 Deception Pass Earthcache
A cache by tsunami_KNUW Hidden: 7/8/2008
Size:  (Other) Difficulty:  Terrain:  (1 is easiest, 5 is hardest)
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Located in Deception Pass State Park—Washington
State’s most popular state park receiving over two million
visitors per year.
History
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In 1792, a British expedition to the Pacific Northwest led by
Joseph Whidbey sailed out into our little corner of the world.
During their voyage of discovery, they sailed through a narrow
waterway in the northern region of the Puget Sound. This area,
which was originally chartered by Spanish explorers in 1790, was
thought to only be a narrow bay. Further exploration by the British
concluded the narrow channel was actually a strait between the
mainland and Whidbey Island (which was named after Joseph Whidbey).
This misconception resulted in the naming of the passage as
“Deception Pass”. Today, we can still see what these
European explorers saw when they first laid eyes on this dramatic
landscape--rugged cliffs, old-growth forests, and beguiling
bluish-green waters.
Formation
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Now imagine yourself standing here 12,000 years ago during the
last major ice age. In this particular area, glacial ice was nearly
a mile thick and extended as far south as where Olympia is today.
Known as the Vashon Ice Sheet, this glacier moved from the north
into lower latitudes and helped shape the landscape of the entire
Puget Sound region. As the ice sheet moved over what is now
Deception Pass, it carved out a deep groove (wedge) along a fault
line—a fracture in the rock—that runs through the pass.
This area of weakness in the rock is why the wedge is located here.
As the climate began to get warmer and the ice receded northward,
the wedge became exposed, filled in with water, and became the
waterway that we see today.
Tidal Currents
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Although Deception Pass may be famous for its natural beauty,
it is also well known for its powerful and sometimes deadly
currents. Capable of reaching speeds between 8-12 knots, the tidal
current that runs through the pass forces nearly two million
gallons of water flow through the pass per second. That’s
more than 50 times the average flow of all the rivers emptying into
Puget Sound. These torrents are created by the changes in tidal
flow through the narrow channel. Gravitational attraction from the
sun and moon are what cause a rising tide (flood tide =
landward) and a falling tide (ebb tide = seaward). The
transition between flood and ebb tide is known as slack
tide. It is during this time that there is no tidal current and the
waters are relatively calm. With two flood tides and two ebb tides
throughout the day, the pass experiences four slack tides every 24
tidal hours. There are three tidal patterns which involve daily ebb
and flood tides. These patterns vary depending on location, each
occurring during a 24-hour period.
- A diurnal pattern consists of one flood tide and one ebb
tide.
- A semidiurnal pattern consists of two flood tides and
two ebb tides, with each high and low tide reaching about the same
height as each other.
- The type of pattern that Deception Pass undergoes is known as a
semidiurnal mixed tide, in which the high tides regularly
reach different heights and the low tides drop regularly to
different levels.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Logging Requirements:
- Sending Answers via E-Mail
- For the first part of logging this EarthCache, the posted
coordinates will bring you to a kiosk in the parking lot near the
bridge (Whidbey Island side). How deep is the pass in
fathoms?
- Now, walk out onto the bridge and estimate how wide in feet the
channel is from Whidbey Island to Fidalgo Island.
- Post in Your Log
- A picture of you or your group anywhere on the
bridge.
- Observe the current flowing nearly 200 feet below where you are
standing. Is the tide a flood, ebb, or slack tide? Post your answer
and the time of day you made this estimate.
While You're Here:
After visiting this EarthCache, I highly recommend exploring other
areas of the park. There are trails that lead down to the beach
from the bridge as well as trails leading up to Goose Rock. On the
Fidalgo Island side, some key features include Rosario Beach,
Bowman Bay, and Lighthouse Point. Remember to stay on the main
trails and respect the environment.
If you really have the time, you can even take a guided
tour of the park.
Have fun!
***Congrats to HOSS1953 for FTF!***
Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deception_Pass
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http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20020729&slug=deception29m
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http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=deception+pass
- http://www.marinemet.com/marinemet_html/wwr249.gif
- An Introduction to the World's Ocean's by Keith A.
Syerdrup & Virginia Armbrust
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- The geocache may
be placed on Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
managed property only by written permission from the Washington
State Parks and Recreation Commission.
- The following
items shall not be placed in the geocache: Food items; illegal
substances; medications; personal hygiene products, pornographic
materials; inappropriate, offensive, or hazardous materials or
weapons of any type. Log books are required for each cache and are
to be provided by the owner of the cache.
- It is the
visitor’s responsibility to orient themselves with policies
and rules pertaining to State Parks areas.
- Report any
incident, problem, or violation to State Parks staff.
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