We invite you to an adventure walk!
There is a rather unknown walk through a beautiful rainforest, that will lead you to some old terminal moraines of Fox Glacier. The walk is publically signposted. To claim a find, you will have to do this walk. It will take about 45 minutes, sturdy footwear and some sense of orientation are required. The walk will terminate some hundred meters further up the road, return via the road.
Bring your camera, you will have the opportunity to take some awesome fotos of the rainforest!
If you do the Moraine Walk at night at the right season you will have the chance to see plenty of glowworms! You should bring a torch and a spare set of batteries!
Starting point
Head out of Fox Glacier southbound, immediately after the bridge over Fox River take the small road to your left. On the road you will pass a warm spring (signposted). Park your car at the given coordinates, there is space for two or three. More space at the end of the road. Attention campervans: there is a height limit of 3,20 m on this road!
Update April 2019: Sorry folks, I heard the huge storm at the end of March has washed away this road; thanks to alsjfs for informing me! So park your CM at the Highway (S43° 28.718' E170° 00.431'), where the road starts and walk up for about 1.4 km, where the Moraine Walk starts, signposted, at given coordinates in the header of this listing. You will have to return by the same way, as the road between start and end of Moraine Walk has been washed away. The DOC hopes to repair this road in a couple of weeks. But it can be worth while to continue on the road after the end of Moraine Walk for about one km up to the Glacier View Car Park. From here follow a path to the outlook for about 850 m. If the weather is appropriate you have the chance for a splendid glacier view! Good luck! End update April 2019
Update Feb 2024: I heard that the road has been repaired meanwhile and you can drive up to the view point or to the beginning of Moraine Walk! End update April 2019
At the given coordinates in the header of the listing the walk starts just at the other side of the road, signposted. During the walk you will pass two other signs, showing the years when the glacier came down to this spot, leaving a terminal moraine. Note the mentioned years are geologically very, very young, and are not related to an Ice Age!
Moraines:
The word is of french origin and was used in scientific literature since the end of 18th century.
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris (regolith and rock) that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions on Earth (i.e. past a glacial maximum). Moraines are formed from debris previously carried along by a glacier and normally consists of somewhat rounded particles ranging in size from large boulders to minute glacial flour. Lateral moraines are formed at the side of the ice flow and terminal moraines at the foot, marking the maximum advance of the glacier.
There are two ways how a Frontal or Terminal or End Moraine is built:
First: They are built up by glacier’s movement forward, just like a bulldozer the glacier scrapes all material on its way and pushes it ahead or crushes it underneath.
Second: Glaciers act much like a conveyor belt, carrying debris from inside or the top of the glacier to the snout where it deposits it in end moraines.
Sometimes one can find stones from far away that were transported by the glacier.
Both ways sum up to build End Moraines.
There is a slight difference in Terminal and End Moraines: a terminal moraine is a special form of an end moraine, as it shows the maximum advance of a glacier; after reaching this point the glacier recedes, at least partly. An end moraine is at the present snout (edge) of the glacier, and can be pushed forward as the glacier advances, becoming a terminal moraine, when the glacier stops or recedes.
End moraine size and shape are determined by whether the glacier is advancing, receding or at equilibrium. The longer the terminus of the glacier stays in one place, the more debris accumulates in the moraine. An other special type of end moraine are the recessional moraines; these are small ridges left as the glacier pauses during its retreat. They are located between terminal moraines and the glacier's snout, being temporal end moraines.
Being in equilibrium means the glacier's movement and its rate of melting cancel each other, in a way that there is no actual movement of the glacier's snout. All debris in and on the glacier will melt out and accumulate in the terminal moraine, while the ice flows away as water.
To claim a find:
1) message via our profile what granularity you found on the terminal moraines (fine/flour, coarse, stones, rocks, boulders). What do you think why certain sizes are missing?
2) describe the shape of the material clearly visible as moraine material and not yet overgrown; is it edged or rounded? Why this?
3) estimate the hight of the remains of one of the two moraines.
4) explain briefly in your words why always the most downward frontal moraine is the oldest one, if there are multiple frontal moraines. (Hint: Just think what would happen, if the glacier creates a younger frontal moraine further downwards!
)
You may log immediately after sending your answers. If there should be anything to discuss, we will contact you.
Please, do NOT post the answers in your log!
A foto of a terminal moraine found or of an impressive sight in the rain forest will be very welcome in your log!
Happy caching and enjoy the walk!
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moraine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_moraine