| * UPDATED LOGGING REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL
LOGS SUBMITTED AFTER 10/20/06 *
To receive credit for this
earthcache:
1) Email us with the name of the age
during which the pink and tan colored Punchbowl rocks were
deposited and the number of years ago when this occurred. This
information can be found on the plaque at the waypoint. Submit your
email through our profile on the geocaching website. Do NOT post
the answers in your log.
2) Take a photo of the trail sign not far
from the plaque that shows the 1 mile Loop Trail AND a photo of
some item that interests you such as any geological formation found
in the Devil’s Punchbowl County Park (suggestions: arches,
uptilted rock formations, sculpted streambed, Devil’s Chair,
and so forth). Bonus points if the picture includes you or members
of your party.
3) A GPSr must be clearly visible in least
one of your photos.
4) Photo(s) must be uploaded at the time
you log the find.
Logs that do not meet ALL 4 of the above
requirements will be deleted.
The updated logging requirements are
necessary to meet GSA guidelines that EarthCaches involve visitors
in learning from the site ... rather than just logging a
visit.
Now you can earn pins through the
Earthcache Masters Pin Program. Enjoy!
|
Devil's Punchbowl is a County Park consisting of 1310 acres of
unique natural geologic features. The Nature Center of Devil's
Punchbowl is located at 4,740 feet above sea level. The Punchbowl
Canyon is 300 feet deep at the vista point. The prominent uptilted
rock features are composed of layers of sedimentary rock deposited
long ago by large quantities of water from the higher San Gabriel
Mountains (reaching to 8,000 feet in elevation). Over time, these
layers of rock were squeezed into their present steeply tilted form
by the uplift that occurs along the Punchbowl and Pinyon faults as
well as by pressures along the San Andreas Fault.
The Visitor Center / Nature Center features dioramas of the
flora and fauna of the area, including some live specimens of
insects, reptiles and birds. The main area is easily accessible
with ample parking. Parking and entry to the park is free. There
are picnic tables, BBQs, restrooms, water fountains, and a drink
vending machine. Trails, from easy to more strenuous, can be found
in the nearby vicinity, with the Visitor Center / Nature Center
serving as a good starting point. Park hours are sunrise to sunset.
The Visitor Center is open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Click on images to
enlarge.
Devil's Punchbowl County Park was opened to the public in
December of 1963. The County of Los Angeles purchased 40 acres held
in private ownership where the Nature Center is located in order to
preserve the unique natural features of the area. The surrounding
U.S. Forest Service lands were added to increase the total acreage
to 1310 acres and to enhance the County Park. The area is managed
by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation,
typically staffed by a Ranger and Volunteer Naturalist.
The Devil’s Punchbowl Visitor / Nature Center was designed
as an educational facility to assist visitors in learning more
about the geologic features of the park as well as the local flora
and fauna. The center contains wildlife dioramas and other
educational exhibits. There is a collection of live exhibits
featuring insects, reptiles, and birds indigenous to the area. Live
birds on display included American Kestral, Barn Owl, Great Horned
Owl, and Red Tailed Hawk. Live snakes on display included a Glossy
Snake, Gopher Snake, Sidewinder, Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, and
a California Kingsnake.
The main feature of the park is the unique geology of the area.
The park is riddled with folded, uptilted rock formations that are
the result of two major forces – water and earth movement. In
some cases, the wear of water has created natural arches. Twelve
arches have been identified in the area and are featured in an
information exhibit at the center. The uniquely uptilted rock
formations are reminders of the continuing movement of the
earth’s crust.
Historically, the geology of the area indicates that
approximately 60 million years ago an ancient basin was formed
underneath a shallow ocean in the Devil’s Punchbowl area.
Sand and silt were deposited. Large boulders (up to ten feet in
diameter) tumbled into the basin from a granite body of rock, which
is now exposed on Pinyon Ridge. The ocean retreated and the exposed
rocks began the process of eroding. Additionally, Earth movement
occurred between 40 and 60 million years ago on several faults in
the area and continues to this day. This fault action further
eroded the area. The sandstone of the Punchbowl formation was
deposited about 13 million years ago. Vertical movement on the
Punchbowl Fault raised a block of the San Gabriel Mountains. It
took over a million years to form the unique vertical relief
viewable in the area today.
The continuous action of faulting and erosion shaped the
Devil’s Punchbowl into the fascinating example of geological
forces that is seen from this earthcache in the present time. It is
not surprising that fossils have also been discovered in the area.
A detailed explanation and illustration of the forces that created
and shaped the Devil’s Punchbowl area is available in a
handout at the Visitor / Nature Center or by visiting www.devils-punchbowl.com.
Visitors can view the unique geologic formations as they
approach the County Park, including an arch visible from the
roadway. It is recommended that visitors stop at the Visitor /
Nature Center as a good way to learn more about the local flora and
fauna as well as the geology of the area. Informational hand-outs
are available such as a map of area trails, an explanation of the
geological development of the area, and a calendar of events. The
Visitor / Nature Center holds live animal demonstrations, hikes
(such as full moon hikes), features meteor shower viewing and star
parties, as well as tours of the nearby San Andreas Fault. The San
Andreas Fault Tour includes informal discussion of the history of
the fault, earthquake prediction, and general geology.
For more information:
For advanced scientific information on geology, please visit the
United States Geologic Survey (USGS) website at www.usgs.gov
For scientific information on California earthquake monitoring,
please visit the California Integrated Seismic Network website at
www.cisn.org
For specific information on the faults and geology of the
Devil’s Punchbowl area, please visit www.devils-punchbowl.com.
