Glacial erratic boulders of Snohomish County, Washington

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Glacial erratic boulders of Snohomish County are large glacial erratic boulders of rock which were moved to Snohomish County, Washington by glacial action during previous ice ages.

Contents

List of boulders

Airport Boulder, at Martha Lake Airport Park in Martha Lake, said to be "one of the largest glacial erratic boulders in urban King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties", [1] is approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) long on its longest axis and about twice a man's height. The erratic is composed of greenstone, [2] and has long been used for bouldering (rock climbing), with at least four ascent routes. [3] [4]

47°51′53.7″N122°14′10.7″W / 47.864917°N 122.236306°W / 47.864917; -122.236306 (Airport Boulder)

Martha Lake Erratic 2015 1.jpg
Edmonds Way erratic

Fraser Valley breccia, 10 by 15 feet (3.0 m × 4.6 m) and 12 feet (3.7 m) high. [5]

47°47′21″N122°21′17″W / 47.7892°N 122.3548°W / 47.7892; -122.3548 (Edmonds Way erratic)

Edmonds Way erratic 2.jpg
Everett Boulder, erratic found 30 feet (9.1 m) underground at downtown construction site, Colby Avenue and Wall Street. 18 feet (5.5 m) long, and 10 feet (3.0 m) high, weighs approximately 300,000 pounds (140,000 kg). [6] [7] [8] The erratic briefly had over one hundred Twitter followers and was eventually reburied. [9]

47°58′40″N122°12′31″W / 47.9779°N 122.2086°W / 47.9779; -122.2086 (Everett Boulder)

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"Granite" is a 6-by-7-by-4.5-foot (1.8 m × 2.1 m × 1.4 m), 30,000-pound (14,000 kg) granite boulder discovered "under a bunch of sticker bushes" during an October, 2015 construction project in Edmonds. After attempts to destroy the boulder resulted in destruction of the power equipment used, the city offered it for free to a city resident who would accept it on their property. [10] [11]

47°47′58″N122°20′28″W / 47.7995°N 122.3412°W / 47.7995; -122.3412 ("Granite")

Granite, Edmunds, Washington glacial erratic with yardstick.JPG
Lake Stevens Monster near Lake Stevens. 34 by 78 feet (10 m × 24 m) and 210 feet (64 m) in circumference. Largest known erratic in Washington State as of 2011, [12] and may be largest in the United States (but not North America; see the Alberta Big Rock).

47°59.816′N122°6.954′W / 47.996933°N 122.115900°W / 47.996933; -122.115900 (Lake Stevens Monster)

Lake Stevens Monster 2015b.jpg
Longview Boulder found in a Gold Bar gravel mine; five times the height of a man. [13] Blasted and removed.

47°50′N121°38′W / 47.833°N 121.633°W / 47.833; -121.633 (Longview Boulder)

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Unnamed erratics near Market Place road in Lake Stevens. Largest is unusual pink granite, approximately 12 by 20 feet (3.7 m × 6.1 m) in size, and 10 feet (3.0 m) tall. [14]

47°59′50.5″N122°05′55.52″W / 47.997361°N 122.0987556°W / 47.997361; -122.0987556 (Market Place road)

Market Street erratics.jpg

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snohomish County, Washington</span> County in Washington, United States

Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 72nd-most populous in the United States. The county seat and largest city is Everett. The county forms part of the Seattle metropolitan area, which also includes King and Pierce counties to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlington, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Arlington is a city in northern Snohomish County, Washington, United States, part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The city lies on the Stillaguamish River in the western foothills of the Cascade Range, adjacent to the city of Marysville. It is approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Everett, the county seat, and 40 miles (64 km) north of Seattle, the state's largest city. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Arlington had a population of 19,868; its estimated population is 20,075 as of 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darrington, Washington</span> Town in Washington, United States

Darrington is a town in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located in a North Cascades mountain valley formed by the Sauk and North Fork Stillaguamish rivers. Darrington is connected to nearby areas by State Route 530, which runs along the two rivers towards the city of Arlington, located 30 miles (48 km) to the west, and Rockport. It had a population of 1,347 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granite Falls, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Granite Falls is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located between the Pilchuck and Stillaguamish rivers in the western foothills of the Cascade Range, northeast of Lake Stevens and Marysville. The city is named for a waterfall north of downtown on the Stillaguamish River, also accessible via the Mountain Loop Highway. It had a population of 3,364 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Stevens, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Lake Stevens is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States, that is named for the lake it surrounds. It is located 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Everett and borders the cities of Marysville to the northwest and Snohomish to the south. The city's population was 35,630 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marysville, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Marysville is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States, part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The city is located 35 miles (56 km) north of Seattle, adjacent to Everett on the north side of the Snohomish River delta. It is the second-largest city in Snohomish County after Everett, with a population of 70,714 at the time of the 2020 U.S. census. As of 2015, Marysville was also the fastest-growing city in Washington state, growing at an annual rate of 2.5 percent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monroe, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Monroe is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Skykomish, Snohomish, and Snoqualmie rivers near the Cascade foothills, about 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Seattle. Monroe's population was 19,699 as of the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snohomish, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Snohomish is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,126 at the 2020 census. It is located on the Snohomish River, southeast of Everett and northwest of Monroe. Snohomish lies at the intersection of U.S. Route 2 and State Route 9. The city's airport, Harvey Airfield, is located south of downtown and used primarily for general aviation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glacial erratic</span> Piece of rock that has been moved by a glacier

A glacial erratic is a glacially deposited rock differing from the type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word errare, are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometres. Erratics can range in size from pebbles to large boulders such as Big Rock in Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulder Park</span>

Boulder Park National Natural Landmark, of Douglas County, Washington, along with the nearby McNeil Canyon Haystack Rocks and Sims Corner Eskers and Kames natural landmarks, illustrate well-preserved examples of classic Pleistocene ice stagnation landforms that are found in Washington. These landforms include numerous glacial erratics and haystack rocks that occur near and on the Withrow Moraine, which is the terminal moraine of the Okanogan ice lobe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Snohomish County, Washington</span>

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is a list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects in the United States that are designated for historic preservation. It is maintained by the National Park Service, a sub-agency of the federal Department of the Interior, and recognizes over 98,000 properties for their historic significance, artistic value, or other qualities. The listing does not place restrictions on the use or fate of properties unless they receive federal funding or other assistance, but does include tax credits for maintenance and rehabilitation of eligible sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everett, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Everett is the county seat and most populous city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is 25 miles (40 km) north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett is the seventh-most populous city in the state by population, with 110,629 residents as of the 2020 census. The city is primarily situated on a peninsula at the mouth of the Snohomish River along Port Gardner Bay, an inlet of Possession Sound, and extends to the south and west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail</span> Network of routes connecting natural sites

The Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail is a network of routes connecting natural sites and facilities that provide interpretation of the geological consequences of the Glacial Lake Missoula floods of the last glacial period that occurred about 18,000 to 15,000 years ago. It includes sites in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. It was designated as the first National Geologic Trail in the United States in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balancing rock</span> Naturally occurring precariously balanced rock

A balancing rock, also called a balanced rock or precarious boulder, is a naturally occurring geological formation featuring a large rock or boulder, sometimes of substantial size, resting on other rocks, bedrock, or on glacial till. Some formations known by this name only appear to be balancing, but are in fact firmly connected to a base rock by a pedestal or stem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glacial erratic boulders of King County, Washington</span>

Glacial erratic boulders of King County are large glacial erratic boulders of rock which were moved into King County, Washington by glacial action during previous ice ages.

Glacial erratic boulders of Kitsap County are large glacial erratic boulders of rock which were moved into Kitsap County, Washington by glacial action during previous ice ages.

Many glacial erratic boulders can be found in the Puget Sound region as far south as the Yelm area where the Puget Lobe of the glacier reached its maximum extent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glacial erratic boulders of Island County, Washington</span>

Glacial erratic boulders in Island County are a remnant of the Pleistocene glaciation that created Puget Sound and transformed the surfaces of what are now Island County's main landmasses: Whidbey Island and Camano Island. South of Deception Pass, the two islands' surfaces and beaches are completely composed of glacial till. Abundant glacial erratic boulders lie on the islands, their beaches, and under the near-shore waters.

David Samuel Tucker is a geologist, author, and union organizer in Washington state. He is a research associate at Western Washington University. He was an instructor at North Cascades Institute, and the director of the Mount Baker Volcano Research Center. He writes the blog Northwest Geology Field Trips, a blog aimed at laypeople detailing where to find interesting geology in the Pacific Northwest. In 2015, he published a popular book on Washington geology, Geology Underfoot in Western Washington. He resides in Bellingham, Washington. In the 1980s he worked as a mountaineering guide in the Cascades, Mexico, and South America.

Martha Lake Airport Park is a county park located in Martha Lake, Snohomish County, Washington. It was originally a private-use airport known as the Martha Lake Airport that was closed in the late 1990s and sold to the county in 2000. The 28.76-acre (11.64 ha) park was opened in 2010 and features athletic fields for soccer and softball and a skate park. A large glacial erratic on the property, one of several in the county, is used for bouldering.

References

  1. Martha Lake Airport Park, Snohomish County, Washington, retrieved 2015-04-05
  2. David C. McConnell (March 8, 2012), History of Martha Lake Airport Community Park and "Big Rock", Snohomish County Parks Department
  3. Snohomish County Parks e-Newsletter, Snohomish County, Washington, April 2012
  4. Jacob Smith (October 31, 2012). "Airport Boulder". SummitPost.org.
  5. Bill Sheets (May 31, 2011), "Big boulder in Edmonds one of many left by long-gone glaciers", The Everett Herald , archived from the original on 2015-06-21
  6. Chris Winters (November 20, 2014), "Giant rock, possibly 2 million years old, found at construction site", Everett Herald
  7. Giant prehistoric rock found at Everett construction site, KIRO-TV, November 20, 2014
  8. Sean Breslin (November 22, 2014), Massive Glacial Boulder Unearthed at Construction Site in Everett, Washington, Weather.com
  9. Chris Winters (November 24, 2014), "Boulder reburied at Everett hotel construction site", Everett Herald
  10. Payne, Bob (October 23, 2015), "Would you like a rock for your yard? A really, really big rock?", The Seattle Times
  11. Sharon Salyer (October 23, 2015), "Huge rock can be yours, but there are a few rules set in stone", Everett Herald
  12. Dave Tucker (July 18, 2011), "The Lake Stevens monster- largest erratic in Washington. Largest in the US?", Northwest Geology Field Trips
  13. "Longview Boulder Blast, Snohomish County, Washington" (PDF), Bulletin, SubTerra Inc., B182
  14. Dave Tucker (July 21, 2011), "True granite: an unusual granite erratic in Lake Stevens", Northwest Geology Field Trips

Further reading