Wellesley Island State Park - Potholes EarthCache
Geodiving: I am no longer interested in the hobby
Wellesley Island State Park - Potholes
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A New York State Park, located on Wellesley Island in the St. Lawrence River with many campsites, cabins, foot trals & a Nature Center. The trails are improved, well marked, and a little climbin on rocks is required. Entry fee during the summer.
According to the conventional uniformitarian explanation of potholes found in many geology text books, pot holes like these found in Wellesley Island State Park were caused by vortices in former streams that rotated and vibrated “grinding stones” over long ages of time, the process gradually wearing down a deep, cylindrical hole into the rock. Supposedly, during the retreating of the glaciers, the potholes were formed when the ice melted, as rivers flowed underneath the ice and its surface. Sometimes these surface rivers plunged down a crevasse, and eroded the bedrock beneath, forming potholes on the most unlikely places. Potholes are rounded at the base, and penetrate to varying depths. In distribution patterns, potholes may occur individually or in clusters. The coordinates given are at the Nature Center; take the Eel Trail to visit these three sites; the 1st site is at N 44’ 17.870 W. 076’ 02.563. You will see a rock 15" X 36” X 24” resting in a slight depression, eight feet from the water. Could this be the start of pothole? Note the roundness of the depression and the bottom of the rock. There are no tasks at site 1. To log this Earth caches as a find submit the answers from sites 2 and 3 via email. And post the photos on the Earth cache log. The 2nd site is at N. 44’ 17.855 W 076’ 02.583 you will find two potholes. 1A. what is the depth and width of each pot hole? 2A. what is the distance the closest pothole is to the water? 3A. would you say these potholes are round or more oval at the top. 4A. Take a photo you and your GPS at each site. Continue on the path to the 3rd site at N. 44’ 17.817 W. 076’ 02 609. You will find two more pot holes. Submit answers to the following questions: 1B. What is the width and depth of each of these potholes? 2B what is their distance apart? 3B. would you say theses potholes are round or more oval at the tops? 4B. what other glacier feature is nearby, 2’ to 6’ from the potholes, under the footbridge?
Just for fun, compare the differences and similarities in the two pairs of potholes: At site 2 the pot holes are one in front of the other as you face the water, one higher on the large polished rock, while the potholes at site 3 are side by side and on the same level on a smaller polished rock. The potholes in site 2 set back from the water, while the potholes in site 3 are close to the water. The potholes in site 2 do not show continued destruction from water freezing and melting, while the potholes in site 3 do show the continued destruction. Maps are available at the Nature Center to help locating the potholes at site 2.
Permit # 326, Expires 5/1/14. $7 day use fee applies to all vehicles entering through the toll booth during the camping season.
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(Decrypt)
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