Limestone Paving
(Clints and
Grykes)
No I'm not talking about paving downtown
Kingston
This is more of Mother Nature showing off her construction
skills
Allow me to explain.
As you leave the trail heading to GZ, you will notice a lot of
exposed Limestone.
You should also notice a good example of Limestone Paving
or in Geological Terms
Clints and Grykes
No I have not lost my mind creating this Earth
Cache
So Just what are Clints and
Grykes (Grikes as some spell
it)?
Well.............
Limestone pavement is made up of two
separate but integral parts known as clints and grykes.
Clints are the blocks of limestone that constitute the paving,
their area and shape is directly dependent
upon the frequency and pattern of grykes. Grykes are the fissures
or spaces that isolate the individual clints.
A limestone pavement
is a natural Karst landform
consisting of a flat, incised surface of
exposed
limestone that
resembles an artificial pavement.
(Karst: a geologic formation shaped by
the
dissolution of a layer or layers
of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock
such as limestone or dolomite)
Conditions for
limestone pavements are created when the advancing glacier
scrapes away
and exposes horizontally-bedded limestone, the
glacial
retreat leaves behind a flat and bare surface.
Limestone is slightly soluble in water and especially in acid rain,
so
corrosive drainage along joints and cracks in the limestone can
produce slabs
called "clints" isolated by deep
fissures called "grikes" or
"grykes".
If the grikes are fairly straight and the clints are uniform in
size, the
resemblance to man-made paving stones is striking, but often they
are less
regular. Limestone pavements that develop beneath a mantle of
topsoil
usually exhibit more rounded forms.
At Ground Zero is a great example of Clints and Grykes forming
a field of Limestone Pavement
To log this Earth Cache you must send me the answers to the
following 4 questions
Via my Geocaching Profile
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1) What is the Average depth of the Grykes at GZ?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2) Is the area of Limestone Paving at GZ bigger or smaller
then
100 meters square?
For those of you not great with math, From GZ can you walk 50
meters
in every direction and still be on the Limestone Pavement?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Are most of the Clints near GZ, Uniform in shape or
Irregular?
Please explain.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Which direction was the Glacier traveling in this area
More North and South
or
More East and West
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Although Pictures are not mandatory for logging this Earth
Cache
they are always welcomed
And finally, my Earth Caches are meant to be fun and educational,
and are not
meant to stress you out trying to get perfect answers on the
questions.
Once the answers are sent, please log the Earth Cache, if
there is concern with your answers, I'll contact you.
Happy (Earth) Caching everyone
Coman123
