Paris Plains - A Mountain of Opportunities
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” — Confucius
The following information comes from “Cobbling Together a History” an article published on: July 26, 2013, in the Brantford Expositor.
Insignificant palm-sized cobblestones found in the Paris area, were formed over 10,000 years ago by glaciers that once covered Canada. As the ice melted and the climate warmed, the boulders, rocks and cobblestones had not only been rounded by the movement of the ice but also by the rushing waters from the glacial melt off. The cobblestones, or cobbles, were found among the conglomeration of rocks and rested while the climate increased in warmth, plants and animals became abundant and eventually First Nations people ventured north, seeking food that led to the establishment of their villages.
Paris Plains Church
When settlers established themselves in the area, it was decided the community could support its own church. Rocks and cobbles were gathered in nearby fields using horse drawn stone boats. These were then sorted with the larger rocks laid to form the inner walls while the cobbles were sorted according to size using a board with varying sized holes or a metal ring sometimes called a beetle.
What is a Plain?
A plain is a flat landmass that generally does not change much in elevation. Plains occur as lowlands along the bottoms of valleys (flood plains) or on the doorsteps of mountains, as costal plains, and as plateaus (ie., Nemo Plateau EarthCache [GC7WHZE]).
Plains are one of the major landforms on earth, present on all continents, and cover more than one-third of the world's land area. Plains may have been formed from flowing lava, deposited by water, ice, wind, or formed by erosion by these agents from hills and mountains.
Plains in many areas are important for agriculture because the soils may be deep and fertile, and the flatness facilitates mechanization of crop production; or because they support grasslands which provide good grazing for livestock.
Types of Plains
A) Depositional Plains are formed by the materials brought by glaciers, rivers, waves, and wind. Their fertility and economic relevance depend greatly on the types of sediments that were laid down.
The types of depositional plains include:
i) Abyssal plains - flat or very gently sloping areas of the deep ocean basin
ii) Planitia - the term used in the naming of plains on extraterrestrial objects such as planets and moons
B) Alluvial Plains, are formed by rivers and which may be one of these overlapping types:
i) Alluvial Plains formed over a long period of time by a river depositing sediment on their flood plains or beds, which become alluvial soil. The difference between a flood plain and an alluvial plain is: a flood plain represents areas experiencing flooding fairly regularly in the present or recently, whereas an alluvial plain includes areas where a flood plain is now and used to be, or areas which only experience flooding a few times a century.
ii) Flood Plain adjacent to a lake, river, stream, or wetland that experiences occasional or periodic flooding.
iii) Scroll Plain a plain through which a river meanders with a very low gradient.
C) Glacial Plains are formed by the movement of glaciers under the force of gravity:
i) Out wash plain - (also known as sandur; plural sandar), a glacial out-wash plain formed of sediments deposited by melt-water at the terminus of a glacier. Sandar consist mainly of stratified (layered and sorted) gravel and sand.
ii) Till Plains, plains of glacial till that form when a sheet of ice becomes detached from the main body of a glacier and melts in place depositing the sediments it carries. Till plains are composed of unsorted material (till) of all sizes.
iii) Lacustrine Plains, also called a lake plain, largely related to the past existence of lakes in the area, although in some cases, the original lakes still exist, having shrunk in size over time.
iv) Lava Plains, (also known as a Lava Field) is formed by sheets of flowing lava, creating a large expanse of nearly flat-lying lava flows.
D) Erosional Plains are formed by the continuous and longtime erosion of uplands by running water, rivers, wind and glacier wearing out the rugged surface.
E) Structural Plains are relatively undisturbed horizontal surfaces of the Earth, that are formed by the upliftment of a part of the sea floor or continental shelf. They are located on the borders of almost all the major continents.
The Economic Significance of Plains
- Fertile soil: The plains generally have deep and fertile soil. As they have a flat surface, the means of irrigation can be easily developed. That is why plains are called as the ‘Food baskets of the world’.
- The growth of industries: The rich agricultural resources, especially of alluvial plains, have helped in the growth of agro-based industries. Since the plains are thickly populated, plenty of labour is available for the intense cultivation and for supplying the workforce for the industries.
- Expansion of means of transportation: The flat surface of plains favours the building of roads, airports and laying down railway lines.
- Centres of civilizations: Plains are centres of many civilizations.
- Setting up of cities and towns: Easy means of transportation on land and the growth of agriculture and industries in plains have resulted in the setting up and expansion of cities and towns. The most developed trade centres and ports of the world are found in the plains only and as much as 80% of the world’s population lives here.
To claim this EarthCache, please send the answers to the following questions to the CO at the top of the page:
Questions to answer:
1. To reach GZ, you will be driving across an area referred to as “The Paris Plain”. GZ, will bring you to a very unique location, a structure that was built from the debris found on this plain, along with the graves, of many of the settlers, who survived but living off the land here. Given what you see during your drive across the Paris Plain, and the structure at GZ, what type of plain is the church located on. Explain the characteristics you have seen, that lead you to believe you are correct.
2. Plains are an extremely important land area, as mentioned in the cache page description. What is the Paris Plain historical use, as indicated by the plaque at GZ, and what is it’s current use. Why do you think it is currently being used this way?
3. Describe the Topography (shape and features of the land surfaces. The topography of an area could refer to the surface shapes, or a description of the land) of the Paris Plains.
Now, take a closer look at the church near the posted coordinates:
4. What is the average size of the cobblestones used in the construction of this building? Where did they come from?
5. The foundation of this building is not made out of cobblestones. What type of material was used here. Where do you think this material came from? (Check the description)
Now, a question (Just for Fun!)
6. Mr. WLGC food a cobblestone he felt looked like the “Death Star” from Star Wars. Take a close look at the the cobbles on the Church, is there one that catches your fancy? Post a photo of a favourite cobble in your log, and tell why you like it.