Moving rocks

On my last hike east, down the hill into Cherry Creek Valley to pick up supplies, I saw a clear demonstration of how ice moves rocks.

Snow had accumulated on the side of the street, freezing under the pile and lifting the material above, including the soil and rocks that had been surrounded.

As it melted, parts of the packed ice sheered away and fell to the side.

The chunks that fell...and scattered...carried those trapped rocks and other debris several inches from where they had been.

Several inches. Big deal. But in geology, we talk blithely about millions and billions of years. This tiny motion has happened billions of times moving land miles away. 

Water and wind work much the same way, getting under stuff and moving it just a little at a time until the land is how you see it.

What are the geological movers and shakers in your area? Look around. Do you see evidence that things have moved around, seemingly on their own? What could have done it? Remember that gravity almost always helps.