Welcome to Gerber Hill... well, the actual hill is in the North park across the road. At this location you will find the answers to the following questions which you need to email to me to get credit for this Earthcache.
1. As recently as how many years ago was Lenawee County covered in glacial ice?
2. You see a pavilion in front of you. (N 41° 50.944 W 083° 46.457 ) Climb up to the structure. Across the road Gerber Hill is predominately a mound of sand. What is the type of soil that this structure is built on? Is it the same composition as Gerber Hill? Take an elevation reading at this point. Is this reading consistent with the historical levels of Lake Maumee? If not, to what might you attribute the difference?
3. Go the pond (N 41 50.937, W 083 46.359). Get as close to the water as you can... what is the composition of the soil here. Is it part of the sandy ridge or the proglacial lake? Take an elevation reading at this point.
Please email the answers to these questions as well as the elevation readings with your error correction... (+/- what accuracy) to get credit for this cache.
Pictures are welcome but not required.
In the recent past (geologically speaking) this area was covered by glacial ice flowing west and northwest out of the Erie Basin. When the glacier began to retreat the meltwater and runoff was trapped between the ice front to the east and the higher ground to the west. This water ponded to form a "proglacial lake". Rich mud and clay accumulated on the flat lake bottom while sandy beaches formed around the shores. At its highest the proglacial lake (Lake Maumee) was 800 ft above sea level. Two later stages of Lake Maumee, (called the "Lowest" and the "Middle," in that order) each had lower water levels as the retreating ice exposed the lower outlets of the Erie Basin allowing water to drain. The "Lowest" Maumee (elevation about 760 ft ASL) drained westward through the Grand River in Michigan and into Glacial Lake Chicago, an ancestor of present-day Lake Michigan. When the drainage outlet through the Niagara Gorge was finally free of glacial ice the water level in the Erie Basin was lowered by about 150 feet. This lowering may have occurred suddenly when the ice-dammed water broke through the confining edge of the glacier, creating a flood that quickly drained the Erie Basin. The Erie Basin is so shallow that the drop in water level would have completely drained the Western Basin (exposing much of the land surface of Lenawee County) leaving water only in the deeper Eastern Basin. Water ponded on the impermeable sediments of the old lake bed forming "The Great Black Swamp". Rich black soils formed in the swamp has given this area some of the richest farm land in the state. The sand which had accumulated along the shore of the proglacial lake was preserved as a sandy ridge riding above the flat lake plane. These features called “Lake Ridges” indicate that Lake Erie must have once stood more than a hundred feet higher than its present elevation. The sandy beach deposits rising above the nearly flat lake plains, especially in the region called the Great Black Swamp in northwestern Ohio, captured the attention of Indian and European explorers and settlers because the ridges provided dry passage through the swamps produced on the former lake beds. The Indian trails along the beach ridges were succeeded by primitive roads and later by paved highways. Much of this sand has been removed for use in construction or to flatten the land for agriculture.
Gerber Hill Park contains remnants of both the proglacial lake bed and the beach. Gerber Hill to the North is an example of one such sandy ridge. It is surrounded by flat agricultural plains which are the remnants of the old proglacial lake bed as well as the swamp (to the Northwest) which succeeded it.
To complete this Earthcache first study the information that you see before you then climb to the Pavilion just south of where you are standing. You will need to evaluate the soil here and determine if (like Gerber Hill to the North) you believe this to be part of the sandy ridge. Look at the soil to the South off of the back of the pavilion for the best results. If you wish, you can observe the different species of Native Grasses and Wildflowers present in the fields to the West. There is a plaque that will help you to identify these. Don't forget to take an elevation reading at this location.
Next go to the pond to the south. This can be reached by the mowed path on the East side of the parking area. Here you need to evaluate the soil to determine if it is part of the sandy ridge or a remnant of the proglacial lake/Great Black Swamp. Also take an elevation reading at the water level. You now should have all of the information required to complete the questions above. *
If you have not already done so you may wish to search for the other Geocaches present in the park. For "extra credit", while you are in the North park, evaluate the top of Gerber Hill. Verify the soil type there. As you descend the back side of the hill to the Northeast... what type of soil do you find at the bottom as you enter into the woods. How does it compare to your findings at this Earthcache?
* Measure elevation here... ==========Pax Says Hi!========== and here...
