Alabama's State Rock(s) EarthCache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(other)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
At this location, you will see examples of what was designated as Alabama's State Rock in 1969. It has been used in buildings and monuments for over 160 years. Some of these include the Alabama State Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, the U.S. Capitol, and the New York Stock Exchange.
This observation point has been recently set aside as a location to view the quarry. Now a ghost town, this location was a true "mill town" with a store, school, post office, and even a baseball team in the early part of the twentieth century. People who lived here even swam in the quarry.
GEOLOGICAL HISTORY
Marble is a metamorphic rock, meaning it changed from its original form. Sylacauga marble was originally limestone. Approximately 300 million years ago the African and North American continents collided. The heat and pressure from this collision caused the limestone to re-crystallize to form marble. The color of the marble is determined by the purity of the limestone. Today, rather than mining the marble in block for ornamental reasons, we mine the mineral Calcium Carbonate. To log this Earthcache, please email me the answers to the following questions.
1. From what was the original limestone formed and how long ago?
2. Looking at the large rocks in the area, how pure do you think this marble is?
3. What size is the bed of marble beneath the city of Sylacauga?
4. Describe the paving of the drive leading to this cache site.
5. What color is the water in the quarry and where does it get this color?
6. What are the buildings and conveyer belts you see?
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybtf fhozvggrq orsber nafjref gb dhrfgvbaf ner fhozvggrq jvyy or qryrgrq.