Shoulder Boulder EarthCache
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This boulder erratic is nestled along the rail bed among prairie and cedar trees.
This glacial erratic is located along the “shoulder” of an abandoned railroad turned recreation trail managed by the Butler County Conservation Board. A glacial erratic is a piece of rock not native to the area in which it has come to rest, hence the name "erratic" or errant location. These rocks were carried often hundreds of miles to their current locations by glacial ice. This region of Iowa was covered by glacial ice four times in recent geologic history. The most recent glaciation occurring 14,000-12,500 years ago when what is now called the Des Moines Lobe of the Wisconsin ice shield reached its furthest south by what is now Des Moines, Iowa. People familiar with the land in this part of the state, geologically referred to as the Iowan Surface, recognize the glacial erratics as rocks that may hinder the advancement of agriculture. This boulder may or may not have been in the way of the railroad as it was being built but it can leave one to wonder.
To obtain credit for this Earthcache, please send an email to the cache owner with the answer to the following questions and also upload a picture to your log report.
1) How many different colors of lichen do you see on this erratic boulder?
2) Determine the height of the boulder at its greatest point from the ground.
3) Upload a picture of you and or your team with GPS at the boulder.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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