Scottish Stonicles EarthCache
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You have heard of Icicles but have you ever heard of stonicles? No? That's probably because they are called Stalactites. So what is a stalactite? Here comes the science bit......nah...let's make it a bit easier to understand....
Stalactites are deposits of calcium carbonate that are usually found in limestone caves. They hang downwards like an icicle. They are formed due to water that contains Calcium Bicarbonate dripping but the water evaporates, leaving a calcium carbonate deposit. The growth rate for these objects is 0.1 to 0.2 milimetres a year when they are underground.
So why have I brought you to a road in the middle of nowhere that doesn't have any caves near it? Look underneath where you are standing....not the side that has the gates across the river, the other side. Please DO NOT touch the stalactites as they are pretty fragile
TASKS
Your Earthcaching tasks are as follows:
1) What is the length of the longest one.
2) Given the growth rate mentioned above, how long do you think the longest one has been growing here? Does this seem likely or does this suggest these objects are growing at a faster rate? Why would this be?
3) What would you normally expect to find growing below a stalactite?
4) What happens if this object connects with the stalactite?
5) What is another name for a stalactite (not stonicle)
6) How did the calcium get into the water?
Send the answers to 1-6 in an email to the cache owner via his profile. Do not post this in your log. Cachers can log the cache before receiving my confirmation email as any logs from cachers who haven't sent the answers will be quietly deleted!
Optional task: At the coordinates, take a photo of yourself and/or GPS at the location and post this in your log. I would really love if you could do this as I enjoy seeing caching photos in my listings. PLEASE DO NOT POST A PHOTO OF THE ACTUAL STALACTITES.
You must carry out these educational tasks as required by the Earthcaching organisation as a condition of logging the cache. Logs that do not adhere to these guidelines will be deleted without notification. See www.earthcache.org
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Treasures
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