Passadumkeag Esker EarthCache
Hidden : 6/19/2007
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:


This is a visit to one of Maine’s better-known eskers, the Passadumkeag Esker also known as the Enfield Horseback.

During the most recent glacial episode in Maine the ice sheet became several thousand feet thick and covered the highest mountains in the state. Climatic warming forced the ice sheet to start receding and melting as early as 21,000 years ago. Melt water streams in tunnels within the decaying ice deposited some of the glacial sand and gravel. These deposits were left behind as ridges (eskers) when the surrounding ice disappeared. Maine's esker systems can be traced for up to 100 miles, and are among the longest in the country. C. T. Jackson (1837), who conducted the first geological survey of Maine, made an interesting remark about one such esker near Houlton: "I could not help thinking, as I looked upon this natural embankment, that it would be easy for an antiquarian to mistake this ridge for a work of art, and to suppose that some of the aboriginal inhabitants of our country knew how to annihilate distance by rail roads."

The esker is one of the most striking landforms of glacial deposition. In low-lying, boggy terrain such as the Passadumkeag Bog, these snaking ridges dominate the terrain, providing vantage points and dry route ways. Eskers are usually formed of washed sand and gravel. The free-draining ridges are easily quarried, making eskers attractive targets for aggregate extraction, which is what has happened to the Enfield Esker. The sediments are usually horizontally- and cross-bedded sands and gravels but vary widely, a reflection of variations in flow regimes and in sediment supply. Eskers are discontinuous because sedimentation may not take place along the entire length of the sub-glacial tunnel. Blocks of the overlying ice may fall into the tunnel. Alternatively, an esker ridge may become segmented by erosion, either by melt water during deglaciation or by the action of post-glacial rivers such as where the Passadumkeag River cuts it way through the esker.

This earthcache is a 10 mile trip along the esker from Scottt Corner to Enfield. The northern section is a dirt road but the rest is county paved road. There are several things that you will notice on this trip, first is that it is a residential esker with many homes build at the peak of the esker, as expected there are a large number of gravel pits along the road and the northern section cuts through parts of the Passadumkeag Marsh and Boglands which in May of 1973 was named a National Natural Landmark. You do not have to visit this bog to do the cache but it is a very beautiful location and well worth the visit. It is located along the dirt road section where a high clearance vehicle may be needed. This earthcache will bring you to two locations along a county road, the first at the posted coordinates is a view looking directly into the esker and the second is a cross section of the esker. To log this cache you do not have to leave the road.

To log this Earthcache: Send an email to me through my profile with the following information:
At Waypoint #1 (N 45 08.453 W 68 34.357) when you look at the bands of gravel what happens to the texture of the gravel? Can you think of an explanation of why this might have happened? You should also include a photo of one of the interesting glacial site along the road including both you and your GPS. It also would be nice if you would post a photo so others would know what they have to look forward to at this earth cache.

If you enjoy this earthcache you may want to check the Maine Geological Survey located at (visit link)
They have developed a number of information sheets or field localities giving a great deal of information about geologic features. They also have a number of books and maps about Maine’s natural history/ geology that you might find interesting.

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