PANTHER ROCKS EarthCache
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Panther Rocks sit quietly in the Moshannon State Forest. We hope that you enjoy your visit to this area and please CITO where needed. Take special care climbing around as there are many deep crevices and hidden cracks. We have rated the terrain a little higher for this reason. There is no need to go off the paths.
This Earthcache is placed with approval from DCNR.
More than 300 million years ago Western Pennsylvania was submerged beneath a shallow sea that was cut off from the ocean by the eastern Appalachian Mountains. Sediments washed off the mountains into this sea, creating a thick pile of sedimentary rock. Late in the Paleaozioc Era (250-300 million years ago), separate land masses of the Earth collided, pushing the land upward, draining the shallow sea, and forming the single continent of Pangea. The Appalachian chain at that time had elevations comparable to the Alps or Rocky Mountains today. As the North American and Euro-African continents once again drifted apart, weathering and erosion wore the mountains down, covering the exposed rocks below with debris.
A majority of the rocks in Pennsylvania exposed at the surface today are sedimentary rocks deposited during the Paleozoic Era.
The area known as the Appalachian Plateau is by far the largest geologic province of the state, and most of the rocks in this region are not folded and faulted, but rather sit relatively flat. Four of the major types of sedimentary rock in Pennsylvania are:
Limestone: A sedimentary rock composed primarily of calcium carbonate in the form of the mineral calcite. It most commonly forms in clear, warm, shallow marine waters. It is usually an organic sedimentary rock that forms from the accumulations of shell, coral, algal and fecal debris. It can also be a chemical sedimentary rock formed by the precipitation of calcium carbonate from lake or ocean water.
Sandstone: A clastic sedimentary rock made up mainly of sand-size (1/16 to 2 millimeter diameter) weathering debris. Environments where large amounts of sand can accumulate include beaches, deserts, flood plains and deltas.
Shale: A fine-grained sedimentary rock that forms from the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles that we commonly call "mud". This composition places shale in a category of sedimentary rocks known as "mudstones". Shale is distinguished from other mudstones because it is fissile and laminated. "Laminated" means that the rock is made up of many thin layers. "Fissile" means that the rock readily splits into thin pieces along the laminations.
Siltstone: A clastic sedimentary rock that forms from silt-size (between 1/256 and 1/16 millimeter diameter) weathering debris.
It is believed that Panther Rocks were created 300 million years ago when the land was still at the bottom of this shallow sea. Over time, the landscape around the rocks has receded and revealed these "gems" underneath.
To claim this cache:
1. Describe the type of rock here. Is it limestone, sandstone, shale or siltstone?
2. At the posted coordinates you will see an opening. Inside, measure the height of the "ceiling" at it's highest point.
3. At waypoint N41*08.537 W078*29.430, describe what you see on the surface of the rocks. What do you think caused this patterning?
Just for fun, see if you can find the "face in the rocks" and post a picture. We welcome all photos however they are not a requirement to claiming the cache.
Congratulations to Knapaholic for the ftf!!
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Treasures
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