PLEASE FOLLOW ALL REQUIREMENTS!!! OTHERWISE YOUR LOG WILL BE
DELETED!!! NO EXCEPTIONS!!!
Southeastern North Carolina is home to a unique geological
formation and it is the only natural rocky shoreline in NC.
The coast near Fort Fisher, is host to a hard rock outcropping of
coquina rock that is rare and distinctive.
What exactly is coquina rock, and what makes it so special?
Coquina is a sedimentary rock that is cemented together by
seashells or coral, giving it a rough, gravelly look and
feel. Because shells are made of calcium carbonate, coquina is
formally a limestone. Coquina is the Spanish word for
cockleshells or shellfish. Coquina forms near shore, where wave
action is vigorous and sorts the sediments well. Notice that the
pieces are all broken and rounded by the abrasion of the waves.
Experts disagree on just how long ago the rock was created, but
it’s a relatively young formation, with estimates of its origin
ranging from 12,000 to 80,000 years ago. The rock was used in
years past as a building material for homes and even forts, because
it was good at absorbing cannon fire.
The coquina outcrop extends out into the Atlantic ocean to the
continental shelf. Islands such as Kure Beach, NC are constantly
changing. Offshore currents carry sand away from one end of the
island and deposit it at the other end, thereby changing the shape
of the island. The coquina outcrop’s extension into the ocean acts
as a natural jetty, which changes the way the sand moves.
This tidal zone is continually shaped by the actions of sun,
wind, water, and rock. The rocky areas on the edge of the ocean
that are filled with sea water at low tide create tide pools. The
tide pools in the outcropping plays host to a large array of sea
life, such as sea stars, horseshoe crabs, whelks, sea urchins,
clams, conchs, and hermit crabs. Life is tough for plants and
animals that live in tide pools. Here portions of the shoreline are
regularly covered and uncovered by the advance and retreat of the
tides. In order to survive, tide pool life forms must avoid being
washed away by the tidal waves, keep from drying out in the
sunlight of low tide, and avoid being eaten.
The tide pools are a unique and brutal habitat where the ocean
meets the land. The sun bears down, heating exposed surfaces and
organisms. Winds blow and contribute to the wave action, erosion,
and drying of exposed plants and animals. Water in the form of
waves endlessly pound at the rocks, constantly reshaping the
coastline. Rocks are pounded by the waves and loose stones and sand
grind into the shoreline.
To log this Earthcache, you need to
visit at low tide! Look for the Ft. Fisher tide!!!
Requirements for logging:
1. Must either send me an email answering the
following:
a) How do you think this coquina rock outcrop affects sand
movements on the nearby beaches?
b)What animals did you see on the coquina outcrop?
c) Send me the coordinates of where the low tide was when you
were there.
2. Or take a picture of you with the outcrop in the
background.