Auyuittuq- The Land that Never Melts EarthCache
Hidden : 10/7/2011
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

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Welcome to the hamlet of Pangnirtung, the southern gateway to Auyuittuq National Park, "the land that never melts".

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Auyuittuq National Park contains some of Baffin Island's most spectacular scenery, including Akshayuk Pass - a 100 km U-shaped trench - glaciers, lakes, waterfalls and the 2143 m Mount Odin, highest mountain on Baffin Island. It was first set up as a national park reserve in 1976 and established as a national park through the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. Auyuittuq is a harsh land of barren tundra, jagged mountain peaks, deep fjords and ice. The Penny Ice Cap (a remnant of the Wisconsin Ice Age) covers over 25% of the park's area. From April to July, the glacier-carved peaks and the Akshayuk Pass travel route challenge wilderness enthusiasts. Access to the park is by private outfitter's boat, snowmobile or by hiking or skiing from the communities of Pangnirtung or Qikiqtarjuaq.
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Baffin Island, Nunavut, 507 451 km2, 1500 km long and 200-700 km wide, is the largest island in Canada. Located in the Arctic Archipelago, it is separated from Greenland by Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, from northern Québec by Hudson Strait, and from the Melville Peninsula by the Foxe Basin and the narrow Fury and Hecla Strait. It was likely here that one of the great ice sheets that covered most of Canada originated some 18 000 years ago, and ice lingered on the island until almost 1500 years ago; vast areas are still sheathed in ice year-round.
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Baffin Island is a continuation of the eastern edge of the Canadian Shield, which tilts upward in the east to form a mountainous spine, sloping away into plateaus and lowlands in the west. Its east coast is deeply indented by Cumberland Sound and Frobisher Bay. Cumberland Sound is a major inlet, 300 km long, with an average width of 65 km, in the east coast of Baffin Island. Its steep sides rise over 2125 m to glacier-covered uplands. Past continental glaciation, followed by modification of the upland margins by local alpine glaciation, has created a shoreline deeply indented with fjords. Outwash deposits at the head of fjords during deglaciation have been elevated as raised deltas and are markedly terraced. The head of the sound is backed by a hilly lowland with valleys leading to interior plains. The structural alignment and parallel sides of Cumberland Sound suggest it originated through large-scale faulting. If you are flying in and out of Pangnirtung, keep your eyes peeled for signs of this along the water’s edge.
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There are a few requirements to claim this cache.
The photo, of course, is optional (but you will score HIGH points in MY books if you post one!) To take the picture, please go to the posted co-ordinates which is the location of the Parks Canada office. Check out the boardwalk and take your picture while facing the park … it’s a great view.
While at the Parks Canada office, go inside to see their great display … many of your answers can be found here, while others can be found online.
Please enjoy your visit, I sure did!
QUESTIONS:
1. How long is the growing season on Broughton Island?
2. If Pangnirtung is the southern gateway to Auyuittuq National Park, where is the northern gateway?
3. At one time, Baffin Island and Greenland were connected.
What caused them to separate? How long ago did this take place?
4. How old is the bedrock of Baffin Island?
Feel free to post your pictures, but do not post your answers … those you can send to me.

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