Friday, February 10, 2012

Race thru Alpine Passes & Ice Caverns in Matterhorn Bobsleds


(Left the real Matterhorn Mountain in the Alps and next to it is the Matterhorn Expedition built to 1/100th the scale)
Between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland sits Matterhorn Mountain.  The “plates” of these two lands converged against one another forming a Fold Mountain made of genesis.  When the plates hit they wrinkled lifting the mountain to the surface causing the folds.  The evaporation of a nearby body of water was carried to the mountain top where it was released as snow.
 
The waterfall running down the mountain side was created by a young river formed from the melting snow.  It runs over the bedrock causing erosion to happen slowly reaching downstream where it occurred rapidly.  At the edge there’s an increase of velocity increasing erosion quickly as the waterfall carves deeper into the side of the mountain.
The cave nearby was formed from water slowly seeping through the rock absorbing carbon dioxide.  When the water and carbon dioxide’s mixed it became a chemical reactant of carbonic acid.  This acids very weak and takes a long time to dissolve the rock away.  The minerals from the acid are usually re-deposited to create stalagmites or stalactites.  
Here stalagmite crystals sit on the cave’s floor where water percolated through the layers of rock dissolving minerals on the way down.  The water drips off the roof of the cave landing on the ground where it’s eventually evaporates leaving the minerals it picked up behind.  Thousands to millions of years later the minerals accumulate and the crystal are formed and continues to grow.
 
(Plaque reads: Cast of footprint discovered by Matterhorn Expedition, South Side May 27, 1978)
Proof of the Yeti’s existence sits a trace fossil of its footprint. Impressions usually fossilize quickly then are buried by minerals and fine grained sediment. Pressure from the mountain increases with the burial of more materials until the trace is preserved forming a fossil.
 Enjoy the ride!


Photo Courtesies (in order):                                                                                                                   http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geography-of-disneyland/#/matterhorn-v1_21651_600x450.jpg                  Makenna Wahl                                                                                                                http://www.flickr.com/photos/piratetinkerbell/3702807565/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/coreydorsey/5145817135/sizes/m/in/photostream/                                                                                     
Video by TheCoasterViews http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DucDBAHGahQ