Interbedded with the white volcanic ash is a distinctive brown
material, this is peat. Peat is a compact brownish deposit of
partially decomposed vegetable matter found in uplands and bogs and
used as a fuel (when dried) and as fertilizer. You can actually see
the timber embedded in this cliff.
Peat forms when plant material, usually in marshy areas, is
inhibited from decaying fully by acidic and anaerobic conditions.
It is composed mainly of marshland vegetation: trees, grasses,
fungi, as well as other types of organic remains, such as insects,
and animal remains. Under certain conditions, the decomposition of
the latter (in the absence of oxygen) is inhibited, and
archaeologists often take advantage of this.
Peat layer growth and the degree of decomposition (or humification)
depends principally on its composition and on the degree of water
logging. Peat formed in very wet conditions accumulates
considerably faster, and is less decomposed, than that in drier
places. This allows climatologists to use peat as an indicator of
climatic change. The composition of peat can also be used to
reconstruct ancient ecologies by examining the types and quantities
of its organic constituents. Under the right conditions, peat is
the earliest stage in the formation of coal.
At GZ you'll find an information sign. To claim the cache you
have to answer the following questions:
1) How many minutes is it to Farm Cove
2) Name two volcanoes you can see from the walkway
3) Estimate the percentage of the peat to the ash
Take a picture of your self and your GPS on the bridge in front
of the cliff.
Email me the answer to the questions and post you picture
with your log.
