Toll View Bonus: It’s Elemental!
Note: The cache is not at the given coordinates!
I was inspired to devise this simple puzzle cache for two reasons: 1) a lump of dark brown ore now sitting on my desk collected from the mine dumps on the lower slopes of Constantiaberg during our recent Pirates Plunder – The Leopard Mine cache expedition and 2) the desire to induce more geocachers up and onto this wonderful trail with its easy access, stunning views – and caches!
The puzzle is simple. Firstly, identify the elements described below. Then substitute the correct values for these in the cache coordinates formula.
Element A: This synthetic superheavy very unstable atom has a temporary name and number and only 3 or possibly 4 atoms of its isotope have been detected. It was one of two subjects of a scandalous 1999 claim reported in Science by Victor Ninov which was later retracted and subsequently found to be based on fabricated experimental evidence. The atoms were produced at the JINR in Dubna, Russia via collisions of californium-249 and calcium-48 in an experiment which took 4 months to complete!
Element B: This silvery-white, malleable and ductile rare-earth metal is exceptionally good at absorbing neutrons and is therefore used for shielding in neutron radiography and in controlling nuclear reactors. Because of its paramagnetic properties, solutions of organic complexes and compounds of this element are the most popular intravenous MRI contrast agents in medical magnetic resonance imaging. It is also used as a secondary, emergency shut-down measure in some nuclear reactors (particularly of the CANDU type) and in nuclear marine propulsion systems as a burnable poison.
Element C: This brittle metal with a white, silver-pink hue is the most naturally diamagnetic of all metals and only mercury has a lower thermal conductivity. It is one of very few substances of which the elemental liquid phase is denser than its solid phase (water being the best-known example). Though virtually unseen in nature, high-purity forms of this element can form distinctive hopper crystals. These colourful laboratory creations are typically sold to collectors. Compounds of the element are used in cosmetics, medicines, and in medical procedures. As lead toxicity has become more of an issue, alloy uses for this element as lead replacement have become increasingly commercially important.
Element D: According to a controversial UN report, smuggling and exportation of a key mineral source of this element helped fuel the Congo war (sometimes called Africa’s 1st World War), a crisis that has resulted in approximately 5.4 million deaths (directly and indirectly) since 1998 – making it the world’s deadliest documented conflict since World War II. This rare, hard, blue-gray, lustrous transition metal, is highly corrosion resistant and occurs naturally in a mineral always with the chemically similar niobium. It is ductile, easily fabricated, highly resistant to corrosion by acids, a good conductor of heat and electricity and has a high melting point. Its major use, as a powder, is in the production of electronic components, mainly electrolytic capacitors for equipment like mobile phones, pagers, computers, and automotive electronics. Alloyed with other metals as a minor component, it is also used in making extremely hard carbide tools for metalworking equipment and in superalloys for jet engine components.
Element E: This is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust (8.3% by weight). It also occurs in the minerals beryl, cryolite, garnet, spinel and turquoise. Impurities of an oxide of the metal, such as chromium or cobalt yield the gemstones ruby and sapphire, respectively. The pure form of the oxide is one of the hardest materials known. Although abundant, it is never found in free, metallic form, and was once considered a precious metal more valuable than gold. Napoleon III, Emperor of France, is reputed to have given a banquet where the most honoured guests were given utensils made of this metal while others had to make do with gold! Global annual production is around 45 million tonnes not exceeded by any other metal except iron (approx 850 million tonnes), driven by rising Chinese output.
Element F: South Africa and the Ukraine hold 80% of world resources of this silvery-gray, hard brittle metal - the 12th most abundant in the earth’s crust. It is used extensively in alloys, steel making and alkaline batteries and is a component of the black pigment used in stone-age cave paintings up to 30,000 years old. It is an essential trace nutrient in all forms of life and is a co-factor in many enzymes. The human body contains about 10mg stored mainly in the liver and kidneys. It is important in plant photosynthesis and a key ingredient of many broad-spectrum fertilisers.
*** For an excellent introduction to the Periodic Table and fascinating essays on 89 of the elements vist pubs.acs.org/cen/80th/elements.html
*** Visit elements.wlonk.com/Elements_Pics_11x8.5.pdf for an interesting representation of the Periodic Table in pictures and periodictable.com for a photographic periodic table.
The cache, a small cylindrical camo-taped tablet pot, may be found behind a rock on a small ledge in the rock face a few metres off the upper side of the trail at:
S 34 0[F-(E+9)].[A-(C+F)-9][F/5][B/16]
E 18 2[A/(B-5)].[(C-D)-8][C-(D+10)][(Bx2)-(A+8)]
Kindly ensure that the cache is replaced securely in this spot exposed to the winter gales.
You can check your calculated coordinates here:
