Introduction:

The White Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountain Range, and are located in central and northern New Hampshire. The White Mountains got their name because of their rocky peaks appearing white in the sun.

The White Mountains are folded mountains. Folded mountains are formed by two large sections of the Earth's crusts colliding and pushing up. These sections are called the Earth's plates. A plate can be as large as a contienent like South America.

Glaciers also had a part in making the White Mountains. Glaciers are large sheets of ice that once covered New Hampshire. The glaciers covered the boulders and trees. They slowly moved across New Hampshire, moving rocks and trees, which scraped the ground and dug new rivers, valleys, and caves. They also eroded the tops of the mountains, which is why our mountains in the Northeast are more rounded than the Rocky Mountains out West. When the glaciers melted they left behind Lost River, The Flume, and Mt. Washington, and natural creations such as The Old Man of the Mountain and various notches located throughout the region.

The White Mountains have several smaller ranges such as the Presidential Range and the Starr King Range. There are many ranges in the White Mountains but the Presidential is one of the biggest and most beautiful. The Presidential range includes mountains named after early presidents such as Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson and Mt.Jackson. Mt. Washington, with an elevation of 6,228 feet, is the highest peak in the northeast United States.

How this Relates to Journeys: The Earth is in Constant Motion or a Perpetual Journey

New Hampshire was once covered by an inland sea. Over time, sand, silt, and mud-lime was deposited on the sea bottom. This sediment was gradually buried, pressed together, or compacted, and forced together into sedimentary rock layers. These rocks are made from other rocks, plants and animals. When pressure squeezes water from the particles, the particles are clumped together forming the sedimentary rocks.

Plate movement below the earth's surface is constantly moving. The internal pressure below the inland sea caused the land to rise. The inland sea began to moved back, as the land was pushed up. The sedimentary rocks, which were at the bottom of the sea, were forced up into mountain-like folds (folded mountains), as the earth's surface is squeezed together.

The pushing and squeezing of the sedimentary rock created layers of metamorphic rock formations. Metamorphic rocks were either igneous or sedimentary that have changed in appearance through pressure and heat. The White Mountains are these type of rock.

At the same time, volcanic action, from thousands of feet below the earth's surface, caused the molten rock to push upward into the cracks in the crust. This volcanic action caused the formation of our granite rocks, which are igneous rocks. This rock has become solid, from the molten stage, either inside the earth or on the surface.

After the land surface stopped changing and erupting, the land began to collect soil. Plant succession began to take place. The natural process of weathering and erosion began to occur. The granite, beneath the topsoil, was exposed.

About 1 million years ago, the climate of the earth was going through a cooling period. Mountain glaciers were forming in the White Mountain snowfields. The snowfields never melted, because the temperatures were too cold. More snow packed together, which slowly became "rivers" of slow-moving ice called glaciers.

In far northern Canada, large masses of ice were also forming. These were known as continental ice sheets. The Wisconsin Glacial Stage, 50,000 years ago, moved down from Canada and covered New Hampshire's landscape. This Continental glacier carried rocks and soil within the ice. Every time the glacier melted it dropped dirt, small rocks, and boulders. Geologists think that the glacier expanded and retreated four times before melting 12,000 to15,000 years ago.

Unit Overview:

In this unit students explore the forces which change the features of the earth's surface. Students begin their study with the historical and scientific basis of the plate tectonic theory. They explore the connection between boundaries of tectonic plates and both earthquakes and volcanoes. Students then study the unique surface features of northern New England that resulted from glacier movements with particular attention to Mt. Washington. They explain these features by applying Ice Age theory. To culminate the unit students will create a PowerPoint Presentation expressing an appreciation for and an understanding of the dynamics of the forces that have changed the surface features of Mt. Wshington. Students will have an opportunity to do this when we take a field trip to hike one of the trails on Mt. Washington.

Lesson: Glacier Action

Abstract:
Students examine the changes made by glaciers, identifying glacial action in their own region and the White Mountain area.

MA State Standards:
Life Science #17: Identify ways in which ecosystems have changed throughout geologic time in response to physical conditions, interactions among organisms, and the actions of humans. Describe how changes may be catastrophes such as volcanic eruptions or ice storms.

Physical Science #10: Differentiate between physical changes and chemical changes.

Vocabulary:
glacier
Ice Age theory
horn
arête
u-shaped valley
esker
moraine
kettle lake
park

Activity:
To start with we will survey our community for signs of glacial action. We will play close attention to gravel pits, snakelike hills, flat raised hills, large igneous rocks sitting alone in fields, and other signs that a glacier has passed. Ask students to bring in photos of outdoor areas that may look like glacial activity.

Next I will duscuss that glaciers covered the area where we are standing in and the area we will be hiking in. Students will then form groups and discuss the following question, “Can you see anything in your community that shows you that the glaciers were once here?”

Following this discussion I will show the video The Geology of the Earth: Of Forces, Rocks, and Time. This video shows footage of an active volcano and glaciers, and illustrates some of the forces that contribute to shaping the Earth's surface. The video will also help students identify geologic formations resulting from various weathering processes.

Then I will show students maps showing glacial activity in their hometown and the Mt. Washington region. Again in groups, I will have students use these maps as well as their text-book and Internet resources to research the following terms: horn, arête, u-shaped valley, esker, moraine, kettle lake, and park. Each student should draw pictures for his/her notebook or reference folder with the following features from alpine or valley glaciers labeled: [horn: sharp peaks on a mountain top after a glacier has carved away much of the mountain sides; arête: sharp ridges down the mountain separating areas eroded by glaciers; u-shaped valley: valley formed when a glacier scoops out material from a river valley; esker: a glacial deposit that forms a meandering, steep-sided ridge of stream sand and gravel; moraine: ridge of glacial deposits left when the glacier slows and melts, dropping silt; kettle lake: a lake formed as a depression in the land fills with melting ice; park: a raised area uplifted when the weight of a glacier is removed.] Discuss the definitions and allow all students to complete a user-friendly glossary in their notebooks.

Then students will be provided with materials for a “glacial flip book.” I will direct them to provide an illustration of how the glaciers moved across New England.

When the students have completed assembling their flip book, they will be asked to demonstrate it to a partner both forward (retreating ice) and backward (advancing ice) and to explain the process to that partner.

This lesson was adapted from the Michigan Department of Education.