Wow A Glacial Boulder
This Glacial boulder is on the grounds of UNB Fredericton Campus. This was carried by ice from Northwestern New Brunswick during the Glacial period . Excavated from the campus and placed here in recognition of the pioneers studies of New Brunswick.
There was also an ice age about 460 million years ago, an a series between about 250 and 350 million years ago - at the time of deposition of the Carboniferous rocks at Joggins - indeed, despite the fact that the rocks at Joggins record equatorial conditions, the world of the Coal Age forests was an icehouse one. We know this because glacial deposits ("tillites") have been discovered in Carboniferous successions in Africa. But deposits there are consolidated as hard rock, not soft, loose sediment as are the Ice Age "tills" that we see here in the Maritimes.
During the Ice Age (that is the recent ice age of the last 2 million years), there have been a number of advances and retreats of glaciers - termed glacials and interglacials. Stages of retreat of the most recent glacial are showin in Fig. 13. We are living during the most recent (Holocene) interglacial, which has now lasted about 10,000 years. The Holocene interglacial succeeded the latest (but probably not the last!), Wisconsinan, glacial. The mastodon found at Milford, Nova Scotia (and made famous at Mastodon Ridge at Stewiacke), lived about 90,000 years ago, during the previous, Sangamon, interglacial stag
Glaciers provide a great erosive force, acting like giant bulldozers. Evidence of glacial erosion include polished rock surfaces and striations, both of which can be seen at Peggys Cove, near Halifax. The Parrsboro Valley is an example of a glacially eroded valley; such valleys tend to be U-shaped rather than V-shaped - the latter form being typical or river-eroded valleys.
To log you find you must email me how big the boulder is and include a picture of yourself with your gps in front of the rock. Have fun.