Alice and her Stump EarthCache
Hidden : 3/14/2018
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:


Alice and her Stump Earthcache

IMPORTANT: This Earthcache is located within Alice Lake Provincial Park. It can be completed by following well-defined trails.

Glaciation and Tectonic Movement.
The area you are standing on was covered in ice by the Cordilleran ice sheet 16,000 years ago (see photo). In high latitude regions, continental and mountain glaciation are both some of the most significant land sculpting processes. As a result of glaciation, large glacial scour processes erode away glacier-derived sediments which get deposited in new areas affecting water drainage patterns while remolding the topography. Mixing glaciation with active tectonic uplift intensifies the magnitude of glacial erosion. As a result, one can witness an enormous variation of topography in British Columbia.

The building of mountains by tectonics and volcanism is significant in this region. Many examples of this massive uplift (ie mountains) are evident in the area. The nearest example is Mt. Garibaldi. Pyroclastic deposits were erupted from Mt. Garibaldi onto the surface of the downwasting Cordilleran ice sheet about 14,000 years ago. Tectonic movement and glacial scour along with the erosion, transportation, and deposition of glacially-derived sediments plays a major role in altering surrounding topography and drainage patterns of watersheds. The power and pressure behind large glaciers increases exponentially causing larger volumes of glacial scour and glacially-derived sediments to flow with glacial movement. With this glacial mass, erosional features such as glacial troughs will begin to form, while depositional features of glaciated regions like moraines and drumlins will form depositing what was once eroded.

Stump Lake.
Alice Lake Provincial Park is located within a steep-walled glacially modified valley cut into granodiorite and older metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks. Specifically, the results of glaciation and tectonic movements have combined to form a unique landscape with elevation changes allowing for a 'hilly' landscape - thus supporting hills (higher elevation) and lakes (lower elevation). In particular, Alice Lake Provincial Park is home to four freshwater lakes: Edith, Alice, Stump and Fawn Lakes. This earthcache brings you along Stump Lake.

References.
Quaternary Geoscience Research Centre [2004]. Research - Quaternary History. Simon Fraser University (online).
Benjamin Slotnick. Glaciation, and Glacial History of British Columbia During Fraser Glaciation. 2004 (online).
Kenneth Jared Fath. Late Holocene history of Squamish River north of Brackendale, British Columbia. 2014 (online).

In order to log this Earthcache, you must email / message team wiji (see profile) the answers to the following questions:

1. At the posted coordinates, you have a clear view of Stump lake. What unique feature in Stump lake lends to the glacial/tectonic variation in shaping the lake?

2. Take elevation readings at the posted coordinates and at the waypoint as you continue along the trail. What is the difference in your reading? Based on your reading, does this help to support your reasoning in Question #1?

3. OPTIONAL - Take a photo of your GPSr or yourself/team with Stump lake in the background. You may include this photo in your log.

++ Congratulations to clappy on the FTF!! ++

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This cache was placed and is maintained by an essexcountygeocachers.org member.

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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