Neskowin Ghost Forest EarthCache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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NOTE: Please do not disturb the Ghost Forest in any way. It is okay
to walk on the sand and get quite close, please leave the forest as
you found it.
Access is from Neskowin by walking down the beach, you may have to
wade Neskowin Creek.
About 1600 years ago a forest growing near sea level experienced a
"subsidence event" during an earthquake estimated to be 8.0 on the
Richtor Scale. The Trees in the forest suddenly had their roots in
salt water which would have slowly caused them to die and be
preserved.
Sand soon covered the forest, either from sand-bars being washed in
on a tidal wave caused by the earthquake or from natural movement
of the sand over time. The sand created an oxygen free environment
that further perserved the trees. The original soil with spruce
needles and cones can be found under rocks and sand at the roots of
the trees.
Strong storms in the winter of 1997-1998 scoured sand off the beach
and exposed the trees.
Sand naturally moves along beaches and from the beach to sandbars,
between headlands in closed zones called "littoral cells". The
Neskowin littoral cel is bounded by Cascade Head to the south and
Cape Kiwanda to the north. Scientists are wondering if the sand
from the 1998 storm is going to return and if not where did it go.
One way or another the ghost forest will dissapear; either beneath
the sands or carried away by the sea.
In life, the larger trees were 150 to 200 foot tall Sitka Spruce
that were 1500-2000 years old. Most of the ghost trees are now
stumps exposed to the pounding surf, you can even see some way out
in the surf by Proposal Rock at low tide. Please do not do climb on
the trees or do anything to interfere with the natural and
geological forces affecting the trees.
The idea of this cache is to provide observations over time of the
condition of the ghost forest by providing counts and other notes
in your logs.
To log this cache you must do the following:
1. Take a count of the trees in the ghost forest and post it in
your log. You may take a big count from Proposal Rock to the end of
the beach or you may take a small count from the cache coordinates
to Proposal Rock.
2. Note in your log the time of the nearest low tide, the + or - of
the tide, and the time you were on the beach. Most tide tables
provide tides for locations to the north and south, just split the
difference. Your GPS receiver probably has tide tables on it, mine
does.
3. Take a count of the trees that have fallen and are still on the
beach and post that in your log.
4. Post the coordnates in your log of your favorite ghost tree and
explain why the tree is your favorite.
5. Send me an email speculating about the forces that might destroy
the ghost forest and how nature might preserve the ghost
forest.
Any pictures you take and post would be great, but are purely
optional.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)