Makauwahi Sinkhole / Makauwahi Cave EarthCache
Makauwahi Sinkhole / Makauwahi Cave
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The most exciting way to learn about the Earth and its processes is to get into the outdoors and experience it first-hand. Visiting an Earthcache is a great outdoor activity the whole family can enjoy. An Earthcache is a special place that people can visit to learn about a unique geoscience feature or aspect of our Earth. Earthcaches include a set of educational notes and the details about where to find the location (latitude and longitude). Visitors to Earthcaches can see how our planet has been shaped by geological processes, how we manage the resources and how scientists gather evidence to learn about the Earth.
Makauwahi Sinkhole / Makauwahi Cave
A few thousand years of history
Copyrights: Picture above provided by karenbrown.com
Hidden features that you do not see: (Klick on picture to see mor details)
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The Makauwahi Sinkhole is a spectacular limestone crater.
A natural amphitheater carved by groundwater and eroded by the elements. It´s a collapsed room of this unusual limestone cave, formed from Pleistocene sand dunes. It holds treasures from the past. Today, there are signs of ancient snails, extinct land crabs, fossil bones and much more, BUT not visible for everybody.
Because there are so many secrets to find out but to much to explain here, you can find a professional explanation here. |
Copyrights: Picture above provided by The Honolulu Advertiser. and the hyperlink above provided by The University of Hawaii System.
Geology & Formation: (Klick on picture to see mor details)
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The entire area where the sinkhole is located started as a field of sand dunes. The sand is mostly coral skeletons with a high calcium content.
Over the time, the combination of acid from plant life and moisture converting the sand to limestone rock by chemical process.
Rainwater permanent penetrate the rock layers and the upper layers of the soft layers of limestone begin to erode and creating the first small caves.
Also layers of volcanic ash and sand dunes build on and changed the area.
Over thousend of years, groundwater and rain water draining from the nearby mountains penetrate through the limestone.
The first extensive complex of caves come into being The mechanisms of formation involve natural processes of erosion or gradual removal of slightly soluble bedrock (such as limestone here) by percolating water.
As Sea levels rose up, the cave was flooding with sea water. The cave roof is not possible to carry weight and finally one large section collapsed. That happened about 7,000 years ago.
The flow of fresh water to the sea is blocked by the fallen rock. Now a large lake is formed. Later draining water begin to erode the collapsed cave roof rocks.
The unique Mahaulepu sinkhole is created.
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Copyrights: The handmade picture above kindly provided by me
To log this cache, send me an email with the answer of my Questions.
1st: What do you think, how thick was the collapsed roof? For that look this picture.
2nd: Are still parts of the collapsed roof visible?
3rd: I have explained above, 7000 years ago the roof collapsed due to rosed up sea level. Next the Waypoint "QA" you can see limestone. Try to explain the hardness and texture of the stone you see.
Optional: "It would be nice you could take a picture with you and the sinkhole in the background"
Please send your answers to the following address: strahle_man@web.de . Please write your GC-Nickname in subject heading. You may log the earthcache without my permission. If i find any incorrectness, i will write an email to you.
Be sure to find the nearby Kauai Cavern Cache (GCJRWC) cache by "camnpete" while here. Thanks!
You want learn more about sinkholes? Take a look to my other sinkhole Earthcaches:
All informations above based of following sources:
- Lessons of a Limestone Cave: by Sharon Levy
- Articles of starbulletin.com & starbulletin.com
- Articles of The Honolulu Advertiser.
- Articles of Daily Kos.
- Articles of Kauai Travel Guide.
- Articles of To-Hawaii.com
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[To log this cache, send me an email with the answer of my Questions.]
[1st:] Jung qb lbh guvax, ubj guvpx jnf gur pbyyncfrq ebbs? Sbe gung ybbx guvf cvpgher.
[2nd:] Ner fgvyy cnegf bs gur pbyyncfrq ebbs ivfvoyr?
[3rd:] V unir rkcynvarq nobir, 7000 lrnef ntb gur ebbs pbyyncfrq qhr gb ebfrq hc frn yriry.
[Next the Waypoint "QA",] lbh pna frr yvzrfgbar. Gel gb rkcynva gur uneqarff naq grkgher bs gur fgbar lbh frr.
[Optional:] "Vg jbhyq or avpr lbh pbhyq gnxr n cvpgher jvgu lbh naq gur fvaxubyr va gur onpxtebhaq"