On the coast six kilometres out of Talia are the world famous Talia Caves. The first 'cave' is known as the Woolshed, which is accessed by a constructed wooden stairway and a relatively easy walking track. The Woolshed is a large cave, or cavity, in the cliff face which has been formed by the erosion of the cliff face by wind and water. The second 'cave' in the series is known as The Tub. The Tub formed as a result of collapse of the limestone roof into the cavity to form a crater. It is possible to climb into The Tub. There is ocean access from the Tub through a sandstone tunnel in the rocks.
These 'caves' are the result of the weathering of three very different kinds of rock. The cliffs were formed as recently as 100,000 years ago and are a form of compacted sand dune. Not surprisingly they are vulnerable to erosion. Above the cliffs is a layer of hard limestone conglomerate. Below the cliffs is pink sandstone which was formed some 1,500 million years ago. The action of erosion on these three distictly different materials has resulted in the formation of cavities, which in the case of 'The Tub' has led to the collapse of the roof of a cave and in the case of 'The Woolshed' has resulted in the waves eating in between the hard sandstone surface and the hard limestone conglomerate.
Be sure to visit the other caves along this two kilometre section of spectacular coastline.
Your earthscience tasks to log this Earthcache are as follows.
1. Estimate the size of the waves at the time of your visit. Describe how you have made this estimate. (Submit this answer in your log)
2. Estimate the speed of the wind at the time of your visit. Describe how you have made this estimate. (Submit this answer in your log)
3. Do you consider water or wind action has caused the cliff erosion? Justify your answer.
4. (Optional) Provide a picture of yourself at GZ (Submit this answer in your log)