Living Observatory Field Guides

Southeastern Massachusetts offers a fantastic natural laboratory to explore geological concepts with high school students. Glaciation and geomorphology provides concepts that will provide students with a new lens to view the world and may change what and how students think when they are outdoors. Here are some suggested activities to bring the geology to life:

Enhancing the Field Trip

Pre-Trip Classroom Activities:

• Introduce the concept of glaciation, the Last Glacial Maximum, and the types of glacial landforms.
• Use maps to show the extent of the ice sheet in Massachusetts.
• Discuss the geology of the Plymouth area.
• On-Site Activities:
• Have students identify and document glacial features using field notebooks and cameras.
• Conduct simple experiments to demonstrate glacial processes (e.g., sediment sorting by meltwater).
• Take sediment samples for classroom analysis.

Post-Trip Activities:

• Have students create presentations or reports on their findings.
• Relate the glacial history to the current landscape and ecosystems.
• Discuss the impact of climate change on modern glacial environments.

Coastal Processes

Coastlines are dynamic, offering real-time observation of how the elements shape the world we live in and the ecology that grows around it;  

Plymouth Long Beach
This barrier spit is an ideal site to demonstrate the constant battle between land and sea.

• Erosion and Deposition: Walk the shoreline to identify scarping (evidence of erosion) on the dunes and sand bars (evidence of deposition) in the water. Discuss the critical role of dune grass in stabilizing the sand.
• Longshore Drift: Conduct a float test! Toss an orange or a biodegradable floatable into the surf and time how quickly it moves parallel to the shore. This visualizes the sediment transport that builds the spit.
• Barrier Beach Dynamics: Discuss how Long Beach protects Plymouth Harbor from storm surges and how sea-level rise threatens this delicate balance.

Duxbury Beach & South Shore Cliffs
Just north of Plymouth, this barrier beach system offers similar learning opportunities. For a different perspective, visit the coastal cliffs in nearby Marshfield or Scituate.

• Stratigraphy: Look for exposed cliff faces that show layers of till (unsorted glacial sediment) sitting on top of stratified deposits (sorted sand/gravel from meltwater).

Glaciers

Southeastern Massachusetts sits almost entirely on a glacial outwash plain, shaped by the massive ice sheets that retreated roughly 15,000 years ago.

Plymouth Rock
Beyond the myth, the rock is a geological teaching tool.

• Glacial Erratic: Explain that this boulder is not native to the sandy shore; it was plucked from bedrock further north and dragged here by the ice.
• Petrology: Identify the rock type (likely Dedham Granite) and discuss the forces required to transport such a mass.

Myles Standish State Forest
This is one of the best examples of a "pine barrens" ecosystem, which exists solely because of the geology.

• Kettle Ponds: The forest is dotted with ponds formed by massive blocks of ice left behind by the retreating glacier. As the ice melted, it created the depressions we see today.
• Sandy Outwash Soils: Have students examine the soil. It is incredibly sandy and nutrient-poor (hence the pine trees), a direct result of glacial meltwater washing away finer silts and clays.
• Eskers: Look for winding ridges of sand and gravel, which are fossilized riverbeds that once flowed inside or beneath the glacier.

Mass Audubon’s Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary
A site of active geological and ecological recovery.

• Restoration Ecology: Tidmarsh was transformed from a glacial outwash plain to a cranberry bog, and now back to a wetland. It’s a perfect case study for hydrology and groundwater interaction.
• Glacial Erratics: Massive boulders dot the landscape here, offering great photo ops for "evidence of glaciation."