One night, Paddy Walker was sitting on the front porch of his hotel when a meteorite illuminated the sky. Believing it to have landed on Stoney Island,he gathered a team of strong horses and a wagon and headed off to pick it up. The oddity has since sat adorning the hotel walkway for over a century
As lawn ornaments go, the big boulder that squats on the lawn by the southwest corner of the Walker House doesn't rank with pink plastic flamingos or leprechauns on toadstools. It is a green-black molded mass, a conglomerate of rock fragment that has the appearance of a huge plum pudding and is, in fact, called pudding stone.
The Term "Puddingstone" derives from the rock mass having rounded pebbles/cobbles that contrast with the color of the sandy / chemical cement surrounding the pebbles. The sharp contrast in color and texture makes the rock mass similiar to the look of Plum Pudding.
The rock fragments that form sedimentary rocks come from the weathering of rocks that already existed. Wind and water break off particles of rocks which are then collected by running water. When the water slows down, the sediments are deposited. Dissolved minerals in the water act like natural cements which settle into the spaces between the sediments binding them together into firm, cemented rock. It is possible for fossils to exist in Puddingstone, due to many pieces of rock and other matter coming together and being cemented together. If you are lucky and look closely, you may even be able to find some fossils.
Jack Ross, a retired Canadian government geologist, examined the Walker House stone and several others determining that the boulder in front of the Walker House is quartzite conglomerate. Ross concluded that the weatherworn stones originated 100 miles from Kincardine. "They arrived either with a glacier or with ice flows." The geologist admitted it's very confusing. "the mode of transportation will be debated forever!"'
At the posted coordinates, you will find Paddy's Meteorite - You will need to answer a few simple questions in order to log your find. PLEASE do not post your answers with your log, but do message me with the answers.
1. What year did a geologist eventually make a determination about Paddy's Stone?
2. Which direction is Stoney Island from here? Which direction does the Walker Hotels front steps face (Yellow building to the right)?
3. Explain 3 Types of Stones you can see embedded in the puddingstone - Colour, texture, rock type (Igneous/Metamorphic/Sedimentry)
4. Explain the Matrix that cements the puddingstone together
OPTIONAL: Take a photo of you and some Puddingstone and upload it along with your log!