Empire Bluff Trail - The Ice Age

Boulders such as this are remains of the debris deposited by melting glaciers.

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The hilly terrain and scattered boulders are evidence of glaciation.

Only about 11,800 years ago, the last glacier melted from this area. As Glaciers move across the land, they pick up rock and soil, and as they melt, they deposit the debris irregularly to form hills and valleys. Glacially transported boulders located far from their point of origin are known as erractics, literally "travelers." The bedrock in this area is made up of sedimentary rocks such as limestone and shale, but is buried under several hundred feet of glacial deposits.

The boulder is a glacial erratic. It must have come from a distant place, perhaps Michigan's Upper Peninsula or Canada.