Home Moraine EarthCache
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This EarthCache is located at a pull off and parking area on the north side of Colorado Highway 14.
Glaciers carved out many of the wide valleys located in the Rocky Mountains. West of this location, the narrow V-shape of the lower Poudre Canyon shifts to the wider U-shape of the glacially carved upper canyon.
The flat area where you are parked is the moraine left over from the retreat of the last glacier to pass through the valley. A good view of the material found in this moraine can be seen in the unsorted rock material of the road cut to the south. This material also makes up the low hill to the north of the parking area. This moraine contains the clay soils, sands, and gravels of the rocks ground up by the glacier, as well as larger cobbles and boulders. These larger rocks may contain scratches or striations from being forced against other rocks.
To receive credit for this EarthCache, send me an email with the answers to the following questions:
1.) How long ago were the glaciers active?
2.) How deep was the ice at this point?
Please consider posting photos of yourself, or the local geology, when you log this EarthCache. Photos can be an additional rewarding part of your journey, but posting them is not a requirement for logging this EarthCache, and is strictly optional.
The above information was compiled from the following sources:
2007. Chronic H., and F. Williams. Roadside Geology of Colorado, 2nd Ed.
2003. Colorado Geological Survey. Messages in Stone, Colorado’s Colorful Geology. V. Matthews, K. KellerLynn, and B. Fox, Eds.
U.S. Forest Service Information Sign.
Thanks to the Roosevelt National Forest for allowing placement of this EarthCache!
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