The coordinates are for the Giant Ledge Trailhead, past the town
of Oliverea, NY on Panther Mountain.
This EarthCache will bring you to a little known fact about the
Catskills, but it is fairly obvious once you "see" it.
Did you know that this part of New York was hit with giant
meteorite about 375 million years ago?
It is estimated to have occurred 375 million years ago, during
the Devonian period, when much of what is now the Catskills was
either river delta or a shallow sea. The crater lies 2,640 feet
below the surface, directly under Panther mountain. The meteor that
struck is believed to have been roughly one-half mile wide,
striking with a force equivalent to 11 TRILLION TONS of TNT! The
crater was first discovered in the early 1970's by Geologist Yngvar
Isachsen. He noticed from satellite photos that the Esopus Creek
and the Woodland Creek made nearly a bowl shape around Panther
Mountain..something that does not occur naturally, except of course
..for inverted relief craters!
Old impact craters are filled by sediments. Over time these
sediments in the crater develop a harder consistency than the
surrounding material. The Catskills were formed after the meteor
strike, so the more easily eroded surrounding material was removed
by erosion and the harder inner filling remains. This phenomenon is
called ‘Inverted Relief’.
In 2004, the European Space Agency's Mars Express probe found an
analogous circular plateau in the Solis Planum region of the
Thaumasia area of Mars. While it has not yet eroded as Panther has,
both are an example of inverted relief.
The inverted crater's northernmost point is the town of
Shandaken, on route 28. Phonecia is on the 2 o'clock, and Oliverea
is on the 9 o'clock.
In order to claim this earthcache, I will need some questions
answered. Both questions must be answered, and the photo must be
posted.
Travel to the town of Shandaken at (N 42 07.159 W 074 23.519)
.
Clear your trip (start from 0 miles), and turn the tracks on
your GPS "ON"..
Travel to the Giant Ledge trailhead, located at the main
coordinates given. (N 42 01.596 W 074 24.214)
Here are the questions:
1. Using your GPS tracks, approximately how far across
(diameter) is the crater?
2. From Shandaken to the Giant Ledge trailhead is about
halfway around the crater. Using your GPS, what is the approximate
total circumference of the crater?
3. Take a picture of your GPS with tracks visible in front of
the Giant Ledge sign.
Enjoy this little known fact right here in the Catskills!
Congrats to xxx-xxx for FTF on 01 July
07!