The Pits - A Really Rubbish Cache Traditional Cache
Bean & Sprout: Hiding spot has gone.
The Pits - A Really Rubbish Cache
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This cache belongs to the 'The Pits' series which takes you on a 2 mile walk around the Asheldham gravel pits.
For many millions of years the Dengie 100 was under the sea. During the Eocene Epoch, about 55 million years ago, Essex was in a shallow tropical sea similar to modern day Malaysia. During this period, over about 3 million years, rivers flowing from the mainland dropped silt which formed the modern London clay belt that is a predominant feature of the local soil.
Into this new clay soil at the bottom of the sea dropped a variety of sea life that became fossilised. The clay is rich in minerals with selenite, a variety of gypsum, that forms clear crystals.
In more recent times the Thames/Medway River crossed the Dengie 100 to meet the sea north off Bradwell on sea. During this period the river cut into the London clay leaving deposits of sand and gravel. It was during the Ice Age that the Thames became blocked in Hertfordshire by a glacier and a large lake was formed. This lake eventually forced a new path which led to the Thames and Medway adopting its current route.
The Ice Age brought many new animals with fossils of mammoths, hyena, hippopotamus, wolves and reindeers all being found in the area. In 1983 a superb mammoth tusk was found on the shore of the river crouch at Burnham on crouch. The tusk can be viewed in the Chelmsford and Essex Museum.
Three sites in the area are especially noted for fossils - Creeksea Cliffs, Maylandsea and Asheldham pits.
Some of the pits in the area are still in use whilst some, like this one, have been put to other uses.
Once you have retrieved the cache the footpath can be found on the opposite side of the road on the corner. You can follow the series clockwise (take the north footpath) or anticlockwise (take the west footpath).
If parking here please take care not to obstruct the farm turning and driveways.
Please note, this cache went missing before publication and had to be replaced. I have therefore not included a bonus number here in case it goes missing again.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
zntargvp
Treasures
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