Panorama: glacially formed valley
| Title | Info |
|---|---|
| Source | Dan L. Perlman |
| Ecosystems | Other |
| Disturbance | Glacier |
| Geography and geology | Glacial meltwater-created valley |
| Lessons | Panoramas |
| Date | October 11, 2009 |
| Location | Blue Hills Felsenmeer State Natural Area,Rusk County,Wisconsin,USA,North America |
Related materials: Panoramas;Microclimates at a felsenmeer
You may want to discuss with your students how the simple action of water freezing, expanding, melting, and refreezing can crack solid bedrock into the boulder field seen here.
Panorama Viewing: Click the "View Panorama" button to see an interactive panorama. Click and drag your mouse in any direction to view other parts of the scene; press the Shift key to zoom in to see details and press Ctrl to zoom out.
We recommend using the Deval VR viewer for seeing panoramas that do NOT have sound and the QuickTime viewer for panoramas WITH sound.
Panorama Viewing: Click the "View Panorama" button to see an interactive panorama. Click and drag your mouse in any direction to view other parts of the scene; press the Shift key to zoom in to see details and press Ctrl to zoom out.
We recommend using the Deval VR viewer for seeing panoramas that do NOT have sound and the QuickTime viewer for panoramas WITH sound.
This V-shaped valley was carved by meltwater from a nearby glacier more than 15,000 years ago. Over time, repeated freeze-thaw cycles caused the bedrock walls to fracture, creating the loose boulders seen here -- hence the name felsenmeer, which is German for a "sea of rock". While the boulders mostly appear to be dark gray, they are actually pinkish -- and the gray coloring comes from lichens encrusting them. The few visible pink rocks have fallen from above, revealing sides that were lichen-free or cracked open to show bare rock.
