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

Related Research Articles

Snohomish County, Washington U.S. county in Washington

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Arlington, Washington 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 region's largest city. As of the 2010 U.S. census, Arlington has a population of 17,926.

Granite Falls, Washington City in Washington, United States

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Lake Stevens, Washington City in Washington, United States

Lake Stevens is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States, and is named for the lake that 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 28,069 at the 2010 census, but has since grown to an estimated 33,911.

Marysville, Washington 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 60,020 in the 2010 U.S. census. As of 2015, Marysville is also the fastest-growing city in Washington state, growing at an annual rate of 2.5 percent.

Mill Creek, Washington City in Snohomish County, Washington, United States

Mill Creek is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located between the cities of Everett and Lynnwood, approximately 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Seattle. The city has a population of 18,244 as of the 2010 census, and is estimated to have over 20,000 residents as of 2018. The city lies along State Route 527 and North Creek, a tributary of the Sammamish River, on the east side of Interstate 5.

Monroe, Washington 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 in the Cascade foothills, about 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Seattle. Monroe's population was 17,304 as of the 2010 census and was estimated to be 19,776 in 2019.

Snohomish, Washington City in Washington, United States

Snohomish is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,098 at the 2010 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.

Sultan, Washington City in Washington, United States

Sultan is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located approximately 23 miles (37 km) east of Everett at the confluence of the Skykomish River and the Sultan River, a minor tributary. The city had a population of 4,651 at the 2010 census.

Glacial erratic piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests

A glacial erratic is glacially-deposited rock differing from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. "Erratics" take their name from the Latin word errare, and 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.

Withrow Moraine and Jameson Lake Drumlin Field

The Withrow Moraine and Jameson Lake Drumlin Field is a National Park Service–designated privately owned National Natural Landmark located in Douglas County, Washington state, United States. Withrow Moraine is the only Ice Age terminal moraine on the Waterville Plateau section of the Columbia Plateau. The drumlin field includes excellent examples of glacially-formed elongated hills.

State Route 204 (SR 204) is a short state highway in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It connects U.S. Route 2 (US 2) at the eastern end of the Hewitt Avenue Trestle to the city of Lake Stevens, terminating at a junction with SR 9. The highway runs for a total length of 2.4 miles (3.9 km) and passes through several suburban neighborhoods.

Boulder Park

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.

Everett, Washington City in Washington, United States

Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in 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-largest city in the state by population, with 103,019 residents at the 2010 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.

Balancing rock 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. No single scientific definition of the term exists, and it has been applied to a variety of rock features that fall into one of four general categories:

Glacial erratic boulders of King County, Washington

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.

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.

Glacial erratic boulders of Island County, Washington

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.

Martha Lake Airport Park

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.

The Snohomish County Council is the legislative body of Snohomish County, Washington. The county council was created in 1979 and consists of five members serving four-year terms.

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. "Airport Boulder". SummitPost.org. October 31, 2012.
  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