Thar She Blows! EarthCache
Hidden : 7/29/2009
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:


This EarthCache will lead you to the beautiful shore of East End, Grand Cayman where you will find a magnificent view, ironshore and a blow hole.





Grand Cayman is a high-lying reef of "ironshore" (limestone fringes with numerous marine fossils).

Ironshore is a typical island rock, and is made of calcium carbonate as well as other types of material depending on the region. A blow hole is a rare geologic feature in which air is either blown out or sucked into a small hole at the surface due to pressure differences between a closed underground cavern system and the surface. In geology, a blow hole is formed as caves grow landwards and upwards into vertical shafts and expose themselves towards the surface, which can result in quite spectacular blasts of water from the top of the blowhole if the geometry of the cave and blowhole and state of the weather are appropriate. At the site, rough and high waves push water into the triangular based rock bottom, and force it through a hole at the bottom of the rock with very high pressure. The water is blown high into the air. It is estimated that the closed underground passages have a volume of at least seven billion cubic feet. Wind speeds can approach 30 miles per hour.

The coordinates will lead you to the seashore where you will find a set of stairs. You can either take the stairs, (but be careful here, they have been through many hurricanes) or, take the path along side the stairs down to the blow hole site.

Observe how the ocean waves roll in, the water goes under the rock and is pressurized, then forced out of the holes creating a spectacular shoot that looks somewhat like a geyser. In order to get credit for this EarthCache, you will need to:

Answer the questions below and send your answers via "message this owner" (near top of page) on the same day that you post your log. DO NOT post the answer in your log or it will be deleted.

--- 1- Describe in your own words what ironshore looks like (include in your description the color and texture).

--- 2- During your visit, how high do you estimate the spout of water from the blow hole?

--- 3- (optional, but fun to see)Post a picture of yourself at the blow hole site along with your log.




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You may want to search for the nearby geocache “Don’t Blow It” (GC1JWX5) while you are here. Also, Ironshore is the main attraction at Hell, Grand Cayman where you can find remains of blow holes. You will find a Virtual Cache there, “To Hell and Back” (GC2978). Oh, and, don’t miss the ironshore at “The Cliffs of Dover? Not quite…. But still….” (GCJGG9).

NOTE: July 21, 2010 - The old wooden staircase has been replaced with nice new cement stairs. Cache on…..

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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