Offa's Dyke Path 3 Moel Famau EarthCache
Offa's Dyke Path 3 Moel Famau
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(other)
Related Web Page
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
The ruins of the Jubilee Tower are at the highest point in the Clwydian Range at 1818ft (554m). The tower was built in 1810 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of George III. A storm in 1862 reduced the Egyptian style monument to the ruins you see today. 2010 is the 200th anniversary of the Golden Jubilee.
This EarthCache is one of a series of caches along the Denbighshire section of the Offa’s Dyke Path. Together these caches explore the geological significance of the rocks and landscape, which underpin the heritage, culture and biodiversity along the path.
Moel Famau is the highest peak in the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Designated in 1985, the Clwydian Range is one of only five in AONBs in Wales.
What is an AONB?
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is exactly what it says it is: a cherished landscape whose distinctive character and natural beauty are so outstanding that it is in the nation's interest to safeguard it. For more information about AONBs in Wales and England go to www.aonb.org.uk
Fabulous Famau
Moel Famau forest is described as the gateway to rural Wales. It lies in north west Wales, in the Clwydian Range, with Offa’s Dyke Path National Trail running along its boundary and Loggerheads Country Park near by,. Moel Famau Country Park is within easy reach of Liverpool, Chester and Wrexham, all of which can be seen from its summit.
The Clwydian Range runs in a line, more or less north to south, from Prestatyn to Llandegla. The rocks you are walking over were formed in a deep sea 420 million years ago when Wales lay deep in the southern hemisphere.
The rocks were formed from sand and muds that settled onto the sea floor in layers. Earthquakes shook the layers or beds on the sea-floor and these sands and muds formed underwater avalanches, called turbidity currents. When everything eventually settles down, the mud forms the layers with coarser grains at the bottom & finer grains at the top. This is called graded bedding. Unfortunately these rocks do not make good building stone.
In the 19th century local people wanted to commemorate the golden jubilee of the coronation of George III in 1760. They decided to build a tower on the top of Moel Famau the highest local peak. The tower was to be an impressive Egyptian-style obelisk built in three stages. The foundation stone was laid in 1810, but the unfortunately work was never completed. In 1862 a storm blew the incomplete tower down. The remains of the tower was demolished to make it safe. The large rubble was removed from the site, and the smaller rocks taken by farmers for local dry stone walls. Only the base remains today.
The building stone for the main part of the tower was quarried from small nearby quarries in Nant y Ne and the sandstone for the corner stones and decorative features, is thought to be the local Cefn y Fedw Sandstone. This is the local equivalent of the Millstone Grit.
Rift Valley?
The Clwydian Range lies between the Alun Valley to the east and Vale of Clwyd to the west by. Huge earthquakes formed these two valleys millions of years ago. The Earth’s crust was being pulled apart like a stick of toffee. When you pull toffee it stretches and thins. If you keep pulling it breaks. The Earth’s crust also stretches like toffee, and over time it breaks. This is what has happened in the Vale of Clwyd. Moving tectonic plates stretched the Earth’s crust and when the crust broke the rocks of the Vale dropped by up to 1000metres. The rocks the same as the rocks at the top of Moel Famau are 1 kilometre below the surface of the Vale.
The last major event to shape the Clwydian Range was the last Ice Age. There were two ice sheets covering the area with ice up to 1000 metres thick. The ice from Scotland, the Lake District and the Irish Sea was called the Irish Sea Ice Sheet and carried rocks from those areas. The Welsh Ice Sheet flowed east from Snowdonia and the Arenig Mountains carrying erratics from Wales (See DVW5 Caer Drewin EarthCache).
As the ice flowed over the land it carved out cwms and valleys and rounded the hills. On either side of the Clwydian Range there are wide U-shaped valleys with steep rounded heads. These are where glaciers were formed and flowed down the valley.
To log this EarthCache:
1. What colours are the rocks used to build the Jubilee Tower
2. What is the height of the trig point at Moel Famau?
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)