research/nsf-observatories/yavitt-zinder/chicago-bog.cfm)
Bog and wetland information from (www.en.wikipedia.org)
Ombrotophic bog information from (http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/40920)

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