This a a small rock shelter I found when I was at work in Illinois
recently. I am dedicating this earth cache to my brother who enjoys
finding earth caches.
This is a small cave/rock shelter located along a very old road in
Illinois. There is history to this Rock shelter. Its been here many
years and has provided a temporary home for the rain and snow for
many years to native Americans and local folks who live in this
area. Rock Shelters form because a rock stratum such as sandstone
and limestone that is resistant to erosion and weathering has
formed a cliff or bluff, but a softer stratum, more subject to
erosion and weathering, lies just below the resistant stratum, and
thus undercuts the cliff. This same phenomenon commonly occurs at
waterfalls, and, indeed, many rock shelters are found under
waterfalls, how ever you won't find water coming over the top of
this cave shelter because its up on top of a small ridge. Rock
shelters are often important archeologically. Because rock shelters
form natural shelters from the weather, prehistoric humans often
used them as living-places, and left behind trash, tools, and other
artifacts. In mountainous areas the shelters can also be important
for mountaineers. The defining geologic strata for this Rock
Shelter was formed about 300 million years ago. Sediment, sand and
pebbles eroding carried by a great river and deposited as a delta
at the edge of a shallow inland sea that covered much of the middle
part of North America at that time. Over millions of years, the
mountains were worn down, the sediments turned to rock and the
inland sea receded. Gradually, streams began cutting down through
the relatively flat layers of sedimentary rock. Because sandstone
is a harder rock, it resisted erosion better than the shale and
siltstone layers above and below. Erosion and weathering over
millions of years sculpted the striking sandstone cliffs and
intriguing geologic features that we see today like this Rock
Shelter.
To get credit for this EC, post a photo of you with the Rockshelter
in the back ground , no need to go inside. Please
answer the following questions.
1. How wide is the rock shelter?
2. How high is the ceiling of the rock shelter?
3. To the right of the rock shelter at about 30 feet is a name
carved in sandstone. Who's name do you see and what year is it?