Jura Mountains: The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each. The mountain range is located in France, Switzerland and Germany. The name “Jura” is derived from the Celtic root "jor" which was latinised into "juria", meaning forest. In Switzerland, the range covers the western border with France in the Cantons of Basel, Solothurn, Jura, Bern, Neuchâtel, Vaud, and the border with Germany in the Canton of Schaffhausen. It includes also the Canton of Basel-Landschaft. The Swiss Jura has been industrialized since the 18th century. Therefore, there are relatively large cities at very high altitudes, such as La Chaux-de-Fonds, Le Locle and Sainte-Croix. The Swiss Jura is also one of the three distinct geographical regions of Switzerland, the other being the Swiss plateau and the Swiss Alps. Geology: The range is being built up vertically while decreasing in size laterally (along a rough northwest-southeast line.) This deformation is accommodating the compression from alpine folding as the main Alpine orogenic front moves roughly northwards. The deformation becomes less pervasive away from the younger, more active Alpine mountain building. The folds comprise three major bands of building evidenced dated roughly by era: the Malm, Dogger and Lias (part of the Jurassic Geologic period). Each era of folding represents effects on a previously shallow marine environment as evidenced by beds with particular carbonate sequences, containing abundant biocasts and oolitic divisions between layers. Structurally, the Jura consists of a sequence of folds, the formation of which is facilitated by an evaporitic decollement layer. The box folds are still relatively young, and this is evident in that they define the shape of the overlying landscape, meaning that they have not existed long enough to experience erosion and thus are evidence of recent mountain building. The final phase of the deformation allowed the watercourse to dig some lays of sediments and the regressive erosion of the river "Doubs" created little canyons. In the valley of Locle, the river "Bied" erode the barrier of limestone of the "Roches-Houriet / Roches-Voumard and allowed so that the water can to drain of in the valley of "Rançonnière" Hydro-geology: The "Bied" is a river with a regime of a little torrent where the basin is connected to the "Doubs". - minimal flow rate: 35 l/sec (in 1906) - maximal flow rate: 17'000 l/sec (in 1910) - average flow rate: 250 l/sec Its source is at "la Combe-des-Enfers" and the river receives water from other canyons. It flows trough the valley in the direction of the "valve" of the "Col-des-Roches" History of the Mills: In the 17th century, the western part of the Le Locle valley, between the village and the Col-des-Roches, stayed under a large swamp. The small river that crossed it, the Bied, flowed so slowly that it would be impossible for any mills to be placed there. It is for this reason that in 1652, Daniel Renaud, Jean Vuagneux and Balthazard Calame asked permission to use the last part of the Bied, where the water flowed down into the cave of the Col-des-Roches, as a waterfall. After they were given permission by the State Council, the three millers began the work: they developed the cave and put up two waterwheels, a mill and a "rebatte" (a kind of mill). But a fourth man had already understood the benefits that the possession of the cave could give: Jonas Sandoz, the Neuchâtel Mountains' collector, and member of a rich and wealthy family. In 1660, he informed the State Council that he wished to put new mills on the property of Vuagneux, Renaud and Calame. Persuasive, and thanks to the influence of his family, Sandoz was successful. In 1660 the State Council allowed him to use the river Bied from the end of Le Locle to the Col- des-Roches, for what he wanted. The three predecessors to the river left it entirely to Sandoz, but fortunately received money as an indemnity. Jonas Sandoz wasn't content with only two waterwheels. He decided to dig further into the cave in order to put five waterwheels in it that would turn other mills, for example a saw-mill, a "rebatte" and an oil-mill. Underground channels conducted the water from a waterwheel to another, while passages and steps were used from the millers to keep up the machines. It was a real underground factory that Sandoz, ruined, had to sell in 1690, a short time before his death. In the 18th century, there were around six other owners of the Col-des-Roches' mills, and they all wished to simplify the water-machinery from five wheels. Thus, in 1730, there were four mills, and three a short time before 1780. In the 19th century Jean-Georges Eberle changed the old machines into industrial mills. This backer from Le Locle, who had German origins, became the owner of the mills in 1844. He built a big edifice, a machine to clean the wheat and others to carry bags. Ten years later, he replaced one of the waterwheels by a turbine. As for the last wheel, it functioned for a saw-mill. This was outside, so Eberle needed a big "transmission-tree" of 50 meters to make it work. In 1884, the City of Le Locle bought the mills from the descendants of Eberle. The City was primarily interested in changing the line of the river, in order to avoid floods in the valley. But to do so, the City needed to have possession of the Bied, and of the mills as well. In 1898, the two-hundred-year-old mills closed and were changed into a border-slaughterhouse. The federal Department of agriculture wanted these establishments to do a control of the health of imported cows. At the beginning of the 20th century, the slaughterhouse of the Col-des-Roches was expanded: other buildings were planned and brand new machines put up. Unfortunately, the laughterhouse used the cave as a dumping-ground for waste meat and dirty water. When it closed in 1966, the cave was severely polluted. In 1973, a small group of history and speleology lovers began to clean the dirty cave and to rebuild a part of the mills. Thanks to their efforts, the underground mills of the Col-des-Roches reopened as a museum in 1987. The caves: The "rebatte" was used to crush hemp and linen (to produce clothes and lace), or fruits. It is possible to see only the place where the oil-mill was. This one was used to take oil by rushing hazelnuts for example. Oil was very important, not only as food, but for the lighting as well. The mill: It is a reconstruction, because the cave was totally empty of machines after the time of the slaughterhouse. There were enough traces of the old mill to put this new one instead. A mill is always made up of a lower millstone (sleeping stone) that doesn't move and of an upper millstone (running stone) that turns thanks to the water energy. The first gap: It is a natural small cave, 17 meters deep. The selling was built from the millers. Here there were two waterwheels, one above and one below. In 1854, a turbine was put in this place. Work of the mill: The gearing transmits the energy from the waterwheel to the upper millstone. This system gears up the movement of the mill as well. If the waterwheel turns about 10 times/minute, the millstone has to turn 100 times/minute to crush the wheat. Saw-mill: At the beginning, the saw-mill was in the cave and the millers had to bring the trunks inside and then to take the boards outside through the corridor. To avoid this tiring work, the saw-mill was put outside shortly before 1830. Energy came always from a waterwheel and was brought outside thanks to a wooden transmission-tree of 50 meters. Second gap: This one was dug certainly in Jonas Sandoz's time. In the 17th century there were two water-wheels in it. The wheel that we see is only a reconstitution. Third gap: It was dug by the millers as well. There was the fifth waterwheel here, the one that made work the saw-mill. This waterwheel was the biggest: 6 meters long and 1.20 meter wide. This point is furthermore the deepest of the cave: we are about 23 meters underground. On the bottom, you can see the "Chaudiere", where the water flows to the river "Doubs", near the Toffiere's cave. 27 meters' room: It was a workroom. The wood was kept here to maintain it at the same humidity-degree as the other wood pieces. Then it was easier to mend the machinery.
Questions:
A. What is the distance between the absorption point and the point of resurgence at the "Bied" measured in meters, in a straight line?
B: How many water-wheels were placed by Jonas Sandoz?
C: Which rock received cracks during the tectonic shift?
Send the answers to the questions to our email address.
You can login immediately. We will contact you when something is wrong.
Attention: The rules concerning Earthcaches have been changed from groundspeak in June 2019, and from now on a photo is required for all of my ECs! https://www.geocaching.com/help/index.php?pg=kb.chapter&id=51&pgid=296
__________________________________________________
Zusammenfassung in Deutsch:
Die unterirdischen Mühlen des Col-des-Roches Der "Col-des-Roches" liegt 2km W-SW von Le Locle im hohen Tal vom Neuenburger Jura. Die Eigenart von diesem Tal ist, dass es ein geschlossenes (trockenes Tal) also abflussloses Tal ist. Das Wasser fliesst aus dem Tal unterirdisch ab.
Fragen:
A: Wie gross ist die Luftliniendistanz zwischen dem Versickerungspunkt und dem Austrittspunkt (Wiederauftauchen) vom Fluss "Bied"?
B: Wie viele Wasserräder hat Jonas Sandoz installiert?
C. Welcher Fels erhielt Risse während der lateralen tektonischen Verschiebung?
Ihr dürft mit dem absenden der Antworten gleich loggen.
Bei Problemen melde ich mich.
Achtung: Von Groundspeak sind die Earthcache Regeln mit Juni 2019 geändert worden, und ab jetzt ist ein Foto verpflichtend bei jedem meiner Earthcaches!
https://www.geocaching.com/help/index.php?pg=kb.chapter&id=51&pgid=296
__________________________________________________
Résumé en français:
Les moulins souterrains du Col-des-Roches Le Col-des-Roches est situé à 2km à O-SO du Locle, dans une haute vallée du Jura neuchâtelois. Sa particularité est d'être fermée (vallée sèche), c'est-à-dire que ses eaux n'en sortent qu'en empruntant un chemin souterrain.
Questions:
A: Quelle est la distance en vol d'oiseau entre le point d'absorption et les résurgences du "Bied"?
B: Combien de roues à eau a installé Jonas Sandoz?
C: Quelle roche a reçu des fissures pendant le déplacement tectonique latéral?
Vous pouvez mettre vôtre log toute suite après m’envoyé les réponses.
Si il y a un problème avec vos réponses, je prendrai contact.
Attention: Groundspeak a changé les règles des Earthcache en juin 2019, et dorénavant une photo est obligatoire sur chacun de mes Earthcache !
https://www.geocaching.com/help/index.php?pg=kb.chapter&id=51&pgid=296