White Rock Earthcache
A
cache
by South Surrey Scavengers
Hidden:
6/5/2005
Size:
 (Not chosen)
Difficulty: 
Terrain:
(1 is easiest, 5 is hardest)
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The “White Rock” is located in White Rock, BC once a small summer
cottage retreat for Vancouverites its now an expanding suburb of
Vancouver situated near the US border and a favourite spot to dine,
shop, and walk along the beach of Semiahmoo Bay. Located on the
beach is a large white rock.
The city of White Rock, BC is named after this local landmark,
which is estimated to weigh 486 tonnes. The rock is located on the
beach of Semiahmoo Bay. It is not naturally white but it has been
painted white since the 19th century so that it could be used for
navigational purposes. The “White Rock” is most likely a glacial
erratic that was deposited in its current location approximately
11,000 to 25,000 years ago during the retreat of the last ice age.
While glacier erratics are fairly common in most parts of Canada,
this one stands out because of its location, colour, and local
folklore.
Geology
A glacial erratic is a boulder transported and deposited by a
glacier which is of a different rock type than the rocks normally
found in the area. Glaciers pick up rocks either by scouring the
ground underneath when the ice moves and plucks rocks off of the
ground or when debris falls onto the glacier from the surrounding
terrain. Glaciers transport rocks by slowly moving due to the force
of gravity creating a slow moving “river” of ice. While glaciers
move quite slowly on the order of a few hundred feet per year there
is one in Greenland called Jakobshavn Isbrae that moves up to 7.8
miles per year. Fortunately, you don’t have to go to Greenland to
log this cache. Glacial erratics give us information about the
direction of ice movement and distances of transport. Glacial
erratics can be any size from small pebbles to large boulders the
size of a house.
Legend
The local First Nations People have another theory as to the
origination of the “White Rock”. Coast Salish legend holds that the
son of the Sea God fell for the daughter of a Cowichan chief. The
parents of the two star-crossed lovers refused to accept the
romance between a god and a mortal being, spurring the son to hurl
the huge white rock across the waters. The son vowed wherever the
rock landed, would mark the location of his new home, where he and
the princess would live and establish a new tribe.
The photo below will help you find it! Thanks Forjo for pointing
out that it can be seen with Google Earth.
As of November 18, 2006 to log this Earthcache:
You must e-mail me some unique bit of information regarding the
site that you learnt while there. This can be done by answering any
of the following questions: what is the rock's height, diameter, or
circumference; or since it was used for navigation, how far do you
think you could see it and how would you test that theory? To
confirm that you visited the site you must also post a photo of the
area or if you do not have a digital camera you can include in your
e-mail the number on either of the two closest lamp poles. I will
monitor logs and check my e-mails for appropriate information.
Unfortunately, any log that does not meet the requirements will be
deleted. Thanks for visiting an Earthcache!
Additional Hints (
Decrypt
)
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)
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Bu pbzr ba. Vg'f juvgr!
(Decrypted Hints)
Find...
 It's a rock alright
Rather white isn't it?
photo credit to www.fraservalleyguide.com
The White Rock as Seen with Google Earth
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Warning.
Spoilers may be included in the descriptions or links.
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Current time: 11/22/2009 1:37:15 AM
Last Updated: 11/13/2009 12:49:27 AM
Rendered: From Database
Coordinates are in the WGS84 datum
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