Indian Bedrock EarthCache

This cache has been archived.

Geocaching HQ Admin: It has now been over 30 days since Geocaching HQ submitted the disabled log below and, unfortunately, the cache owner has not posted an Owner maintenance log and re-enabled this geocache. As a result, we are now archiving this cache page.

More information in the Help Center.

For locations where new EarthCaches may be permitted, please remember that any cache submission must meet all current EarthCache guidelines and expectations on the Geological Society of America web site and in the Help Center.

More
Hidden : 5/2/2008
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

Located in Cool Cache Land, Cool California you will find this historical Maidu Indian site and earth cache.

Maidu History:

Maidu Indians lived in 74 villages which stretched roughly from the Nevada state line, over the mountains, and down into the low Sacramento Valley foothills, in one place far enough west to include the Marysville Buttes. The County's where the Maidu lived are, Lassen, Butte, Plumas, Yuba, Sutter, Sierra, Nevada, Placer and El Dorado.

Throughout most of California the lowly acorn was the main staple of life for the Maidu Produced in vast quantities by oak trees, acorns were harvested in the fall and carried in baskets to the village and dried. When they were ready to be used, they were cracked open and the nut meats ground to flour.

The Maidu used hand crafted pestles to grind acorn into meal creating mortars in the local bedrock.

Bedrock geology:

The rocks now present are part of the lofty Sierra Nevada, originating from molten material-magma-buried miles below the Earth's surface. Cooling and crystallization of this deep-seated magma required millions of years. The resulting rock, composed of interlocking crystals of several kinds of minerals, is called a plutonic rock, named for Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld. Formation of the plutonic rocks of the Sierra occurred over a long timespan, as magma episodically rose from the Earth's interior, intruding older host rocks, and eventually crystallizing to create one of many individual bodies of rock called plutons. Many of these plutons are today exposed at the Earth's surface due to erosion of the once overlying older rocks.

The plutonic rocks of the valley and adjacent uplands are composed of a variety of minerals. Five of these minerals make up most of each rock variety; quartz, two varieties of feldspar (potassium feldspar and plagioclase), biotite, and hornblende. These minerals mainly comprise the elements silicon and oxygen, and all except quartz include aluminum as well. Other constituents of the feldspar include potassium, sodium, and calcium; biotite and homblende also include magnesium and iron.
These older rocks-slate, quartzite, marble, and metavolcanic rocks-formed by alteration, or metamorphism, from their original state-shale, sandstone, limestone, and volcanic rocks-with intense heat and pressure. The metamorphism both preceded and accompanied the intrusion of the plutons.

To log this cache, answer the following questions via email:

1) describe the bedrock formation you see providing an estimation of width and length, color and exposed thickness

2) Count the number of Maidu Indian bedrock mortars in the immediate area

3) Name at least 3 trees you see in the immediate area

4) Take a picture of yourself and/or caching party with your GPSr to post with your log

references:
Maidu history (visit link)
Sierra Nevada bedrock (visit link)

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



Advertising with Us