Flintstone Rock (WTTB Series) EarthCache
Flintstone Rock (WTTB Series)
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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The cache is not at the posted coordinates...
Flintstone Rock is a large Glacial Erratic now located inside the
White Rock Mine, where quartz is mined. The formerly remote rock,
with its huge 4 boulder structure can still be plainly seen from
the roadside - no need to go into the mine area, please!
Park at: N 44 04.084 W 065 34.157
and look toward the listed coordinates and you'll see it!
A Glacial Erratic is a piece of rock that deviates from the size
and type of rock native to the area in which it rests; the name
"erratic" is based on the errant location of these boulders. The
unique landscape of the Route 203 wilderness area was carved by the
migration of the glaciers. About 20,000 years ago, an ice ridge
moved south from Canada’s Arctic region covering much of North
America. Along with the ebb and flow of the glaciers, the ice ridge
eventually melted about 10,000 years ago and in the process scooped
away and scoured large sections of rock, vegetation, and topsoil.
Large boulders composed of 415-million-year-old Devonian granite,
called glacial erratics, were lifted by the ice and carried for
long distances before being deposited upon the landscape as the ice
receded, leaving rugged barrens. The movement of the glacial ice
and rocks left scouring marks in the bedrock that can still be seen
today. Some of these erratics can be massive, and the four boulder
formation of Flintstone Rock is actually several of these very
large boulders piled on top of each other by the ice.
As you travel along Route 203, you can see many more of these
wonderful rock deposits. Today, the rocks are very valuable as the
mining companies have discovered that the structures near
Flintstone Rock contain high quality quartz, kaolin, and mica,
witrh the quartz in particular being an attractive product as it
can be manufactured into product for use in applications such as
architectural pre-cast concrete, engineered stone counter-tops, or
a high quality golf course white bunker sand, and decorative
landscape products.
We can see that human interaction also degrades nature many times
as the mine is not particularly attractive, and of course the
people who found Flintstone Rock before the mine was there left
their marks as well - why is it people must paint their love on a
rock? As well, local environmental groups such as the Tusket River
Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada and TREPA keep an active eye on
the mine to ensure no damage is done to the wilderness so close by
or the watercourses running through the mine area.
3 requirements to log this cache:
1. What is the approximate height of Flintstone Rock?
2. What is the street address on the sign to the North of the
rock?
3. Find and give the coordinates for at least two other erratics
along Route 203.
You must log only with permission, which will be given to you by
e-mail when you complete the tasks. Pictures of you and your GPSr
at the site with Flintstone Rock in the background would help
too.
More information at: >NS Museum
The Welcome to the Boonies series was placed as a cooperative
effort of 8 geocachers in South Western Nova Scotia: Dryfly and
Catch, flyfishNS, Treasurehumper, H and Y Frosty, Zipalong and
Tadpole. The Welcome to the Boonies route offers a variety of
caches, and is designed for your enjoyment while driving through
this remote part of our Province. The series takes you along Route
203 and along several side roads, and skirts the Tobeatic
Wilderness area, with the permission of the Department of Natural
Resources, who kindly assisted us in suggesting cache placement
choices. The birding is excellent along the route, as are the
opportunities for hiking, biking, canoeing or kayaking . Route 203
still has good fishing and hunting opportunities along its length,
so please be aware that you need to wear hunter orange in the fall
(September to December), and be careful with matches and flame
sources in the summer. This route is about an hour drive straight
through from Carleton to Shelburne, and Geocachers will obviously
take much longer. A word of caution - Route 203 does not have food
or fuel stops once you go past Kemptville heading East or past
Shelburne going West. As well, your cell phone will not work in
some sections, particularly from East Kemptville to Middle Ohio, so
it is best to be prepared. Welcome to the Boonies is a great way to
explore the edges of the accessible wilderness of South Western
Nova Scotia - Happy Geocaching!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gvn jebgr ure anzr naq gur yrggref ner 4 srrg uvtu...
Bgure reengvpf ner jvguva 2 zvyrf Abegu bs gur fvgr...
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
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