Georges+Island,+Drumlin+Formation

Sam Rater Ms. Ferhani 1/15/08 Science

George’s Island: Drumlin Formation Hello and welcome to all, my name is Samuel and I’m a student at the Amigos School in Cambridge, Ma. I’m writing this Wiki as a tribute or token o my appreciation to the very kind guides and captains that gave their time and effort. George’s island is a Boston harbor island, and you must tae a ferry to get there. On our field trip to Georges Island (G.I.) we went searching for evidence of erosion and existence of glaciers, we also went to learn about fort Warren, an impregnable fortress. My class traversed long and far, across Harvard square, across the city in a shuttle, and on foot over to the Boston harbor. We took a relaxing and peaceful ride in a ferry, directly over to G.I. and eventually came upon an immense fort and a feeble shoreline as we took our first steps onto the dock, only to be surprised by he scientific wonders of the other side. There was evidence of erosion and glacier existence everywhere! We compared the North and South sides if the beach, and found many differences. We found that everything was being eroded on the North side, and drifting over to the South side. On our search for evidence of erosion and glacier existence we had a blast! It was very fun coming upon drumlins every now and then, and going through a dark tunnel after being told a scary story, on our field trip we learned a good war to identify a drumlin (upside-down spoon), wonderful vocabulary (till), and we gathered information and filled out questions. It was fun examining the different aspects of the island. We also had a great time learning the exact processes used to form the Boston harbor. It was and amazing field trip that I will never forget, informative yet fun. On the trip, we learned that the Boston islands got to where they are today due to glaciers. Many thousands of years ago, what we now call Massachusetts was under huge, monumental, ice sheets. These ice sheets (glaciers) uncovered drumlins when they melted. These drumlins later became island when the melted glacier water surrounded them. Islands are simply drowned drumlins. After becoming islands these drumlins were weathered and eroded, to form the wondrous, beauties, we know today. A drumlin is basically whatever the glacier was carrying at the time it receded, just in a rocky, sandy, form. A drumlin is an “ upside-down spoon”, as ranger Jessica put it. Indented and usually, rough like a first draft, it has the different sediments of the glacier on the inside of it’s structure, and usually vegetation and growth on the outside. On Georges Island, there was a lot of evidence displaying erosion and glacial existence in Massachusetts. On the North side of the beach on Georges Island there was a barren area protruding from a very steep hill. Trees were placed precariously all over, and the glacial till could be seen. As I look back at the G.I visit, I realize that erosion evidence was overwhelming, we saw pictures of the island from 2 years ago, very different. The rocks were as smooth as could be (perfect for skipping), and the seawall on the North side was quite, “a piece of work”. On the trip we encountered many obstacles, so I recommend comfortable shoes for walking, and layered clothing, at first its cold, but it gets warmer as you set foot on land, and start to move around! Have a wonderful time; your only young once, best enjoy yourself. If you enjoyed this Wiki then you may love these following websites:

Http://www.cpsd.us/AMI/index.cfm

http://www.bostonislands.org/isle_georges.asp Notes on Georges Island

Georges Island is a 39acre long island

It’s seven miles from downtown Boston

Georges Island contains a large dock, picnic grounds, open fields, paved walkways, a parade ground and a gravel beach. George’s Island o