- Plucking, also referred to as quarrying, is a glacial phenomenon that is responsible for the weathering and erosion of pieces of bedrock, especially large “joint blocks”. This occurs in a type of glacier called a “valley glacier”. As a glacier moves down a valley, friction causes the basal ice of the glacier to melt and infiltrate joints (cracks) in the bedrock. The freezing and thawing action of the ice enlarges, widens, or causes further cracks in the bedrock as it changes volume across the ice/water phase transition (a form of hydraulic wedging), gradually loosening the rock between the joints. This produces large pieces of rock called joint blocks. Eventually these joint blocks come loose and become trapped in the glacier.
- Snohomish County, Washington (data.census.gov)
Snohomish County, Washington has 2,086.5 square miles of land area and is the 13th largest county in Washington by total area. Snohomish County, Washington is bordered by Skagit County, Washington, Chelan County, Washington, Kitsap County, Washington, King County, Washington, and Island County, Washington.