Aprils Accrectionary Wedge 45 is here at Life as a Geologist ( http://lifeasageologist.wordpress.com/ ) or Twitter @denisetang. The theme is "Geological Pilgrimage – the sacred geological place that you must visit at least once in your lifetime"
I've
always wanted to go see an active large glacier. So to me the logical
place to go was Antarctica. I don't know why but Antarctica has always
fascinated me. Maybe because its so far away or maybe because its so
cold. But most likely its because its so pristine and there is so much
to explore there. I've always dreamed about going to a remote area that
no one has ever been to and to be the first to study the geology
there. But because of its extreme distance and harsh conditions I don't
feel like I have "IT" in me anymore to make that trip so now the place I
want to make my pilgrimage to is Waterton-Glacier International Peace
Park ( Here's Wikipedia's info ) or in the United States Glacier National Park (there's more about it in Wikipedia here ). It's still remote for me and it will be difficult for me to get there so it should fit the theme.
When I was in college at Ohio U the department chairman was really,
really, really into glaciers. I mean that is all he seemed to ever talk
about. Every field trip we took seemed to involve some aspect of
glaciation that we would look at. And boy did he know his stuff. He
was always showing us things that I never noticed before and how it
could have been related to either glaciation or the run off from
glaciation. Needless to say he was able to hook a couple of other
people into loving it as much as he did. These people would go on to do
there masters thesis on glaciation
One of these guys happened
to be a friend I had made in field camp. He was just as fascinating to
talk to when he'd started talking about his research on glaciation too.
He was able to go to Antarctica and study the glaciers there. Ever
since then I've been intrigued by glaciers and if I hadn't already had
an area of interest that I was already doing my thesis research on I
definitely would have considered switching over to that line of study.
The funny thing was when I did field camp with that guy we did get
exposed to some glaciation in the Ruby Mountains of Nevada, but I really
didn't appreciate it as much as I did studying the other rocks and
structural geology that was present there. The fact was there was just
too much to see and learn and too little time to do it all well and
glaciation really wasn't our instructors area of interest. Yet they did
expose us to some glaciation features because that was in the courses
curriculum and they had to teach it. (That's why I feel every geology
major should take a summer of field camp study - to get exposed to
things you may not be able to in any other place.) I do remember seeing
the U shaped valley and finally understanding how glaciers formed the U
verses the V of normal river erosion. I also liked resting by the
glacial formed lake. I know I would have gotten more into the
glaciation features if we would have had more time to study things
there. Nonetheless, I truly didn't grow to appreciate glaciation until
after I had field camp when I took a geomorphology class where our main
text book was called 'Glacial and Quaternary Geology' by Richard Foster
Flint (1971). If I just would have had that class first I'm sure I
would have gotten so much more out of that section of my field camp.
So now I would like to go and see an active glacier again. The most
logical place for me to do so would be Glacial National Park. About the
same time I was taking that geomorphology class my older brother
visited Glacial National Park and said I would go crazy over all of the
stuff I would see there - he did and he wasn't even a science major -
just business. I think the reason I rather go there than say to Alaska
to see one is because of its location. It's on the Continental Divide
and that has always interested me. To think all the water on one side
of the Lewis Mountain range goes to the Gulf Coast while the other goes
to the Pacific Ocean. Then there is also the man made divide of two
countries Canada and United States peacefully sharing this wilderness
area for all to enjoy.
I would love to see the rocks of the
'Belt Supergroup' that where thrust up with the Lewis thrust. Its hard
to imagine this Belt Supergroup could be so old (Precambrian) and yet
show so little metamorphism. There's even igneous sills and lavas there
if the other geological features weren't enough.
But the main
thing I would like to see is all the glacial features - the actual
glaciers and the sediments they are caring. The glacial erosion
features such as cirque lakes, glacial till, arete, col, horn,
U-valleys, hanging valleys and waterfalls, rock basin lakes, ice caves,
moraines, glacial outwash planes and glacial scouring & grooves.
I'm sure there are a lot more features but I can't think of them right
now but I know I will know them by the time I do get there.
If
all of this geology wasn't enough I think one of the things that has
always struck me about this place is this quote by the naturalist John
Muir "the best care-killing scenery on the continent". When I think of
all the places that man probably has seen and then for him to say that
about this location must make it breathtaking beautiful (and that's
according to my brother too). To me this just has to be a sacred place
to visit at least once in my lifetime. What also makes this a sacred
place verses a glacier in Antarctica or Alaska is the fact that it was
one of my deceased brothers favorite places that he's ever been. He
spent hours and hours talking about it more than once in his life. I
feel like I just can't help but to be close to him when I get there to
see it for myself. I can just imagine me hearing him laughing at me and
saying 'I told you so' as I would be staring at everything in wonder.
I Muse- I got to get this trip planned soon because
the glaciers are retreating so much. When reading the Wikipedia info -
they project that by the year 2020 the glaciers may be gone due to
global warming. If that isn't a reason for concern I don't know what
is. .
Here's some books I've looked at to help me make this choice:
'Geology of National Parks' 6th ed by Ann G. Harris, Ester Tuttle & Sherwood D. Tuttle (2004) pgs 357-383.
National Geographic 'Guide to the National Parks of the United States 6th ed. pgs 338-345.
'Tenting
To-night a Chronicle of Sport & Adventures in Glacier Park &
the Cascade Mountains' by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1918).
Wikipedia 'Glacial National Park U S'
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