The name “Dairy Bush” actually refers to the 8.5 ha woodlot in the middle of the drumlin. This woodlot has been part of the university campus since 1873. It has a unique ecology containing naturally growing and planted species; some rare to southern Ontario. The origin of the name “Dairy Bush” is not known for certain but it was likely derived from the historical agricultural practice of maintaining a small stand of trees on farms to provide cattle with a source of shade during the warm summer months. It is possible that dairy cattle kept nearby on campus by the agricultural college may have been given access to the bush in the summer and thus the name.
The word drumlin is derived from the Irish word droimnín (originally meaning "littlest ridge") reportedly first used in the geological literature in 1833. Drumlins typically occur in clusters or fields and this drumlin is one of approximately 300 in Guelph and the surrounding area. Although not as distinct, Johnston Hall located in the middle of the UofG campus sits on top of another drumlin. There are several complicated and disputed theories about the mechanism of drumlin formation; however, in general, it is agreed that drumlins form beneath the ice sheet during continental glaciation due to collection of glaciofluvial sediment which is manipulated by the ice and/or flowing water to form the drumlin shape that remains in the landscape.
Drumlins generally consist entirely of multiple beds of glacial till; an unsorted mixture of sediment ranging in size from boulders and gravel to sand, silt and clay. Many drumlins contain a core of rock; others are composed entirely of till.
The orientation of drumlins in the landscape generally indicates the direction of movement of the ice sheet. A drumlin is roughly symmetrical around the long axis which is parallel to the movement of the ice. In the Guelph area the orientation of drumlins is roughly southeast to northwest. The glacial ice is believed to have originated in the Lake Ontario Basin to the south. According to the glacial theory the ice sheet would have flowed uphill out of Lake Ontario, and up over the Niagara Escarpment to form these drumlins. The final retreat of the ice in this area was about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.
Looking southeast from the highest point (GZ) along the long axis of the drumlin is the short steep slope over which the ice advanced. Unfortunately development and construction has contorted this area but the general slope is still there. The various small piles of till and excavations on the south side of the "cow path" are all man-made. The longer (less steep and far less disturbed) slope of the drumlin runs to the northwest through and past the woodlot and past College Ave. to the north.
To log this earth cache please provide answers the following questions in the form an email or message to the CO before logging the cache. Please do not post answers on-line with your log. Note that you should take your measurements during day-light hours. The view is much better then anyway.
- Use your GPS or a compass to estimate the orientation of the drumlin to determine the direction from where the ice came from (i.e., roughly from the south-east but please provide your estimate of a bearing in degrees) that created the dairy bush drumlin. One of the easiest (and more accurate) ways to accomplish this is to make your way to a point on College Ave. just east of Edinburgh Rd. where College cuts through the drumlin. Find the highest point of elevation along this stretch of College Ave. and measure the bearing to the posted coordinates (highest point) to obtain a measurement parallel to the long axis of the drumlin. (Note that I have not provided you with a specific reference waypoint for the College Ave location. This was done in order to minimize armchair caching.)
- Measure the elevation at the highest point on the drumlin and collect an elevation at any point around the perimeter of the drumlin to estimate the height. I suggest a point along Wilsonview Ave. or the Walmart parking lot.
- Provide estimates for the length (long axis) and width (short axis) of the drumlin. This will require you doing a bit of leg work around the perimeter estimating where the drumlin ends and non-drumlin (flat terrain) begins. It's a great walk if the weather's nice.