Please note that this is an Earthcache; a find will only be accepted if the Logging Requirements have been met.
The listed coordinates are for a spot on the Macclesfield Canal, a convenient spot on the KT Power series to view the ridge. Most east/west roads across the ridge will also provide a suitable access point to view the feature. Because of the size of this feature, wheelchair cachers will be able to access suitable points e.g. canal overbridges without needing to access the listed coordinates, which are only defined to prevent icon overlaps on the area mapping!
In early 2012 as Khoomfay and Young Thropp prepared their latest geocaching venture, 'KT Power' along the Macclesfield Canal, it became clear that the terrain was dominated by one feature, one which is arguably the most prominent geological feature for many miles; to the east was high ground and to the west the Cheshire plain. Why should that be? The aim of this Earth cache is to explain the significance of this feature from the viewpoint of Physical Geology and also to show in wider terms its economic impact on the positioning of the Macclesfield Canal?
The surface geology of the area round the ridge is mainly Carboniferous and Triassic. To the east we have the Lower Carboniferous (Carboniferous Limestone) of the 'White Peak' and as we travel westwards we have the Upper Carboniferous (Millstone Grit) of the Kinder plateau, the Upper Carboniferous (Coal Measures) of the Ridge' and finally the younger rocks of the Triassic on the Cheshire Plain outcropping in places as sandstones.
The hard rocks in the area can be conveniently seen during conventional geocaching trips. The Carboniferous Limestone appears in the area round Harpur Hill subject to the 'Blue Lagoon' Series by Khoomfay, Many caches by Geogeriatrics are situated in the Millstone Grit of Kinderscout, The Coal Measures are crossed tortuously by Khoomfay's iconic 'Little Britain' series and SherlockSK's 'Signs of Old Stockport' takes us past the Triassic Sandstone outcrops alongside the M60 motorway.
The two large geological periods immediately above (younger in age) the Triassic are the Jurassic then the Cretaceous, the time of the dinosaurs, but they are missing from the area, so why? Simply because the area was already land, and not under the sea. Erosion of the land mass to the north had produced a large river delta to the south creating the sediments of the Carboniferous and Triassic in the area. They had been pushed upwards in an orogeny (mountain building phase) into a new land mass approximately where we see it today. The forces involved in this process were sufficient to not only build mountains but to split them as well.
These splits in the earth are the faults of which the Red Rock fault is but one
The highest part is Shining Tor 560m
To log this Earthcache you will need to answer a few relevant questions.
Q1. What is a fault and what causes it?
Q2. To what geological period do the rocks of the hills to the east belong, and to what do the rocks on the plain belong?
Q3. Which are the older rocks of the hills or the plain?
Q4. Estimate approximately ithe 'throw' of the fault in metres?
Q5. Look at the stone use to build structures on the canal, e.g. Bridges Lock chambers etc. Did this rock come from the Carboniferous or the Triassic? Q6. Thomas Telford surveyed the canal to be built mainly on the 518 feet contour, approx 300 feet above the plain. Suggest a reason why Telford might have favoured building a canal way up a hillside. N.B. This is not purely an Earth Science question, but the answer to Q2 will provide a strong clue.
There are many photographic opportunities along the canal, relating to this Earthcache, and although it is optional it is hoped that cachers will provide a good addition to the Gallery.
A detailed reference is 'The Geology of the Country round Stockport'
FTF was The Haywood Hornet and STF was BandMandAandA