7/22/2016

GC1X75ZEskers:AncientGlacialRiverbeds(Earthcache)inWisconsin,UnitedStatescreatedbyThePharmGirl

Eskers:AncientGlacialRiverbeds
Lookaroundwhereyourestandingorsittingrightnow.IfyouwereinWisconsinjust15,000yearsago,youwouldbeencasedinacolossalsheetoficecalleda
glacier!

WhatisaGlacier?
Glaciersaremultiplelayersoffallensnow,compressedintoiceoverhundredsofyears.Glaciersformduringanextendedcoldperiodwhensnowremainsinthesame
areayearround,withadditionalsnowaccumulatingontopoftheexistingsnow.Eachnewlayerofsnowburiesandcompressesthepreviouslayers.This
compressionforcesthesnowtorecrystallize.Gradually,thesecrystallizedgrainsgrowlargerandtheairpocketsbetweenthegrainsgetsmaller,causingthesnowto
slowlycompactandincreaseindensity.Afterabouttwowinters,thesnowturnsintofirnanintermediatestatebetweensnowandglacierice.Yearsofcompression
graduallymaketheicedenserovertime,forcingoutthetinyairpocketsbetweencrystalsuntilitbecomesasolidsheetofice.

GlaciersOntheMove
Auniquefeatureofglaciersistheirabilitytomove,mostlyfromsheermass,likeaslowmovingriverawayfromthepolarcaps.Whentheclimateiscold,theglaciers
advance.TheseperiodsareoftencalledIceAges.Duringwarmertemperatures,theystarttomeltandretreat.
Thesetemperatureflucuationshaveoccurredfrequentlyoverthepast2millionyears,atimeknownasthePleistoceneEpoch.Manytimes,theglaciersspreadfrom
theArctic,engulfingmostofnorthernNorthAmerica.ThemostrecentseriesofglacialadvancesandretreatswascalledtheWisconsinGlaciation,lastingfromabout
100,000to10,000yearsago.ItlastflowedintoWisconsinabout25,000yearsago,andby14,00016,000yearsago,advancedtocoverabout2/3ofthestatebefore
meltingback.
Astheglacialiceadvanced,itfrozearoundgrainsofsand,pebbles,andevenlargeboulders,pickingthemupandcarryingthemalong.Largebouldersthatwere
movedalongdistancearecallederratics.Whentheserocksandboulderswereatthebottomofthemovingglacier,theysometimesscrapedacrosstheland,making
scratchesandstriationsinthebedrock.Insomeplaces,theyformedelongatedhillscalleddrumlins.Youcanseethedirectiontheiceflowedfromthedirectionand
striationsofthedrumlins.Drumlinsarearealignedparalleltotheiceflow.
Whentheicemeltedduringaglacialretreat,allthesand,silt,pebbles,andbouldersthatwerepreviouslytrappedintheiceweredroppedorcarriedtotheouteredge
oftheretreatingglacier.Thismoundofdebrisformedridgescalledmoraines.Theseridgesvaryindifferentpartsofthestate,butsomeareashavemorainesashigh
as300feet.Sometimes,whentheflowofmeltingstoppedduringacoolerperiod,ablockoficewouldgetseparatedfromtheglacierandgetburiedamongthedebris.
Whenthisblockoficefinallymeltedduringawarmerperiod,abasinordepressionwouldbeleftinitsplace.Thesedepressionsarecalledkettles.Manyof
Wisconsinslakes,bogs,andmarshesareactuallyIceAgekettlesthatfilledwithwaterwhentheicemelted.
Astheicemelted,theflowingmeltwateralsoshapedmuchofthelandscape.Streamsflowingover,under,andbeyondtheglacierleftbehinddepositsofsandand
rockdebris.Conicalwaterroundedmoundsofdebrisdepositedbystreamsflowingdownwardthroughcracksintheicearecalledkames.Narrow,steepsidedridges
formedfromdepositsofsandandgravelastheriverflowedthroughtunnelsatthebaseoftheglacierarecalledeskers.

AllAboutEskers
ThewordEskerisderivedfromtheoldIrishGaeliceiscir,meaningridgeofgravel.Eskersareformedfrommeltwaterflowinginchannelsalongzonesofweakness
atthebaseofglaciers.Meltingice,water,anddebristhataretrappedintheicefromthelastglacialadvance(suchasrocks,gravel,andsand)fallthroughcracksin
theglacieruntiltheyreachthebottom.Thetrappedwaterbuildsup,formingpools.Eventually,thewaterbreaksthroughiceatthebase,flowingoutasastream,
carryingthedebriswithit.Eskerriversprefertoerodetheoverlyingiceratherthanbedrock.Asthestreamflows,thedebrisisdepositedalongtheriverbed.After
manyyears,thedebrisintheriverbedaccumulatesupward,formingaridgeintheshapeofthestream.Sometimesthestreamsareverycurvy,dependingontheir
pathbeneaththeglacier.Whentheglacierfinallymelts,asnakelikehillremains.
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7/22/2016

GC1X75ZEskers:AncientGlacialRiverbeds(Earthcache)inWisconsin,UnitedStatescreatedbyThePharmGirl

Theeskerdepositsrangefromcobblesandbouldersinhighflowrateareastofinesandorsiltinareasoflowdischarge.Theslowerthestream,thegreaterthe
chanceforadeposit.Becauseofthis,manyeskersarenotcontinuous,butaseriesofridges,becausethesedimentwasonlydepositedinplaceswherethe
meltwatersloweddown.Likedrumlins,eskersareusuallyparalleltotheiceflow.
Eskershavesomeuniquefeatures.Sincethemeltwaterwasconfinedbythesurroundingice,theriversedimentsweredepositedabovethesurroundingterrain,andin
somecases,theriverevenfloweduphill.Subglacialeskerriversarenotonlydrivenbygravitylikeregularrivers,butalsobythehydrostaticpressureoftheoverlying
ice.
Eskerscomeinmanyshapesandsizes.Theycanbestraightorcurvy.Someareonlyafewfeethigh,whileothersareashighas250feet.Theirlengthcanrange
fromatenthofamiletotensofmiles,andtheirwidthvariesfromafewfeettoover400feetwide.Theymightbebroadandflattopped,orhavesingleormultiple
crests.Manyeskers,likeotherglacialformations,havebeenmodifiedandreducedbyerosionovertime,buttheKettleMoraineregionstillhasmanyimpressive
examplesoftheseremnantsfromtheendofthelastIceAge.
Eskershaveprovidedsomepracticalapplicationsinrecenthistory.Becausetheyaremostlymadeofhighlyporoussandandgravelandarewelldrained,theyhave
beenusedsinceprehistorictimesasanaturalelevatedroadway.Manycivilizationshaveusedthemassitesforgraveyards.Andeskersarefrequentlyquarriedfor
constructionmaterials.

Sources:
1.UniversityofWisconsin:http://www.uwex.edu/wgnhs/iceage.htm
2.NationalSnowandIceDataCenter:http://wwwnsidc.colorado.edu/index.html
3.TheNationalParkService:http://www.nps.gov/archive/iatr/expanded/history.htm

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