GPS -- Parking: N 43deg. 04.138' W 071deg. 34.512' (sandpit gate - Kimball Pond Rd.) Boulder: N 43 deg. 04.151' W 071deg. 33.735' Distance between parking and boulder - .66 mile. Note boulder is on private property. Please be respectful.
More than 20 people turned out this morning to see Dunbarton's biggest boulder.
Noted geologist George Holt has discovered a new record glacial boulder in Dunbarton and will lead a hike to it Saturday, Feb., 25.
Meet and park on the east side of Kimball Pond road at the entrance to the old town gravel pit. This is approx. 0.9 miles south of the Kimball Pond boat ramp and approx. 0.4 miles north of the intersection of Little Lane and Kimball Pond Road.
The hike will be approximately 1.5 miles round trip through the woods without the aid of a trail. Everybody will need snow shoes. Bring water, snacks and warm clothing.
The hike will start at 9 am. We should be out of the woods by 11 or 12.
The boulder's circumference measures approx. 95 feet, which translates to an average diameter of 30 feet. The maximum height is about 20 feet.
Using the a horizontal radius of 15 feet and a vertical radius of 10 feet, the approximate ellipsoidal volume is 4/3* pi*15*15*10, which is approximately 9,400 cubic feet.
Assuming that the granitic rock weighs approx. 175 pounds per cubic foot, the boulder weighs approx. 1.65 million pounds, or approx. 825 tons! Previously measured boulders in Dunbarton weighed in the range of 100 tons.
For more information: Conservation Commission member George Holt, george@naturofm.com.
A professionally managed timber harvest is being conducted in a small portion of the Kimball Pond Conservation Area. Forestry management and timber stand improvement is one of the responsibilities the Conservation Commission has under the federal Forest Legacy program which contributed substantial funding for creation of the area. Among the Commission's goals at Kimball Pond is wildlife habitat protection. One of the aspects of this timbercut is to improve habitat for the endangered New England Cottontail rabbit.
Our thanks go to Dunbarton resident and professional forester Ed White who planned and is supervising this project for the Conservation Commission.