STOP ONE: THE COLBURN EARTH SCIENCE
MUSEUM N 35° 35.691 W 082° 33.080
The museum is the legacy of Burnham Standish
Colburn, engineer, bank president, and rockhound. His
collection of rocks, gems, and minerals has been on display at
various locations around Asheville since 1960. The collection has
grown and expanded over the decades, and now includes exhibits on
astronomy, gemology, geology, meteorology, mineralogy, oceanography
and paleontology. It has been located at the Pack Place Education,
Arts & Science Center since 1992.
The Colburn Earth Science Museum is open to the public from
10am-5pm on Tuesday-Saturday and 1pm-5pm on Sunday. A nominal
admission fee may be required, though there are times/dates when
this is waived. Take your time and check things out.
Required task at this stop: At the mine explosion
demonstration use the dynamite exploder/blasting box and enter the
mine.
Email to me the names of the four gems/minerals/rocks
mentioned.
STOP TWO: THE CITY BUILDING
OF ASHEVILLE N 35° 35.724 W 082° 32.923
Designed by internationally known architect Douglas Ellington,
and constructed in 1926-1928, the City Building of Asheville (aka
"City Hall") is a great example of Art Deco architecture. As you
approach the building make sure you check out the many different
colored marbles used on the exterior of the building.
Entering the elevator lobby you will see grey marble along the
walls. Pay close attention to these York Fossil slabs as they are
examples of stylolytic limestone. This occurs when a large
section of limestone dissolves leaving much of the non-limestone
material in place. You are looking for lines that look like they
were produced by a seismograph during an earthquake. [Click
here to see an example.] (You should also be able to see
examples of fossilized clam shells -- dark, curved shapes -- and
crinoids -- dark, circular shapes.) The elevator lobby is only
accessible during normal business hours.
Required task at this stop: Take a photo of
yourself including your GPSr and the stylolytic limestone. Load
this photo to your online log for this EarthCache.
STOP THREE: THE CENTRAL UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH N 35° 35.632 W 082° 33.199
Built in 1902, this imposing limestone church presents
Romanesque Revival style massing and forms, but the detailing more
closely reflects the Gothic Revival style. As you look at the main
entrance, make sure you check out the limestone block (parallel to
the ground) just to the left of the left steps (in between the
walkway and the garden).
If you scrutinize that limestone block carefuly you will see a
great example of bryozoans -- tiny colonial animals that generally
build stony skeletons of calcium carbonate, superficially similar
to coral. There are about 5,000 living species, with several times
that number of fossil forms known. It is only a few square inches
in size and looks like a small piece of lace. [Click
here to see an example.]
Required task at this stop: Take a photo of your GPSr
and the bryozoans. The bryozoans need to be recognizable. Load this
photo to your online log for this EarthCache.
I hope you enjoy your short walking tour of some of the geological
phenomena found in downtown Asheville! If this EarthCache gets
popular I may be able to come up with a few more stops for a second
Geological Potpourri tour...
For more information on EarthCaches please click here.
I would like to thank Phil Potter, Curator of the Colburn Earth
Science Museum, for his help in developing this EarthCache.
Online logs that do not fulfill all three requirements -- email
answer to question and two uploaded photos -- will be deleted.
FTF HONORS GO TO
OxSling!!!
