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Great Quakes Series #4: Cascadia 1700 Traditional Geocache

This cache has been archived.

Emmy-n-Sapphie: Have replaced this one with Great Quakes Series #4: Cascadia 1700 (Redux) - GC134TZ. Archiving this one. Come find the new one!

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Hidden : 7/25/2006
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

This micro cache is part of The Great Quakes Series of six caches with a bonus 7th cache. Make sure you take note of the code at each cache so you can find the bonus! BYOP PLEASE PUT THE CONTAINER BACK EXACTLY WHERE YOU FOUND IT! OTHERWISE, THE CLUE IS MEANINGLESS. Thanks!

One of the most fascinating parts of Physical Geography is the plate tectonics theory which helps explain volcanic formations and earthquakes, among other things. This series of caches is dedicated to some of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. A Great Quake is one that has a magnitude of 8.0 or greater.

At 9PM on January 26, 1700, one of the world's largest earthquakes (The Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake) occurred along the west coast of North America. The undersea Cascadia thrust fault ruptured along a 600 mile length, from mid Vancouver Island to northern California in a great earthquake. This magnitude 9.0 quake produced tremendous shaking and a huge tsunami that swept across the Pacific resulting in incredible damage in Japan. The Cascadia fault is the boundary between two of the Earth's tectonic plates: the smaller offshore Juan de Fuca plate that is sliding under the much larger North American plate at a rate of 40 mm/year. Geological evidence indicates that 13 great earthquakes have occurred in the last 6000 years at intervals of from 300 to 900 years, with an average of 590 years. Other subduction zones usually have such earthquakes every 100–200 years; the longer interval here may indicate unusually large stress buildup and subsequent unusually large earthquake slip with resulting tsunamis. Because the Cascadia region (Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, etc.), is now so heavily populated, when another major earthquake occurs along this fault, the destruction will be unimaginable in terms of both physical destruction and lives lost.

This earthquake occurred in the so-called Ring of Fire region, an area around the margins of the Pacific Ocean where approximately 3/4ths of the Earth’s volcanoes are located. This is a zone where the Pacific tectonic plate meets many other plates. As a result of the collisions between these plates, the Ring of Fire is the most seismically active zone in the world. More earthquakes and volcanic eruptions happen here than anywhere else on Earth. To see a map of the Ring of Fire, go to (visit link) . For more information on the 1700 Cascadia Suduction Zone Earthquake of 1700, go to (visit link) . For more information on earthquakes in general, go to (visit link) . For more information on the plate tectonic theory, go to (visit link)

In keeping with my philosophy that Physical Geography affects you every single day of your life, we have hidden these caches in everyday places. We found this pretty little path between 2 neighborhood streets when we were hitting the garage sales one morning. Thanks to Tablespoons for the container. BYOP!

Congratulations to Deafdillos on the FTF!






Additional Hints (Decrypt)

1. Svyz pnavfgre 2. Ybj 3. Srapr

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)