The Wrens Nest NNR Tour - 3 Million Year Walk Traditional Cache
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Paul
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The Wrens Nest NNR Tour - 3 Million Year Walk
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(small)
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This cache is one in a series which I have set up at various places of interest within the Wren's Nest National Nature Reserve (NNR) located to the north west of the town centre of Dudley, West Midlands, England. I would like to thank the Wardens & DMBC for letting me place these caches and all the help given :) THIS IS A HIGH MUGGLE DOG WALKING AREA SO BE CAREFUL WHEN LOOKING!
This Cache is situated at 'Three million year walk Fossil trench'
Wren’s Nest derives its name from the Old English word Wrosne, meaning “the link”. This may relate to its topographical position on the boundary between the Severn and Trent watersheds.
Wren's Nest is a classic geological site of exceptional importance, being one of the most notable geological locations in the British Isles and visited and studied by geologists from all over the world.
About 420 million years ago, tropical seas covered the area where Dudley now stands, with coral reefs inhabited by trilobites, crinoids (sea lilies), brachiopods and many other creatures. Their remains may be found today as perfectly preserved fossils in the limestone rocks at Wren's Nest, collections of which occur in museums throughout the world. Over 700 types of fossil are known from Wren's Nest, 186 of which were first discovered and described here, and 86 are found nowhere else on Earth
You'll see there is a pathway cut into the hill here. Walk up the cutting from the bottom of the slope - you're now walking through three million years of history! In the 1960s, English Heritage cut this trench through the rock. The rock is made up of lots of layers stacked on top of each other, each layer representing a period of time. Look closely at the particles in the rock - they become finer as you walk up through the cutting. Each layer gives geologists clues - the layers here represent sea levels. Fine particles mean that the water wasn't very energetic. (If it was rushing in fast currents, it would carry bigger pebbles and rocks.) So, because the particles change, the water which covered Dudley millions of years ago changed. So was the land rising or the sea level dropping? Scientists wanted to find out, so they cut this trench straight through this limestone hill. Look out for yellow/orange stripes in the limestone. These show volcanic activity. When a volcano erupted, it covered the ground (and sea!) with a layer of volcanic ash and rock. And here it is, sandwiched in the limestone.
Look out, too, for holes in the rock - they're the burrows of soft-bodied creatures (like worms). Their bodies rotted away but the burrows remain.
Since the cutting was made, plants have begun to move in. They're growing in cracks in the rock. Soil starts to build up and the plants' roots can work their way through to anchor themselves in the rock.
The bottom of the cutting, you can see the road on the right which is raised above where you're standing. The 18th century quarrymen left the limestone under the road - so the road must be older than the quarries! The trees growing here tell historians exactly when the quarrying stopped - that's when they started to grow. If you cut down a tree, a slice across the trunk shows rings of growth which can be used to accurately calculate the age of the tree.
Lastly, if you are going to collect any fossils whilst here, can you please abide by the Fossil Collecting Code!
1. For your own safety please
DO NOT climb on the rock
exposures. Rock faces can be
unstable and dangerous.
2. The use of hammers or other
tools on the reserve is STRICTLY
PROHIBITED. Never collect
fossils directly from rock faces.
3. Fossils may be collected from the
loose material at the base of
slopes. Please only take away a
few small representative samples.
4. For help with identification please
contact the Warden Service on
01384 812785 or Dudley Museum
on 01384 815575. Remember to
keep a note of the exact location
your fossil was found.
5. If you no longer wish to keep your
fossils, remember never throw
them away! Donate them to the
Museum or the Warden Service
for others to enjoy.
THANK YOU
****THE HONOURS****
FTF - andycpuk
STF - greyboots
TTF - lathama & The.Darlaston.Duo.s
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Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Zbffl sryyrq gerr gehax jvgu vil.