Urban Quarry (Earthcache) EarthCache
Hidden : 1/15/2008
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

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This cache has been approved by the Geological Society of America.


GREENSPRING QUARRY


Friday, December 31, 1999 was the last time that rockhounds could have entered Greenspring Gneiss Quarry to collect samples. For over 120 years, this old quarry, located just inside the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) at Greenspring Ave. (exit 22) has been producing railroad ballast, carbonate and concrete sands and macadam. Most of the material has gone to produce roads. Over the years, the quarry has produced the following: "pyrite crystals, cubes and octahedrons, brown tourmaline, phlogopite, calcite crystals and cleavages, black tourmaline in microcline, sphalerite grains, garnets, fuchsite, epidote, muscovite, talc, dolomite, limonite, quartz xls, pyrrhotite, rutile, sphene, serpentine and graphite.”



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Once a source for Baltimore Gneiss and one of several area sources of Cockeysville Marble...The most famous being the Beaver Dam quarry in Cockeysville which supplied the marble for both Washington Monuments (the obelisk in DC and the lesser known George Washington Monument in Baltimore)...Not to mention all of those Baltimore "Marble steps"...It's rumored that some top notch beryl (aquamarine) was hauled out of here as well.

When you arrive at the above posted coordinates you will be standing in front of a block of Baltimore Gneiss at the west end of the quarry.

In order for you to claim credit for finding this earth cache you must post a picture of yourself and your GPS showing the quarry in the background from this Starting Point.

From this position, now go to N39.23.047 and W076.41.445. You will be standing in front of two bronze plaques from which you can obtain the answers to the following questions.

You must also “Email” me the answers to the following questions to get credit for a find and a “smiley“. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THIS PART OF THE TASK YOUR "SMILEY" WILL BE DELETED.

1 - The stone from the quarry was used in railroad beds for the transportation of supplies during which War.

2 - In later years the aggregate was used in the road bed of what local major highway.

3 - List three other famous structures that use the stone from this quarry in their structures.

4 - When excavation ended in 1999, an estimated how many tons of rock had been removed?

5 - What is the current depth of the quarry?

6 - In what year do you think the quarry will be filled with water?

7 - The bottom of the quarry is how far below sea level?

8 - Quarry lake is deepest body of water in Maryland and fills by what three methods.

9 - At the opposite end of the quarry from your starting point you can see a small gazebo and next to the gazebo is a rock. Go to that rock and tell me how far you are from the Starting Point. This will tell you exactly the length of the quarry. What is that length?

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