Sandy Beach? EarthCache
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North of Malta lies the island of Gozo. You can go to Gozo from Malta by ferry from Cirkewwa.
We found this spot on a hike from Ta Cenc to Mgarr, passing Mgarr ix-Xini and the Mgarr ix-Xini Tower on the way. Proper hiking shoes are recommended.
The Maltese rock sequence is relatively simple being divided into five main layers (se picture).
Each layer has a distinct composition, as well as distinct properties such as resistance to erosion dependent on rock hardness. These layers essentially lie horizontally but they are displaced at intervals by various faults across the island. These faults in turn control the weathering and erosion of the exposed rock layers.
The lower Coralline Limestone is the oldest, visible, exposed unit of the Maltese islands. It is hard and pale grey, outcropping to a height of about 140m in the cliffs near Xlendi, Gozo. It is the most compact and crystalline of the Maltese rocks. In fact due to the latter, it is more resistant to erosion, and it therefore forms sheer cliffs.
Globigerina Limestone is a softer fine grained rock layer than that below it and therefore, when weathered, it forms gentle slopes. The thickness of the Globigerina layer varies between 20 metres near Fort Chambray, Gozo to about 200 metres at Marsaxlokk, Malta.
Blue Clay is overlying the Globigerina Limestone which is the softest layer of the main rock strata. It is compact when dry and malleable when wet. Its colour varies from grey to yellow or brown, with lighter colour bands present in upper layers. It is easily weathered forming rounded slopes covered with landslip debris.
The Greensand Formation is the thinnest of the rock layers. Its thickness is usually about a metre thick reaching a maximum thickness of 11metres at Il-Gelmus, central Gozo.
Upper Coralline Limestone is similar to the Lower Coralline Limestone on both chemical and palaeontological grounds. It is a hard layer of thickness reaching 160m in the Bingemma area, Malta.
To log this cache:
1. Which rock layer is dominating the cliff walls around GZ? (one of the five layers described above)
2. Describe the the rock wall - what's the difference between how it looks and how it feels?
Send your answers (in English or Danish) to us by mail. You do not need to await our approval before you log the cache. We will contact you if there's any problems.
If you mention any part of the answers in your log, the log will be deleted without further notice.
THIS EARTHCACHE WILL BE ARCHIVED ON NOVEMBER 1ST 2015!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybbx ng gur eryngrq jro cntr!
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