A Kame on the Waterloo Moraine EarthCache

This Kame is located within "The Forested Hills" ESPA #19, the largest contiguous forest in the City of Waterloo, and is just one glacial feature of many comprising the Waterloo Moraine. Your goal is to visit the location, travel up the Kame, do a bit of math, then e-mail 3 answers to the CO. To complete this EC you will need a GPSr or altimeter that plots elevation or use your best educated guess of the elevation change.

What do I need to do????

Step 1 - Visit the posted coordinates. At this location you will notice a very steep trail leading up the Kame. Before you head up the Kame mark down and save the elevation, which will represent E1. Follow the path up the Kame to the highest point. Keep going until the very top. Not a long walk, but enough to get the legs a good workout.

Step 2 - Once at the highest point of the Kame you will need to record distance travelled from the posted coords which will represent D and the elevation at this point, which will represent E2.

Step 3 - Study the formation and then answer the following questions and email those to the CO.

Question 1 - What is the % grade (gradient) of your travel up the Kame from the posted coordinates? You will need the elevation at the posted coords, elevation at the top, and distance you traveled to complete the calculation (E2-E1)/D*100. And don't worry, a lot of latitude will be given on the answer due to the differing possible ways of measuring elevation and the differences between GPSr units.

Question 2 - There are large rocks (Erratics) at the top of the Kame, some hundreds of pounds. How did they end up here at the top of the Kame?

Question 3 - Is this a broad-crested or sharp-crested Kame? * See below

* Kames come in many sizes and shapes and may be broad-crested or sharp-crested. Broad-crested Kames have a flat-top shape while sharp-crested Kames are ridge-like with a pointed top and steep sides of more than 15% gradient. Study the top and use your calculation of the steepness of this Kame and use it to identify it's crest type.

A Kame is a glacial formation identified as an irregular shaped mound or ridge composed of coarse gravel, rocks, and till deposited at or near the terminus of a receding glacier. A Kame may be produced by either a meltwater stream or as an accumulation of debris deposited on the land surface by the melting glacier. The glacier works as a bulldozer scrapping and pushing rocks ahead of it, some making their way to the surface of the glacier and can travel thousands of Kilometres. These rocks are called "Erratics" which take their name from the Latin word errare (to wander). These Erratics are then deposited on the top of a Kame when the glacier retreats. The area you will be visiting is referred to as a Kame and Kettle topography and a walk through this area will reveal many Kames and Kettles.

This Kame was created between 95,000 and 20,000 years ago by the Laurentide Ice Sheet. During the last glacial age huge lobes of ice moved into the Waterloo region from Lake Huron in the west, Georgian Bay to the northeast, from Lake Ontario in the east and from Lake Erie in the southeast. The ice retreated both east and west and to the north, creating an elongated region today known as the Waterloo Moraine.

Parking and trailhead waypoints have been added. One is an easier walk, the other is a more difficult walk. You may log the EC right away with answers to follow soon afterward. Enjoy the walk and remember to bring your camera, bring your water, and bring your oxygen.

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