ELYRIA, Ohio — A discovery uncovered by a crew installing utilities in Elyria is providing a glimpse into Northeast Ohio’s prehistory.
Workers from DiGioia-Suburban Excavating, Inc. were digging a sanitary mainline for a new development near Indian Hollow Road Friday when their machinery struck a solid object.
“We came across something hard in the ground and we started exposing it. And it was this 12’ by 12’ rock,” explained foreman Nelson Mooney.
It wasn’t until the workers shared a photo of the large boulder on social media that they realized it was a unique find.
“Once in a while you’ll run into a boulder in the ground. But that’s beyond a boulder. That’s massive,” Mooney said. “It’s prehistoric, I guess.”
“We call those rocks glacial erratics,” explained Bev Walborn, the outdoor experiences manager for Lorain County Metro Parks.
Unlike the naturally forming rocks found in Lorain County, she said glacial erratics were deposited by glaciers that formed elsewhere.
“Here in this area, we’re going to find sandstone, which is more of a sedimentary rock. And these igneous or these granite-type rocks are found up in Canada,” Walborn said.
An ODNR geologist estimated a boulder like the one found in Elyria may have been deposited around 15,000 years ago. It was a time when Northeast Ohio was covered in thick layers of ice. Over several thousand years, the glaciers receded and created several glacial lakes before what we now know as Lake Erie was created.
Evidence of the ancient period still exists in Northeast Ohio.
“Here in Lorain County a lot of folks know our North Ridge Road, our Middle Ridge Road and our Butternut Ridge Road. Those were all the ridges left from these lakes formed by the glaciers,” explained Walborn.
The massive glacial boulder will need to be relocated so crews can finish their work in the neighborhood.
“Everybody else loves it, but we’re just here to do a job,” Mooney laughed. “Wish we’d find some money [instead].”
But naturalists believe it’s a natural treasure and one that can give us clues about the area’s history.
“I think what this shows is where we are on this planet and the fact that these rocks tell wonderful stories.” Walborn said. “The next time you look at a rock, try to figure out - what story is that rock trying to tell us?”
Crews plan to remove the boulder from the work site this week, but it’s not clear where it will end up. Some have proposed giving it to a local school or making it a permanent fixture in the new neighborhood.
