Sabbaday Falls EarthCache
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Visited by locals and tourists since the nineteenth century,
Sabbaday Falls is a beautiful walk to a spectacular waterfall.
Parking is along the Kancamagus Highway in the very well signed
parking lot. There is a parking fee of $3 in the National Forest.
Sabbaday Falls is a sight whose development started a long time ago
and has been acted upon by many different forces. Changes to the
falls continue today.
Millions of years ago a crack formed in the granite here. Basalt, a
volcanic rock, filled this void. You can still see some of this
basalt at the lower end of the falls.
During the last ice age, water from the melting glaciers ran down
over this area. Basalt erodes more quickly than granite, so the
water carved out the basalt, leaving the granite walls of this
flume behind. At the base of the falls is a great example of a
pothole, a hole carved in the rock by swirling water and sand. The
fact that it is well above the water level tells us it was probably
formed during the Ice Age, when the water was running higher from
melting glaciers.
The falls have been further influenced by not just running water,
but by freezing water. As water freezes in cracks in the
surrounding granite, it expands, making the cracks wider.
Eventually, these cracks are large enough that pieces of rock break
away, widening the gorge.
Another force has had a major influence on this site. The sign at
the posted coordinates tell of an influence that actually changed
the course of the falls! To log this cache, email me and tell me
what happened.
Sources:
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service
"AMC's Best Day Hikes in the White Mountains," 2006, R. S.
Buchsbaum
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