Redwoods of Stone Earthcache EarthCache
Redwoods of Stone Earthcache
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This earthcache is located in Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Florissant, Colorado. The park is open year round, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day from 9am to 5pm. Park fees are $3 for adults; children 16 and under are free. Dogs are not permitted in the park. For directions to the park, visit their website at: (visit link) While there, please observe park rules and do not wander off the marked trails. It is illegal to remove any fossils or specimens from the park and is punishable by fines.
Nearly 35 million years ago, the area that is now Florissant, Colorado was a lake surrounded by lush ferns, towering redwoods and forests of hardwood trees. The climate was warmer and more humid making it an ideal place for thousands of species of insects, as well as fish, birds, mollusks and mammals to thrive. Nearby volcanic eruptions showered the landscape with millions of tons of pumice and ash. Thousands of insect and plant lifeforms were buried in this sediment and eventually became the fossils that we see today. Today Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument preserves this site. You can walk the trails and see the giant redwood stumps or see fascinating fossils in the visitor center.
To get credit for this cache, post a photo of yourself standing in front of "the big stump" which can by found at the coordinates at the top of the cache page, and send me an e-mail with the answers to the following questions:
According to the interpretive signs behind the visitor's center, how tall were the giant redwood trees 34 million years ago?
How tall would you estimate the big stump is now?
Hope you enjoy this national treasure!
Additional Hints
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