I discovered Castalia Quarry Reserve in the course of geocaching near my home. While I was there, I noticed two things. First, the physical caches all seem to be located along the quarry rim trail. Second, the quarry floor is a fascinating, desolate place for a nice walk and a perfect spot for an Earthcache. I hope that this will be incentive for cachers to see the other side of the story at Castalia Quarry! Trail maps are available in the parking area north of OH -101 and online, but be aware that the Dolomite and Fossil Trails along the floor of the quarry are indistinct and unimproved. The terrain is level, but there are loose rocks everywhere, so watch your step. Terrain rating was suggested by rating system at clayjar.com Rock climbing is not permitted.
Now a part of the Erie MetroParks, Castalia Quarry was once Wagner Quarries Company's Quarry #5, a source of limestone. Large building stones were quarried here early on. Later, it provided crushed stone and aggregate for construction purposes. The Great Depression closed the quarry temporarily, but operations resumed in the 1950s to supply limestone aggregate used in the construction of the Ohio Turnpike. By 1965, the quarry was closed permanently, and in 1987, the land was donated to the Erie MetroParks.
While the history of Quarry #5 dates back to the 1870s, the history of the rock formations in the quarry dates back to the Devonian Period. During this period, around 380 million years ago, Ohio was underwater, and the rocks at Castalia Quarry were starting to form. Deposits of small particles called sediments settled to the bottom of the shallow Devonian sea that covered present-day Castalia. Sediments build up in layers, and after a long period of time, the layers are compressed and solidified into sedimentary rocks. Limestone is a type of sedimentary rock formed by layers of calcite deposits. Calcite is a mineral that some organisms use to form their shells. The huge rock formations at Castalia Quarry are composed of the fragments of the shells of small, Devonian-period sea creatures. Some of the fragments are fossils big enough to be seen. Horn corals, brachiopods, and crinoids have been found at the Reserve.
The posted coordinates take you to the trailhead for the Dolomite Trail. From here, you will walk down to the floor of the quarry. Geologists have names for different layers of sedimentary rocks. Technically speaking, the lower layers of the quarry, where you will be walking, are Detroit River group dolomites, and the higher levels are Columbus limestone. Columbus limestone is the bedrock of the western part of Erie County, and has been quarried in cities from Sandusky to Columbus. As you explore the floor of the quarry, you will notice horizontal bands of different colored rocks along the quarry wall. These bands are different layers of sediments, deposited at different times in history, and influenced by different environmental factors. They represent hundreds of thousands of years of the sedimentary rock-forming process. You will also see a variety of hardy plants that have managed to grow in the bedrock since quarry operations ended in 1965. At the southern end of the quarry and the Fossil Trail are piles of huge rocks that I found impressive enough to waymark. Also, be on the lookout for fossils. You will not find dinosaur bones down here, but if you look closely, you can find fossilized shells of small, ancient sea dwellers. Photos on site are not a logging requirement, but please don't hesitate to post any and all photos of things that catch your eye on your trip!
LOGGING REQUIREMENTS: According to Earthcache rules, in order to claim the find, you must perform an educational task. So, I ask that you estimate the depth from the quarry rim to the quarry floor at one of the deeper spots. (The northern and western walls of the quarry are shorter than the cliffs that make up the rest of the perimeter.) The easiest way to do this is by taking a photo of the quarry wall in relation to something of a known height. If this is a team effort, one team member standing near the wall would make a good measuring stick. If you're flying solo, as I was when I was collecting information for this cache, find a friendly tree near the wall and measure it.
Print your photo out at home. Now, measure your person / tree / pet giraffe, and see how many of them, stacked one on top of the other, it takes to reach the quarry rim. At the spot where I took my photo, the wall was 5 trees tall.
If, for example, my tree was 5 feet tall, 5 trees would be 25 feet, so the quarry would be 25 feet deep at that spot. (Note: That tree is more than 5 feet tall!) Email me with the coordinates where you made your estimate, and the depth you figured at that spot.
Logs not accompanied by email within a reasonable amount of time will be deleted per Earthcache rules. Please don't make me have to do that! Again, photos are not a requirement but it would make me and the Erie MetroParks happy to see some of the people who are enjoying this park.
References:
Ohio DNR website
Camp, Mark J. 2006 Roadside Geology of Ohio. Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company
Erie MetroParks website (Thanks to the Erie MetroParks and Lois TerVeen for allowing this Earthcache!)