Saturday, October 30, 2010

Berne NY Rock Pile

Reader Cully writes:

I have passed this rock pile a few times and never gave it much thought until today. Its located in Berne, NY 12023 at approx. 42° 35.857' N 74° 06.526' W. Its built on a solid slab about 10' x 10'. I have seen no other base rock like that in the hiking area. Could be a glacial erratic.The area was once farm or pasture land as there are many rock walls through the forest. Its on the top most part of a hill plateau 100' from the edge and if there were no trees would overlook a valley. There is an old cemetery about 1/4 mile away and the last burial that I can distinguish is 1902, the ealiest is 1860. I am not an accomplished geologist but it would appear that 2 of the gravestones are of the same slate as the stone in the rockpile.

2 comments :

pwax said...

I tend to see "hollows" now in damaged rock piles. Sort of sense one here.

Norman said...

Seeing voids in rock piles is not your imagination. I've been working on my talk for the NEARA meeting in two weeks, and I've been reading comments on some large prehistoric rock piles in West VA, where some "contained basin-like cavities or rectangular niches." Niches and cavities were apparently a common widespread feature of Indian rock piles.