What the Hoyt? EarthCache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(other)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Hoyt's Quarry in Saratoga, New York is maintained by Skidmore college as a unique Sedimentary feature to educate students and the public.
The northeastern United States, New York in particular, is filled with some amazing and highly varied Geology.
Hoyt’s Quarry is a great example of Geology that so easily demonstrates what life was like at the time it was formed that you can almost picture what the area looked like many millions of years ago.
Limestone is a common sedimentary rock composed primarily of the mineral calcite (CaCO3). Limestone constitutes approximately 10 percent of the sedimentary rocks exposed on the earth’s surface. It forms either by direct crystallization from water (usually seawater) or by accumulation of shell and shell fragments. In the first case, Limestone carries a record of the chemical composition of seawater and it provides evidence of how that composition has changed with time. In the second case, limestone provides a record of the evolution of many important fossils. Limestone usually forms in shallow water less than 70 ft deep and therefore also provides important geological information on the variation in sea level in the past.
Ripple features are commonly found in Limestone. Ripples are a telling sign of the ancient environment that formed the rocks in which they appear. You will be able to observe ripples at this outcrop. Imagine what ripples on the surface of a shallow body of water would look like. They can appear similar to this in stone, depending upon the angle of view. By observing their wavelength and the distance between wave crests one can determine if they were most likely formed by water or wind. Don’t worry, we’re not about to ask you to determine the wavelength.
Limestone dissolves in rainwater more easily than other rocks. Rainwater picks up a small amount of carbon dioxide during its passage through the air, and that turns it into a very weak acid. Calcite is vulnerable to acid, explaining why underground caverns tend to form in limestone rich areas throughout the greater Capital District. Limestone is also an important building stone and is used to make cement and concrete, if you keep driving up this road you will pass a quarry.
Limestone is similar in appearance to another common rock called Dolomite (also known as Dolostone). When a drop of dilute hydrochloric acid is placed on a piece of limestone, the acid reacts with the calcite and forms bubbles of carbon dioxide. This “fizz” reaction is characteristic of limestone and many geologists carry a small bottle of dilute hydrochloric acid into the field to quickly determine if they are looking at Dolomite or Limestone.
This area is maintained by Skidmore College as a unique geologic feature for all to enjoy. For this reason please be sure to observe and photograph only. Do not damage or collect any rocks or specimens. There is no need to climb on the rocks at any time for any part of this cache. Parking is located across the street from the trail head.
To log this Earthcache, you will need to upload your photos to the cache page and EMAIL your answers to us through geocaching.com. To be fair, you must complete all of the requirements of the Earthcache to earn your smiley. If you log the Earthcache without fulfilling these requirements, your log will be deleted.
To complete the requirements, please do the following:
Go to the first part (initial point) at N43d 05.513m W 073d 50.890m and answer TWO questions at this location:
1A.) What stone was quarried here?
1B.) What was it used for?
Then proceed to the second part at N 43d 05.493m W 073d 50.911m and answer TWO questions at this location:
2A.) What age are the fossils that were found here?
2B.) What type of depositional environment was this formed in?
You’re almost done, now onto the fun stuff (even if you’re not a rock enthusiast, this is the good stuff) – you’ll need to search the rocks.
Search the rock outcrop and find the mud cracks and ripple marks. Now, take a photo of your GPS on ripple marks (center of formation) OR on mud cracks (lower exposed beds in formation). We're not grading you on your photo here, rather the object of this part is for you think about what ripples and mud cracks look like and to try and find them preserved in the rock face.
LOCAL ROCKNERD HONOR ROLL (completed extra credit correctly):
GalwayGuys
PhunStash and Beersnob
CDParker1
Eltee1
Geohiker55
Highland Ranger
Printess Caroline and her Loyal Consort
abstrain
Swizzle
Rusty O Junk
mornseer (not quite sure but, good effort)
jandr100
racnla
geoscoob
JerzeyNomad
The first 15 cachers to complete the extra credit will earn a place on the ROCKNERD List!
For extra credit AND (if your one of the first 15) to get your name listed above as a genuine rock nerd (how cool is that???), do the following:
In Limestone formations you may find areas with sheltered overhangs where groundwater or rainwater has dissolved calcite from the overlying limestone and deposited it as a “crust” on the surfaces below while the water evaporated. Features like this are also commonly found in caves, where they take the general name of dripstone.This feature (see photo below) is present at this locale, use the description to find an example of dripstone (NOT the surrounding Limestone) and take a photo of your GPS next to it. You'll need to take a close up photo to capture the dripstone.
Hint: it’s not a cave – but it is located NEAR a sheltered overhang area.
<
Although we read through everyone's answers on all of our EC's we are not able to respond to each one individually. We hope you enjoy this Earthcache and maybe even learn something new about the world around us.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures