Cattaraugus County
Enjoy the wonders that abound within these Enchanted Mountains.
EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. Enjoy the journey (learning adventure) as well as the destination (smiley earned). Remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints. To get credit for this Earthcache, complete the following tasks:
TRAIL MAP ... Meltwater Channel / Continental Divide / Linlyco Lake / Umlaufberg / Terminal Moraine / U-shaped and V-shaped Valleys
1. MESSAGE …. a. Based on the sign, where did the meltwater collect to the south and to the west? ... b. Compare the meltwater channel here and at the Umlaufberg stop. Explain the difference.
2. MESSAGE …. Here you are standing at the intersection of two divides that was probably caused by the glacier. Based on the Interpretive Sign and the Map (gallery), determine the two divides. ... a. Rain that falls on the trail NORTH of this point. ... b. Rain that falls on the trail SOUTH of this point. ... c. End Game - Does all the water falling here make it to the ocean? Explain.
3. MESSAGE …. a. What kind of glacial lake is this? ... b. How big is it?
4. MESSAGE …. a. What is an umlaufberg? ... b. Compare the trail leading to the sign with the trail leading to the umlaufberg. Give three differences.
5. MESSAGE …. The ridge you see marks where the glacier stopped. Based on the sign and your observations, what is significant at this stop?
6. MESSAGE …. a. What is the shape of the valley to the west? What does it indicate? ... b. Describe Little Valley and the tributaries north of the terminal moraine. What does it indicate?
7. LOG …. Post a picture at your favorite place along the trail. Explain. This picture is your log signature.
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in creating this earthcache by adding A and B to your log.
A. JOURNEY OF THE MIND ... Science explains what we observe. Relate (in your own words) something you found interesting in the reading. This adds to your learning adventure and your log.
B. JOURNEY OF THE HEART ... Art shares our personal experience of what we see. Share something special you found on site, and why it is special to you. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.
THANK YOU Rick LeFeber for permission to share this learning adventure.
GLACIAL MOVEMENT
Glacial movement is like a wide river of ice. These ice sheets bulldoze the gravels, silts and clays up in front as it scoures its way through the valleys. At the terminal of the advance, this “pile” of material, also known as a “moraine”, is left in place, blocking the valley and creating a dam of ice and debris. As the ice retreats, this dam holds back the meltwater, resulting in shallow lakes.
GLACIAL FEATURES
The advance and retreat of the Wisconsin Glacier significantly altered the landscape.
-Drumlin - Elongated hill
-Erratic - Piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. These may be displaced hundreds of miles from their original location.
-Esker - Long ridge
-Kame - Steep-sided mound
-Kettle - Depression or hole
-Meltwater channel - Beneath the ice parallel to the main flow
-Moraine - Material transported then deposited
-Umlaufberg - Rounded hill formed when glacial meltwater flowed around more resistant bedrock.
GLACIAL LAKES
-Kettle Lake - Depression or hole filled with water
-Paternoster Lake - Chain of lakes
-Tarn Lake - Cirque / steep-sided cauldron
CONTINENTAL DIVIDES
A Continental Divide is the result of two major factors.
1. Tectonic forces are movements within the earth's crust which are responsible for formation of mountains and valleys which alter drainage patterns.
2. Climatic forces such as continental glaciers also impact drainage patterns.
UMLAUFBERG
-At the interpretive stop along the Pat McGee Trail, you will see a side trail. This trail climbs west through a meltwater channel cut as the glacier receded north. The isolated bedrock knob left behind is the umlaufberg.
-This dissected and glacially modified Appalachian Plateau is underlain by light-gray or brownish siltstone and some sandstone, interbedded with medium-gray shale of the Upper Devonian Chadakoin Formation. Sandstone and siltstone both have a hardness of 6-7, whereas shale has a hardness of 3. Glacial erosion was responsible for the meltwater channel, leaving behind the more resistant knob.
V-SHAPED and U-SHAPED VALLEYS
V-shaped valleys are formed by the process of erosion due to running water. They indicate areas that were left unglaciated. U-shaped valleys (glacial trough) indicate areas of glacial activity. Glaciated valleys are formed when a glacier travels across and down a slope, carving the valley by the action of scouring. Scouring is glacial erosion where the surface material is removed and the rock fragments carried by the glacier abrade, scratch, and polish the bedrock. U-shaped valleys generally began as V-shaped valleys.
RESOURCES
http://www.geo.hunter.cuny.edu/courses/geog260/pp5-2011glaciation.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Divide_of_the_Americas
http://geologys.hol.es/types-of-glacial-lakes/
http://www.geography-site.co.uk/pages/physical/glaciers/moraine.html
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE EARTHCACHES ... Arizona GC60A9V ... Florida GC5DG4M ... Illinois GCN6ZB ... Indiana GCKTG1 ... New Mexico GC4T476 ... New York GC1B85C GC10Y25 ... North Carolina GC2KG2B GC1JP01 ... Wisconsin GC1JYC5 GC1CH2V ... British Columbia GC5ZK9J ... Across The Divide GeoTour ... Geocaching RMNP
UMLAUFBERG EARTHCACHES GC2DY9T ... GC3C7AN ... GC25XVP ... GC1DR40 ... GC22ZAG ... GC3VYEC ... GC276PT ...GC1RY5A