The Wrens Nest NNR Tour - 'Murchisons Viewpoint' Traditional Geocache
geohatter: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache I am archiving it.
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Regards
Paul
Geohatter
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The Wrens Nest NNR Tour - 'Murchisons Viewpoint'
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This cache is one in a series which I have set up at various places of interest within the Wren's Nest National Nature Reserve (NNR) located to the north west of the town centre of Dudley, West Midlands, England. I would like to thank the Wardens & DMBC for letting me place these caches and all the help given :)
This cache is situated at 'Murchison's viewpoint'.
Sir Roderick Murchison was a founder member of the Geological Society of London and author of 'The Silurian System'. He was a kind of Sir David Attenborough of his day and a much respected geologist. During the height of the Industrial Revolution when tonnes of limestone were extracted from Wrens Nest Hill, miners occasionally noticed what appeared like strange creatures in the rocks that they were mining.It was Sir Roderick Murchison who came to Dudley in the mid 1840's to study the limestone rock and to record and name the first fossils that were found here, of which there are over 600 species. Murchison coined the term 'Silurian' for describing the period in geological time about 420 million years ago when this part of Dudley was submerged beneath a tropical sea inhabited by trilobites, crinoids, brachiopods and wealth of other fossil fauna.
About 420 million years ago, tropical seas covered the area where Dudley now stands, with coral reefs inhabited by trilobites, crinoids (sea lilies), brachiopods and many other creatures. Their remains may be found today as perfectly preserved fossils in the limestone rocks at Wren's Nest, collections of which occur in museums throughout the world. Over 700 types of fossil are known from Wren's Nest, 186 of which were first discovered and described here, and 86 are found nowhere else on Earth.
Wren’s Nest derives its name from the Old English word Wrosne, meaning “the link”. This may relate to its topographical position on the boundary between the Severn and Trent watersheds.
Wren's Nest is a classic geological site of exceptional importance, being one of the most notable geological locations in the British Isles and visited and studied by geologists from all over the world.
If attempting this cache at night or with Geo Kids, please be wary of the steep embankment near cache location! There is no need to go down this incline and I strongly advise you don't for safety reasons!
This can be a high Muggle area for dog walkers so stealth required!
Lastly, if you are going to collect any fossils whilst here, can you please abide by the Fossil Collecting Code!
1. For your own safety please
DO NOT climb on the rock
exposures. Rock faces can be
unstable and dangerous.
2. The use of hammers or other
tools on the reserve is STRICTLY
PROHIBITED. Never collect
fossils directly from rock faces.
3. Fossils may be collected from the
loose material at the base of
slopes. Please only take away a
few small representative samples.
4. For help with identification please
contact the Warden Service on
01384 812785 or Dudley Museum
on 01384 815575. Remember to
keep a note of the exact location
your fossil was found.
5. If you no longer wish to keep your
fossils, remember never throw
them away! Donate them to the
Museum or the Warden Service
for others to enjoy.
THANK YOU
****THE HONOURS****
FTF - Greyboots & andycpuk
STF - lathama
TTF - The.Darlaston.Duo.s
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Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Onfr bs gerr ebbg