Cove Point - a study in migration EarthCache

This cache has been archived.

redlights: I'm pulling the plug on this one almost four years to the day it went live. It's one of my favorite places in Calvert County and it really deserves a cache but it is also pretty hard to get access at times. Also the main location to be able to obtain answers had been removed a little while back, so it really lost its flavor. Hope everyone enjoy the location.

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Hidden : 5/20/2009
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

The following earth cache is located on the grounds of the Cove Point Lighthouse and is only accessible during specific times of the year. Please read and adhere to the hours below concerning the area.

The land known as Cove Point is the eastern-most point in Calvert County. The point probably began as an ironstone projection about three miles to the northwest. Cove Point is known to geologists as a "truncated cuspate foreland." You and I may call it as a "migrating cape." But it doesn't actually move. It just appears to be moving. Thousands of years ago, the point would have interrupted shore line currents, causing sand to be deposited in the form of curved spits. It is the depositing of this sand that causes this projection to appear to grow on the south side of the point, as the north side continues to erode along with the rest of Calvert County's shoreline. The stability of the foreland depends upon on its ability to keep up with rising sea level over the past centuries, as well as dealing with the constant supply of new sand.

During your time here, you will need to note things from the various signs and provide answers for the questions provided as the alternate waypoints. .

Requirements: At the posted coordinates you will find a sign that should be able to help you answer each of the following questions. Do NOT include these answers in your online log but email me the answers.

1. For how long has Cove Point been “growing?”

2. What is the name of the projection northwest of Cove Point?

3. Why did the growth of the foreland slow 700 years ago?

4. Where else in Calvert County can you view a "younger" cuspate foreland?

Also at the alternate coordinates, you will find a sign describing a habitat just north of Cove Point. Use the information on that sign to answer each of these questions.

1. What feature of this habitat enhances the diversity of both plant and animal species located there?

2. Of the over 300 species of vascular plants that have been identified in that habitat – how many of them are considered rare, threatened or endangered?

You will also need to post a picture of yourself with the Cove Point Lighthouse in the background. I am sure that a docent will be willing to snap a photo if you ask politely. Also "Rip rap" stone is large rocks placed at the base of the sea wall that surrounds the lighthouse facility. This stone helps prevent or at least slow down the erosion of the point. Since the migration of the point is also dependent upon the tides as well, please make note in your online log whether you can see any of the "rip rap" stone surrounding the sea wall at the location and note how much of it you can see.

The Cove Point Lighthouse is the oldest, continuously operating lighthouse in the state of Maryland. While the lighthouse itself is still an active aid to navigation of the Chesapeake Bay, the grounds are owned and managed by the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, MD.

Access to the lighthouse grounds is provided, through the museum at the following times:

June through August:
Grounds are open 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. daily, interpreter on site.

May and September:
Grounds are open weekends and holidays only, 1:00-4:00 p.m, interpreter on site.

October through April:
Grounds are closed.

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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