No bluffing… Lake Ontario has some unique shorelines:
A drumlin at Chimney Bluffs State Park (via Public Domain).
Drumlins are long narrow hills that were created by glaciers thousands of years ago. In New York, drumlins start on the southeastern shore of Lake Ontario and extend south for miles.
John DeHollander is retired from the Oswego County Soil and Water Conservation District. He says wind and waves erode the northern edge of those drumlins – cutting away the gentle slope, and creating…
“… A very steep-sloped faced remnant of what the drumlin used to be…and we call those bluffs,” says DeHollander.
These bluffs are dramatic cliffs that rise up from the edge of the lake and create fascinating shapes. And they provide the shoreline with stunning vistas.
Get Schooled:
- Learn more about drumlins from the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
- Read this article about the Origin of drumlins on the floor of Lake Ontario and in upper New York State.
- Check out the pictures in this blog post about drumlin hunting at Chimney Bluffs State Park.
Hear More:
Hear John DeHollander discuss the possible reasons for lower bluffs eroding differently than the higher bluffs:
- This segment was produced with Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, and supported by agreement with New York Sea Grant, funds provided by the Environmental Protection Fund under the authority of the New York Ocean and Great Lakes Ecosystem Conservation Act. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this broadcast are those of the originators and do not necessarily reflect the views of Stony Brook University or New York Sea Grant.
