Madison Boulder is the largest known erratic in New England, and
among the largest in the world. An erratic is a piece of rock that
has been transported by a glacier many miles from its original
location. Madison Boulder is a huge granite rock measuring 83 feet
in length, 23 feet in height above the ground, and 37 feet in
width. A part of this roughly rectangular block is buried, probably
to a depth of ten to twelve feet. The 17-acre site was acquired by
the state of N.H. in 1946. In 1970 Madison Boulder was designated a
National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior
because the enormous erratic, "is an outstanding illustration of
the power of an ice sheet to pluck out very large blocks of
fractured bedrock and move them substantial distances." Madison
Boulder Natural Area is open to the public year-round at no charge
and pets are welcome.
Take a photo of yourself infront of this erratic to log this
Earthcache! Entries without a picture added within a week or so
will be deleted. Also, please mention the number of people in your
group who visited this Earthcache in your log. As of October 12,
2007 (to comply with new guidelines), you must include information
in your log indicating how much the nearby NH Park sign indicates
as the estimated weight of the boulder. I hope you find this cache
interesting and educational!
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