Viewmont Cemetery
The Viewmont Cemetery is owned and managed by Christ Church in Germantown, Columbia County, NY. This Earthcache is placed with permission of the pastor and the caretaker. The cemetery is closed from dusk to dawn.
The roadway, at approximately 0.2 miles one-way, is easily walked. The road is open for vehicular traffic but, depending on conditions, it may not be sensible to drive on it in the winter.
Drumlins
Drumlin is a Gaelic word that means hill. Geologically, a drumlin is usually composed of a mixture of coarse sediments, or till, everything from clay to boulders. Drumlins are the product of passing glaciers. After depositing till, the ice continued to move over it. As the ice advanced across the landscape it sculpted the coarse glacial sediments resulting in streamlined, gently rounded hills. Some people compare the shape to an inverted spoon; others call them cigar-shaped. Either way, the upstream end, the direction from which the ice flowed, is usually relatively steep. As the ice continued to advance, it typically molded the downstream end, the direction the ice moved, into a more tapered form with a lower angle. Left and right, the slopes are the steepest and most symmetrical .
Drumlins typically range in height from 15 to 60 meters (50 to 200 feet) and average 0.4 to 0.8 kilometer (0.25 to 0.50 mile) in length. Drumlins are not found singly but rather occur in cluster called drumlin fields.
Viewmont Cemetery Drumlin
From the posted coordinates walk or drive up the narrow road. You are climbing up onto a drumlin, ascending the north end of the hill, the steep side of the spoon bowl. When you reach the top you will be able to observe just how symmetrical the drumlin is. Steep, but very smooth slopes, form the two lateral sides of the drumlin. At the back of the cemetery, the road ends at a turnaround, and there you have reached the tapered downstream end of the hill. This is a very good example of a drumlin. And because it is a cemetery the landscape is relatively clear with few trees and shrubs to block the view.
Logging Requirements:
1. As you ascend from the posted coordinates note your elevation. When you reach the highest point record the coordinates and elevation. Task 1: Submit coordinates and elevation from the highest point on the drumlin.
2. At the end of the road, at the circle, look south. Task 2: How does the slope looking down from here compare with the slope of the drumlin as you went from the posted coordinates to the height of land?
3. As you walk along the road, going out toward the end, or on your way back, observe how the drumlin slopes off to the east and west. Task 3: Would you describe the slopes to the east and west as being steeper, not as steep, or about the same as those going north and south?
4. Since drumlins do not usually occur alone, but in groups, or drumlin fields, you would expect to find other drumlins nearby. Use topographical maps from your device(s) or the attached owner supplied image, in the photo gallery, for the next task. Task 4: How many other nearby drumlins can you identify based on their characteristic shape? Name two of them. (Note: the height of the land of the Viewmont Cemetery drumlin is indicated by a small circle).
5. Based on information in the description and your own observations complete the following task. Task 5: Briefly describe the course of the glacier through Viewmont Cemetery. How did you reach that conclusion?
6: Task 6: PHOTO Include a photo with yourself (face not required), your GPSr, or a personal item from any point on the drumlin. Describe where you are e.g. highest point of drumlin; ascending the steep, start of the drumlin; descending the shallower slope on the downside, etc.
References:
Isachsen, Y.W,. Landing, E, Lauber, J.M., Rickard, L.V. and Rogers, W.B. 2000, Geology of New York A Simplified Account. http://www.geo.hunter.cuny.edu/courses/geog383.19/geology_nys.pdf pg. 482
Lutgens, F.K., and Tarbuck, E.J. 2012, Essentials of Geology pg. 277
Titus, R. and Titus, J., 2012, The Hudson Valley on the Ice Age, A Geological History and Tour, pp.137-40
Glossary
Drumlin - a long, low, cigar-shaped hill made of glacial till.
Till - a miscellaneous mixture of clay, sand, gravel, and boulders deposited by a glacier.