Lucia's Loess EarthCache
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Difficulty:
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This EarthCache is located at the boundary of the Woodbury County Conservation Board trails and those of Stone State Park. The coordinates take you to an erosional surface of the loess soil.
During the most recent Ice Age, the Missouri River valley was much wider than it is today to accommodate the flow of the glacial outwash from the melting glaciers of the northern great plains. During periods of time of drying, the silt that had been deposited by the river would be picked up by the prevailing westerly winds and carried across the valley, eventually building up on the east side. After many years the deposits of wind blown soil, or loess (pronounced "luss"), accumulated in areas up to a depth of 200'. The extreme thickness of the loess hills make them a unique geologic feature not only of Iowa but of the world. The only other place with similar build-up of loess is in the Yellow River Valley in China.
This EarthCache can be approached either from the trails at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center or the trails in Stone State Park.
The hours for the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center:
Open Tues. - Saturday, 9a.m.-5p.m., Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Closed Mondays and Holidays
Hours for Stone State Park:
6 am -10:30 in all seasons except winter when the roads are closed.
To gain credit for this EarthCache, please accomplish the following:
1) At the coordinates you will notice an erosional surface of the loess soil. Please determine the approximate slope angle from the top to bottom of the erosional surface. Send this information in an email to the cache owner.
2) Touch the loess soil and include a description of the feel of this soil in the email sent to the cache owner.
3) Proceed to the following coordinates: N 42 32.438, W 096 27.875 Take a picture of yourself with your GPS unit and upload it with your log.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)