The Changing Coast EarthCache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(other)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This earthcache is located in beautiful Solomons Island, MD at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL). The posted coordinates will take you to the parking area outside the Visitor Center. Enjoy the scenic views of the area!
Erosion is a process that breaks things down. Erosion is an important part of the geological process and is caused by many factors. Erosion can be caused by wind, water, ice and humans. Water is one of the most powerful causes of erosion. Rain, runoff, glaciers and ice all cause the wearing away of land and rock. Along the coast the removal of beaches or dune sediments by wave action, tidal currents, wave currents, or drainage cause shoreline erosion.
Erosion is changing the face of the Chesapeake Bay’s coastline. Beaches and bluffs, marshlands and cliffs, low-lying islands are all losing ground at an increasing rate. In Maryland alone, shoreline erosion claims about 260 acres of land each year.
As the shoreline is worn away, tons of sediment and nutrients wash into the Bay’s tidal waters, smothering oysters and sea grasses and clouding the water. Shoreline erosion is not just about land loss. Waves and storms also build up the land by carrying sand and other sediments inland from beaches and near shore waters. This redistribution of sediments is called accretion. Shoreline erosion is one of the most serious problems facing the Chesapeake Bay.
To earn credit for this earthcache: answer the following questions, and using the 'send message' link on our profile page, email us your answers. Please do not include the answers in your online log.
1) What is the name of the building where the Visitors Center is located?
2) What is the area (in square miles) of the Chesapeake Bay watershed?
3) Why do you think that the Chesapeake Bay shoreline is more vulnerable to erosion than the New England coast?
OPTIONAL: you may post a picture of yourself in or near the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory Visitor Center and include the coordinates of where the picture was taken in your online log.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Vs gur Ivfvgbef' Pragre vf bcra, rawbl nyy bs gur rqhpngvbany qvfcynlf.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures