Parrish Rock City EarthCache
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Parrish Rocks are a classic example of a boulder or rock city. Located in the Allegheny National Forest, this site has been used for everything from a hiking destination, to a pre-historic rock shelter. Enjoy your trip here, and the sights of this great area.
A rock city or boulder city is a product of two influences.
First is frost wedging. Frost wedging is the process of water seeping into joints in rock formations, then freezing and expanding when the air temperature reaches temperatures below freezing. The expansion of the ice acts as a wedge, driving apart the two sections of rock. After a while, the gap allows more and more water, which creates more ice, until it eventually breaks off completely from the original rock bed.
Second is soil creep. Soil creep is the action of gravity pulling loose objects down a grade over a length of time. Soil, rock, or anything else that's there long enough will eventually be subject to this action, and eventually will drift toward the lowest possible local elevation.
To log this EarthCache, you MUST do the following, or your log will be deleted..
1. Post a picture of yourself, and/or your gps at the rocks.
2. Answer the following questions-
What is the average height of the rocks here?
What is the average distance between rocks?
The height of the rocks indicates the thickness of the section of bedrock that once topped this section of the Allegheny Plateau. The distance between them is a reflection of the amount of soil creep that has taken place here.
Post your picture with your log, and email me the answers. Any log containing the answers will be deleted.. Sorry, but them's the rules.
One other note. This area is known to have been a rock shelter for native peoples. IF you should happen to come across anything of archeological signifigance, please do not tamper with it. EarthCaches are a "Take only pictures, leave only footprints" kind of place... Let's preserve them for our posterity. Happy hunting!I am a proud
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