Callum Creek Misfit Stream EarthCache
Callum Creek Misfit Stream
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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Callum Creek Misfit Stream
Have you ever been driving around the prairies, gone down into a
valley and noticed that the bridge at the bottom of the valley is
really short? Better yet, have you noticed that the stream you just
crossed was no more deep and wide than a speedbump? As you look
around, you wonder to yourself “how did that tiny little stream
cause this huge valley?”
Callum Creek is one such place. Beautiful vistas, gorgeous sunsets,
a nice gently winding highway...
And a stream you could jump over.
This is known as a “misfit stream.” A
misfit stream (in this context) refers to a stream that has carved
out a valley of this size, but couldn’t possibly do so. It is also
located at the bottom of a U shaped valley – a “glacial
valley”. This valley was carved by glaciers during the last ice
age.
The glacier carried along with it glacial till – the sediment,
rocks and other debris that it picked up on its trip. As the
glacier melts, these deposits settle into the bottom a V-shaped
valley (the more traditional river valleys, like those you may see
in the mountains.) This creates the characteristic U-shaped river
valley, and the sediment becomes a kind of flood plain. After the
glacier recedes, the stream or river may return, and will now be
known as a misfit stream.
The sides of the valley are smoothed out from the movement of the
glacier. These hills may have been pointed at one time like others
to the west (see the
Google Earth image.) The glacier would have worn these down and
smoothed them out, with the centre of mass over the valley.
The hard and fast rule about a glacier valley is that if you can
see it, the glacier is gone.
To log this cache:
Stop at the posted coordinates; they provide a nice vista of the
valley in question. Email the owner the following information:
Looking south (down the valley) estimate how far across the valley
is, peak to peak.
Estimate how high the sides of the valley are from the valley
floor.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)