West Tyson Earthcache Extravaganza EarthCache
West Tyson Earthcache Extravaganza
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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This cache is located in the St Louis County Park of West Tyson. I hope you will remember this Earthcache as a challenge and adventure.
To better assist paperless cachers the logging requirements are being placed at the front of the cache.
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Please read the criteria carefully. Measuring tools are required for this Earthcache.
1. From the starting coordinates, please answer the following questions:
A. At the coordinates, on the outcropping of rocks, what is the elevation from the top of the rocks?
B. Based on the information cited from the Washington University Tyson Research Center, what type of bedrock is this?
C. Do you see any signs of fossilization or weathering?
2. Proceed to the following coordinates and provide the elevation at this point. (N 38 31.103 W 090 35.035)
3. Please proceed to the following coordinates N 38 31.237 W 090 34.972 and describe the following:
A. Look up the ridge and describe and describe the soil. In your estimation how deep is the spoil before the bedrock surfaces?
B. Does it look like a wide variety of plants and trees would be supported in the enviroment?
C. I would like to request a picture of you and/or your GPSr at these coordinates with the rock outcropping behind you.
4. This is where this cache earns it 4.5 terrain. Proceed to N 38 31.242 W 090 35.036 and complete following tasks.
A. Using a water bottle or other instrument please let me know how many liters per minute the natural stream is flowing at.
B. Does the water appear clear or cloudy? Is it warm or cold to the touch?
C. At the coordinates what is your elevation?
D. Request a picture of you &/or your GPSr at the coordinates for stage 4 with the stream behind you.
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Important Cache Information:
West Tyson is a thriving area located in St. Louis County and is an amazing location to view Geology and all the area has to offer and teach us about the Earth's past.
Please remember to bring water, dress appropriately, and be mindful of your surroundings as this beautiful park can cause injuries. I truly hope you enjoy the park and be remember there are a lot of traditional caches located in the park.
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Park Information:
Address: 131 N. Outer Road East, Eureka, MO 63025
Hours of Operation: Park Hours: 8am (7am during summer) to one half hour past official sunset, except when reservations are issued.
West Tyson County Park consists of 240 acres of land located just to the west of the Tyson Research Center in the Tyson Valley Area. West Tyson is home to four hiking trails including the seven-mile Chubb Trail, which passes through 2 other parks. The other trails in West Tyson are the .2-mile long Ridge Trail, the .5-mile long Chinkapin Trail, and the 1.5-mile long Flint Quarry Trail. The Crescent Hills, which are present throughout the area, have a high chert content, which was quarried by the Indians for use in weapons and other tools. The Flint Quarry Trail takes the visitor past pits and trenches, which were once quarried for flint, a form of chert. The Crescent Hills area contains one of the highest concentrations of prehistoric flint/chert quarries in North America. West Tyson is also home to three shelters, a lodge, and a campground, all of which are reservable for groups. Other uncovered picnic sites are available on a first come, first serve basis.
The Chubb Trail starts at a main trailhead in West Tyson Park, passes through the southern part of Castlewood State Park, and ends at a trailhead within Lone Elk Park. The seven-mile distance is one-way, which means that users either have to turn around at the far end and retrace their path (14 miles) or have someone there to pick them up at the end. Although the basic trail is seven miles long, there are side loops within West Tyson and Castlewood Parks, which can be taken to increase the length of the trail. It is open to hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders. The Chubb Trail is considered to be one of the more difficult trails in the St. Louis Area due to its rocky, hilly nature. Parts of the trail make elevation changes of 350 feet as it crosses the ridges and valleys of the Ozark border. If riding a mountain bike, a helmet is highly suggested. Make sure that both your body and your bike can handle this trail.
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Geology of the Area:
The Washington University Tyson Research Center provides us with a unique description of the park and the general geology. Their overview states:
"Tyson Research Center is located in a rugged part of the Ozark border that is primarily underlain by Paleozoic carbonate units that dip approximately 1 degree to the northeast. Significant aquifers are the Meramec River alluvium, Mississippian limestone, and the Ordovician carbonates, but the St. Peter Sandstone is the most important source of potable water in the immediate area. Numerous springs emanate from the Burlington-Keokuk Limestone, from near the Fern Glen-Bushburg contact, and from the Kimmswick and Plattin Limestones. Karst features including springs, losing and disappearing streams, sinkholes and caves are well developed in the Burlington-Keokuk, Kimmswick and Plattin Limestones, demonstrating their high groundwater transmissivity.
Rapid vertical transport of groundwater between the Kimmswick, Decorah and Plattin formations has been reported nearby and likely also occurs in the southern part of Tyson Research Center as suggested by field data. Oxygen isotope and chemical data on various waters in the area are in some cases useful in tracing subsurface flow paths, and strongly suggest links between ponds and lakes in Lone Elk Co. Park and two springs. Field data suggest that TRC Cave and Bluegrass Spring are interconnected. The UTM northing and easting coordinates on the USGS Manchester topographic quadrangle are based on the NAD 27 datum and differ from the newer, widely used NAD 83/WGS 84 datum by being about 212 m lower and 16 m higher."
For more information, please visit the source at: (visit link)
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BEDROCK:
Research at the West Tyson Park has discovered 7 different samples of bedrock.
Burlington-Keokuk Formation- (Mississippian; Thickness ~200 ft.) Described as coarsely crystalline, light gray crinoidal limestone with abundant nodules, beds and masses of white porcellaneous chert. These formations tend to weather to terra rossa clay and resistant chert soil residuum.
Fern Glen Limestone - (Mississippian; Thickness 35-60 ft.) This type of limestone is described as reddish to yellowish gray, thin bedded to massive, fine to medium grained argillaceous limestone and interbedded shales, with abundant fossils.
Bushburg Sandstone - (Devonian; thickness 20-50 ft.) This sandstone is best described as friable, orangeish-tan, medium grained, massive to cross-bedded sandstone. Thickness is variable.
Kimmswick Limestone - (Ordovician; Thickness 65-110 ft.) This limestone is light gray, coarsely crystalline, massive, sparsely fossiliferous limestone; Fisherites is diagnostic to the Kimmswick in this area. This limestone is common as a cliff former, and can be cavernous in places. This limestone is easily distinguished by the abundant, golf-ball sized pits in weathered surfaces and is common in West Tyson Park.
Plattin Limestone - (Ordovician; Thickness 110 ft.) Plattin limestone is described as gray, medium bedded to massive, sublithographic limestone, commonly with a conchoidal fracture. Abundant burrows can produce a mottled surface on newer exposures, and distinctive, small pits on the exposed weathered surfaces.
Joachim Limestone - (Ordovician; Thickness 140 ft.) This type of bedrock limestone is best described as yellow-brown to gray, medium to wavy bedded, fine grained, argillaceous dolostone, massive in the uppermost part. Basically unfossiliferous except for stromatolitic structures in upper most part of the foundations.
St. Peter Sandstone - (Ordovician; Thickness 75-125 ft.) Described as massive to cross-bedded, friable white sandstone composed of very pure, well sorted quartz grains. Can appear gray on weathered surfaces, occasionally with local limonite staining.
For more information, please visit the source at: (visit link)
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Hydrology of West Tyson Park:
West Tyson and the area currently has 10 small ponds and these bodies of water serve as focal points for a lot of animal activities and serve as homes for salamanders and other amphibians located in this region.
There is one permanent spring, the Blue Grass Spring and 10-15 smaller and intermittent springs located through the park. The springs add to the great diversity of aquatic habitats available in this region.
For more information, please visit the source at: (visit link)
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Soils:
The Tyson area soil can be best described as stony, steep, and has excessively drained soils that can form chert free limestone residuum, cherty limestone and deep loess.
For more information, please visit the source at: (visit link)
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Flora:
The vast area have 3 major species of flora. They include Vascular plants, Algae, and Lichens. All in all the Vascular Plants are numbered at over 550 species!
There are also 3 distinct types of vegetation at the West Tyson area. They include:
- Bottom Lands that survive in a Messic moisture level.
- Protected Slopes that survive in a Less Messic moisture level.
- Exposed South-Facing Slopes that survive in a Relatively Xeric moisture level.
For more information, please visit the source at:
(visit link)
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Cache on!!!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Cyrnfr or pnershy naq or zvaqshy bs lbhe fheebhaqvatf va gur ornhgvshy cnex.
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