Spend a Holliday in Gondwanaland! EarthCache
Hidden : 6/23/2009
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:


Note: This Earthcache will be easier to complete in the winter than in the summer.

This Earthcache, situated at the intersection of I-435 and Holliday Drive in Shawnee, KS, highlights the different strata of bedrock formed during the Paleozoic era in the Kansas City area. The surface bedrock of the Kansas City area consists of limestone and shale arranged in nearly horizontal layers that can be followed continuously over long distances. Within this stacked package of bedrock strata, there are periodic channels filled with sandstone which look like rifts or channels in the rock. While the North American continent was a part of Gondwanaland, the area experienced many different periods of being covered in water and being completely dry as the sea level rose and fell with the movement of the nearby tectonic plates. This movement is responsible for the exposed bedrock the coordinates take you to. The limestone and shale were deposited within shallow seas that were common throughout the region during the Paleozoic era. At times when the sea level fell, river and delta channels developed and were filled in with sand derived from the Appalachian-Ozark region to the east and south. These rocks were laid down during the late Pennsylvanian Period, approximately 300 million years ago. This rock is quarried all over the Kansas City area and is sometimes used for landscaping; I have some in my yard! Thanks to the excavation work done here to clear the road, we can get a good lesson on the area's levels of bedrock. Note the different layers of bedrock present in this exposed cliff face. This will be easier to see during the winter months due to the foliage covering most of the rock face in the summer. To claim credit for this earthcache, please perform the following:

1. Approximately how many layers of rock and what types of rock are exposed at this location?
2. Why do paleontologists like to search this area?
3. Estimate the height of the whole cliff including all layers. Alternatively you can measure the height of the cliff while getting the cache "Bring your climbing shoes" next to the site.
4. Take a picture of yourself standing in front of one of the sandstone channels embedded in the rock face and post it with your log.
5. Email me the answer to the above questions to claim credit for the find.

Have fun with this Earthcache! Thanks to Mr. James Aber for his research into the geology of the Kansas City area.

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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