Greenville Rocks! EarthCache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(other)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
”Linky Stone Mountain”
The Children’s Garden is a multi-themed garden designed to enrich children's intelligence, creativity and well-being through exploration and discovery. The garden is located at Linky Stone Park, a 1.7-acre greenspace along the Reedy River, between downtown Greenville and the revitalized West End.
Nestled within The Children’s Garden is the “Geology Garden.” Depicting the Geologic History of Greenville, this wall of stone provides a delight for Earthcachers of all ages!
Here you can venture to the “top” of Greenville County to scour the landscape for minerals native to the Upstate. Discover hidden treasures (fossils) and trace the flow of rivers across the Greenville County countryside. Pause to learn all about three orogenies (periods of “mountain-building”) that have produced what we know and love as Greenville County today.
The Geology Garden’s “Blue Wall” features minerals that are prevalent in Greenville, including two types of gneiss and a kind of amphibolite. Examples of each of these minerals are evident on “Linky Stone Mountain” and are pictured below. All three are the result of the impact of heat and pressure associated with the first of three orogenies.
Henderson Gneiss: grey, fine-grained, with “augen” (eye-shaped intrusions of other minerals)
Table Rock Gneiss also grey, finely granulated, sometimes with “bands” intruding into the granite
Poor Mountain amphibolite: dark red or brown, finely grained and sometimes banded and/or intruded
Find your way to GZ and determine the answers to the following questions (please email me with your responses):
1. Some excellent examples of both types of gneiss that predominate in Greenville County are located on “Linky Stone Mountain.” Venture around to the northern side of the mountain and examine the prominent granite boulder jutting up on the mountaintop (see picture below). In your opinion, is it composed of Henderson Gneiss (with augen) or Table Rock Gneiss? Please explain your answer.
2. On the southern side of “Linky Stone Mountain” is an excellent example of a “fault” (similar to the one from Camp Greenville pictured below), with a “sheet” of amphibolite resting on top of a block of granitic rocks. What color is the amphibolite? Why do you think it is that color?
Picture of a fault at Camp Greenville: “At Camp Greenville, a thrust sheet of the Chauga River formation created the Six-mile Thrust Sheet over the Table Rock Gneiss. The fault line consists of quartz and feldspar, separating the red amphibolite from the much lighter gneiss below.”
(Photo of the fault at Camp Greenville and accompanying description copyright (c) 2004 Charlotte S. Marek. Used by permission. Thank you, Charlotte S. Marek, for your excellent photos and field journal of 03/08/2004 in "Southern Appalachian Geology" [www.themareks.com/csm/appalachians/monday.html]! Thanks also to Dr. Jack Garihan of the Earth and Environmental Sciences department at Furman University, Greenville, SC, guest geologist.)
3. How many “fossils” are visible on the mountain?
4. Bonus: posting pictures of yourself at “Linky Stone Mountain” is welcome!
Here’s a handy reference to Geologic units in Greenville County, South Carolina
The title of this Earthcache is a tip o’ the hat to Carolyn Hanna Murphy, author of the acclaimed “Carolina Rocks! The Geology of South Carolina.”
This Earthcache is designed especially for children, and is placed in honor of an accomplished young Gecocaching friend, Strongsad.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)