Big Cottonwood Glaciers Earthcache EarthCache
Big Cottonwood Glaciers Earthcache
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This earthcache highlights the remains and legacy of two glaciers that met at this spot. This site is located a little more that halfway between the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon and Brighton along Utah Route 190. The entire canyon is full of many sites of interesting and varied geology. This site is no different. Parking, a bus stop, hiking trails, and restroom facilities (across the highway) are available for use.
This location is the lowermost extent of the movement of the large and sluggish Big Cottonwood Canyon Glacier. Scientists believe that when this glacier reached this point, the climate change began to melt the glacier faster that it was able to accumulate. The balance of ice growth against ice melting is called the glacial budget. When a glacier adopts a negative or melting budget, it gradually begins to shrink until it is no longer a glacier as this glacier did when it reached this part of the canyon.
The other glacier, which compared to the Big Cottonwood Canyon Glacier, was smaller and more vigorous. It originated in and carved out a North-South side canyon called Mill D. This smaller glacier ended in this location when it became wedged in with the larger glacier.
Glaciers act much like conveyor belts carrying debris from the top of the glacier to the bottom where it deposits it in moraines. The moraines that accumulate at the terminus are referred to as terminal moraines. The longer the terminus of the glacier stays in one place the more accumulation there will be. These two glaciers were no different as they too deposited debris accumulated through years of scrapping the walls and floors of the canyons. The valleys and canyons that have been affected by glacial movement within them are called glacial valleys or glacial canyons.
Logging Requirements: Read the marker, analyze the shape of the intersecting canyons, and answer the following questions:
1) Does the shape of the glaciated canyons differ than from those where no glacier existed? If so, how do they differ?
2) Describe the location of terminal moraine.
Do not post spoiler photos
Logs that do not meet ALL of the above requirements will be deleted.
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