Bens View EarthCache
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Ben Lomond is the highest Rock Plateau in Tasmania, it’s precipitous cliffs dominate the rural north-eastern part of the state.
The summit Legges Tor is 1575m making it the second highest peak in Tasmania. The alpine village on Ben Lomond is the main focus of downhill skiing in Tasmania. The ski field on Ben Lomond is Tasmania's only downhill skiing area which offers some of the facilities expected of a contemporary ski field.
The roads leading up here are the highest in Tasmania. As this area is subject to changes in weather you should be well prepared for all conditions. Visitors must also carry and display a Parks Pass.
Please Note: The terrain rating for this cache may increase during the winter months due to snow. Please follow the guidelines as recommended by Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service for travelling in the area if these conditions are expected.
The Earthly bits that make up this cache;
It was 200-174 million years ago that the Ben Lomond area was close to sea level.
The area was a vast silty plain of peat-filled swamps and lakes whose sediments compressed to form sedimentary rock.
Between 174-55 million years ago the earth’s crust started to crack as the continents began to move. This enabled lava to seep up through the cracks. In the Ben Lomond area the lava stopped at the base of the sedimentary rock and cooled to form the igneous rock dolerite. The dolerite cooled so quickly that it cracked into polygon-shaped columns.
Starting during the Eocene period Ben Lomond gradually began to take its present shape and height. Over a long period of time wind and water gradually removed the softer sedimentary rock exposing the hard cracked dolerite surface and its columns.
Two million-10 000 years ago the climate cooled and an ice cap formed on the plateau. The ice flows scoured and smoothed the dolerite rock leaving behind smoothed column tops on the plateau surface and small glaciers which scoured down the mountain slopes leaving mounds of rubble as they melted. Ice action caused the columns around the edge of the plateau to fracture, tumble and form blockfields and scree slopes.
From 10 000 years ago up to now ice action still continues to slowly wear away the dolerite columns. If you look around you may still see signs of this happening on the tall columns.
Down to Business;
To log this cache you will need to perform the following requirements;
A) Answer the following few questions;
Question 1: When the dolerite cooled up to how many meters deep did the polygon shaped columns crack?
Question 2: During what years did Earthquakes raise Ben Lomond?
Question 3: How many screws hold the top wooden rail to the metal fence of the viewing platform?
B) (Optional)Take a picture of you and your clearly visible GPSr from GZ with some of the beautiful scenery in the background and add it to you log.
Once you’ve completed the cache please submit your answers via Email using the Email function of the gc.com profile page then go ahead and log your find. We will at some stage view your answers, if there are any concerns we will contact you. We won’t be replying to correct answers.
Additional Hints
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Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
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