Bullet Boulder EarthCache
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This earthcache will bring you to a unique boulder in front of Bryand Global Science Center on the University of Maine campus. This building is home to the Department of Earth Sciences and Climate Change Institute. This boulder was excavated when they were digging the foundation for this building. Once the scientists here realized what this was, they decided to keep it around!
This boulder is a common feature of lodgment till, which is deposited beneath a glacier. As the ice is advancing (as it did over this site ~20,000 years ago), the debris at the base of the ice is deposited, and occasionally, larger material gets "lodged" in the underlying sediment, and is eroded by the ice as it continues along. This boulder is one such example, based on its erosion pattern (bullet shape) and striations. The distinct scratches on the rock surface were created as rocks suspended in the ice ground against it.
To log your visit, please send me a message (through geocaching.com is easiest!) with the following information:
1. There are many different types of scratches on this boulder (natural and unnatural). Which direction are the natural striations going relative to the long axis of the boulder?
2. Is the smooth side of the boulder facing the building or away?
3. Based on your answer to #2, pretend the boulder is in its original position (which it definitely is not). Which direction would the ice have flowed to created these markings, and shape this boulder? Towards the building, or away from the building?
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Treasures
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