Where earth meets water EarthCache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(not chosen)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This is an Earth cache so there is no log, you have to upload a picture of yourself with the cache The traffic lights change from red to green for only 10 minutes in each hour so if you are lucky/patient enough to get a photo of them green that would show how keen you are
Also there are questions to answer below. email this answer to me via the message facility.
Questions (you need to visit the site for these.) You will need a torch and look inside the tunnel. Take care if children are with you. 1 What type of stone or rock was used to face the outside of the tunnel entrance and what was used to line the inside of the tunnel, this was all quarried from local sites, and why was this type of rock/stone used
2 What type of geological material was used to make the canal bed watertight, this is a local product. and why was this used
Foulridge Tunnel on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal cuts through the hill to the west of Foulridge (pronounced "Fulridge" or "Foalridge") carrying the summit level of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal for 1,640 yards (1500m) through the hillside. It was designed to be 18' high, 17' wide with a water depth of 7'. It took six years to construct and ran into serious problems (mainly water incursion) during construction, causing it to run massively over budget. It was finally opened in May 1796. It has subsequently collapsed three times - though I can only find dates for two of these: 1843 resulting in a two week closure and 1902 when the road above it also collapsed. A Jack Arch was constructed 350yds from the eastern end on this occasion to remedy the situation. Ten years after this collapse, the most famous event in the tunnel's history occurred when a cow fell into the canal at the western end, and rather than try to get out there, decided to swim gallantly through the nearly a mile of tunnel to the Foulridge end. Amazingly it managed this feat, and with the help of a brandy from the local pub survived to moo the tale. Photographs of the cow can apparently be found in the Hole in the Wall pub in Foulridge. The canal is controlled by traffic lights, and a standard narrow-boat will take about 15 minutes to traverse its length. Wide barges however, which fit quite snugly into its bore can take nearly twice this long The underlying geology of Lancashire: Is comparatively simple and is formed from several major rock types from main geological periods. The Lower Carboniferous is represented by the shallow marine Carboniferous Limestone which outcrops at Silverdale and the Ribble Valley, running through Clitheroe into Yorkshire. This is the local geology of this area and explains why the tunnel collapsed several times. The local geology is made up of moraine deposited by ice age glacial movement. To the west is the The deltaic, Upper Carboniferous Millstone Grit, forms the core of the upland area of the Forest of Bowland and the higher moors to the east of Chorley, while the succeeding Coal Measures underlie Blackburn, Accrington and Burnley in the south of the County. The coastal lowlands of the west of the County are generally formed of Permian and Triassic sandstones and mud-stones. Lancashire was completely covered by ice during the last glacial advance of the Quaternary, or Ice Ages, and as a consequence the solid geology is largely covered by layers of glacially derived sediments. These form a skin of superficial deposits, or till, which in places are so thick as to eradicate all visual clues as to the nature of the underlying solid geology. This drift has been eroded and shaped by fluvial, marine, aeolian and frost processes, which combine to create distinctive features and landscapes. Topography: Lancashire can be divided into three broad topographic zones, the lowlands, the uplands and the river valleys. The lowlands (to the west) are generally formed of Permian and Triassic rocks, overlain by thick deposits of glacial drift, blown sand, peat, alluvium and silt. These are soft, gently rolling landscapes interspersed with eskers (gravel ridges) and low hillocks (drumlins). Most of the uplands are formed from Carboniferous rocks which rise above the plain; they are characterised by features such as boulder erratics. The grit stone plateaux are surrounded by steep glacier smoothed slopes. When the tunnel was made it had to be lined with a mile long arch to hold back the unstable surrounding rocks. This is unusual because if the rock had been more stable it wouldn't have been necessary to do this. Please message me the answers to the questions and you may upload a photo of yourself with the cache behind you, if you like. Thanks for visiting this area
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur ghaary ragenapr