Macon County High Point EarthCache
Hidden : 6/18/2012
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

We've been enjoying driving this ridge for years, enjoying the scenic views during all seasons.  Now that I'm earthcaching I thought it incumbent upon me to better understand why these ridges are here.

If you are at the cache coordinates, you are on a north-south road.  About two tenths of a mile to the west is a peak. At 755' it's the highest point of Macon County.

This peak is part of a line of ridges arcing across northern Illinois, stretching from near to Peoria to around Shelbyville.  These resulted from the Wisconin glaciers that covered this part of Illinois.  The ridges are known as end morianes and mark the end of the glaciers' advancement.  End moraines are formed by the buildup of rock and other sediment which were carried to the melting ice front.  This particular end moraine is named the Shelbyville Moraine, stretching from south of Bloomington to near Shelbyville.


If just drive just a little to the west or a little to the north, you'll be in the outwash of these moraines at a significantly lower elevation than up here on the end moraines.


Logging requirements:

1. Send me a note titled "Macon County Peak" and tell me how many are in your group.

2. Give me an estimate of the difference in elevation between your location and the peak.

3. Look or drive to the valley to the north.  What's the difference in elevation between the cache coords and the valley floor?

4. Tell me what "outwashes" are.

I hope you enjoy this vantage point.  I recommend drving back to the south along Bearsdale Road which follows this end moraine.  Also, it's interesting to drive to the west a couple of miles and look to the east to view the path of the end moraines.

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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