The Glaciated Plains EarthCache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(not chosen)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This earthcache is available from the Oriska Rest Area, on (EB & WB) I-94, 2 mi east of Oriska, ND. This modern rest area has wi-fi and vending. There is also an area for your geo-dog to stretch before getting back on the road.
This earthcache is handicap accessible. There are sidewalks leading from the building to the informational panel east of the building.
The Glaciated Plains
The gently rolling landscape here is typical of the Glaciated Plains, a vast area that extends south from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, through northern and eastern North Dakota, into eastern South Dakota. Glaciers flowed south through this area 12,500 years ago, depositing up to several hundred feet of sediment on top of the much older “bedrock” surface. When the glaciers melted, they formed the landscape you see here today. The materials the glacier picked up as it advanced over the bedrock surface where deposited as glacial sediment, a mixture of clay, silt, sand, and rocks of all sizes that is called “till.” Because till is composed of sediments from many different sources and contains many different kinds of rocks and minerals, soil developed on it are rich and fertile.
Westbound travelers will cross the Sheyenne River at Valley City, The Sheyenne River is a small stream that flows in a large valley, a “meltwater trench.” The valley was eroded by floodwaters in a short time when ice-dammed lakes in northern North Dakota and Saskatchewan released their water when the glacier melted back. While it was being eroded, the Sheyenne River valley flowed nearly full of water. Contrast this former river with the small stream that flows in the valley today. The highway crosses a similar meltwater trench at Jamestown.
Eastbound travelers will leave the Glaciated Plains in 15 miles, entering the flat Red River Valley of the North. The Red River Valley is the former floor of Glacial Lake Agassiz. It was flooded at the end of the Ice Age between 12,000 and 9,000 years ago.
Logging Requirements:
Send the answers to #1-#4 to me through my geocaching profile.
1. List the name “GC**** The Glaciated Plains Earthcache” in the first line of your email. Also, list the number of people in your group.
2. Most of the glacial features that can be seen in the state today were formed during the most recent glaciation. Based on the information panel at the coordinates, how many years ago did this end?
3. North Dakota was glaciated by ice that moved south from an area west of Hudson Bay. Based on the information panel at the coordinates, what is the name of this area?
4. Look to the north and south. Describe the landforms you see and contrast that with what how the informational panel describes the topography of the Red River Valley (to the east) and the Missouri Coteau (to the west)?
Answers to the above questions should be received at the same time as the log is posted. Failure to receive all logging requirements may result in your log being deleted.
The North Dakota Geological Society Informal Signs Project is a North Dakota Centennial Project, partly funded by the North Dakota Centennial Commisson. This project was sponsored by the North Dakota Geological Society with input from the North Dakota Geological Society.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)