New Brunswick's Glacial Desert EarthCache
New Brunswick's Glacial Desert
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This earthcache brings you to another unique roadside formation that you may have driven by many times before and looked but never wonder why. These are eolian dunes formed near the end of the most recent ice age.
The story of this area begins with the glacial retreat. The last glacial episode in New Brunswick began about 25,000 years ago, when the Laurentide ice sheet moved south overspreading New England and Eastern Canada. During its peak development, this ice sheet was centered over eastern Canada and flowed east to southeast across New Brunswick into the sea. The ice itself was thousands of feet thick, with its massive weight shaped the land as it slowly traveled. Climatic warming forced the Laurentide ice sheet to stop and begin to recede as early as 21,000 years ago. This melting of the ice sheet released more water then is possible to imagine.
As the retreating glacier halted for a time the margin would stabilized, thickened as it did in the rolling hills northeast of Fredericton. Here the rushing water carried with it whatever the glacier had picked up along its travels dumping it into the ocean. While it is now far from the ocean’s edge, this area was once depressed by some 400-500 feet as a result of the Earth's adjustment to the tremendous mass of the Laurentide ice sheet that had covered the area. In the area of this earthcache the very fine materials finally settled out as the water slowed. By 8000 years ago the earth had rebounded from its compression and the river valley became dry.
These very fine sand grains were pushed around by the winds in the area. The lack of trees shortly after the valley dried up allowed the formation of these eolian dunes. Once the plants and trees began to grow the area was stabilized and the eolian dunes remain today a part of our glacial past. This was an ideal location to build an airport because the amount of building materials on location. All they had to do was remove the trees and smooth the eolian dunes and you have an airport ready to go. The few eolian dunes that were not destroyed to make the airport and are still left are now along the side of the road.
Remember this is an earthcache so there is no container just an earth science lesson in an amazing natural area. To log this cache, you must post a photo of yourself with your GPS showing the eolian dune materials in the background. Email me through my profile an estimate of the height of the dunes. A little further down the road toward the airport entrance you will see several more eolian dunes and you will also see some in a cemetery on the other side of the road. Please keep in mined that this can be a busy road so pull well off the road. This earthcache can be done from your car so there is not reason to leave the road.
Please do not leave the road to do this earthcache.
Additional Hints
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