Sand Dune in the Forest EarthCache
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A large Sand dune area is found here in the middle of a State Forest. There are several areas in the Town of Greenfield where large deposits of sand can be found. This is one of the dunes that remained from Glacial Lake Albany. Below is a description from the Skidmore College website. http://www.skidmore.edu/sssg4/environment/geology.htm
Around 220 million years ago, the Atlantic Ocean formed as North America and Europe, all part of one super-continent at the time, rifted apart. From around 60 million years ago to 20 million years ago, erosion wore away layers of rock that had been deposited, which shaped New York's surface topography. Around 22 million years ago, the climate began to cool slowly. The Ice Ages occurred from 6 million years ago to 10,000 years ago. During this time, thick sheets of ice advanced and retreated across the northern half of North America. Glaciers in New York State started to recede northward about 21,000 years ago. The Albany area was clear of ice by about 13,500 years ago, and the edge of the glacier had receded into Canada by 9,000 years ago. At maximum, the ice was three kilometers thick, and buried all the high peaks in the Adirondack and the Catskill Mountains. The ice sheets scraped away bedrock and soil and reshaped the landscape. The glaciers deposited a dense mixture of sand, gravel, and clay, which is called glacial till. Till is the most abundant glacial deposit and can be up to 50 meters thick. Glacial Lake Albany was formed 15,000 years ago when water melting from the edge of a glacier was dammed by glacial debris. Glacial Lake Albany occupied the Hudson River Valley from Poughkeepsie to Glens Falls. In this area, the shore of the lake was found at the 450 foot elevation contour. Sediments from the glaciers were deposited in Glacial Lake Albany. Melt-water carried sand away from the retreating glacier and into the glacial lake. Water eventually worked its way through a dam near Poughkeepsie, and Glacial Lake Albany drained to the Hudson River. Some of the sandy deposits that once made up the shore of the lake were shaped by the wind into sand dunes. As the climate warmed, vegetation covered the area and began to rebuild new topsoil. To earn a smiley from this cache all I require is a picture of you or your GPS if you are alone showing the sand dune area that is recognizable as the earthcache area. Also take a measurement from the top of the dune and the bottom of the dune and let me know to your best ability, how high the dune is! This area is no longer accessible by vehicle. You can park at the Clark/Barney Rd north side and walk down, or enter the area from Hughes Rd to the south. I grew up in this area and we called this the "Gut road". Congratulations to Richard E for FTF!
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