Mount Hope Historical Park EarthCache
Hidden : 11/18/2013
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

Mount Hope Historical Park is administered by the Morris County Park System. Please stay on the trails. Please park at the designated parking area. The park closes at dusk.
From the parking area, hike along the Yellow trail to the Red Trail. Please stay on the trails!

The tools that you will require for this cache are: a magnetic compass, and a magnet.

Here is a map of the trails at Mount Hope Historical Park:
user posted image

You can find a large copy of the map here: Morris County Parks
Mount Hope Historical Park preserves three of the major iron mining areas that made Mount Hope prestigious in the industrial history of The US.
Mining here began about 1710, mostly from rocky outcroppings.
The Mount Hope Tract was consolidated by John Jacob Faesch in 1772. It provided iron for munitions, cast-iron products and implements during the Revolutionary War.

user posted image
Mining at Mount Hope

Iron was mined here from 1710 though 1958. Mount Hope Historical Park preserves the mining history of the Teabo, Allen and Richard veins.

user posted image
Map of Richard Mine.

This EarthCache will take you to two of these mining sites. The listed coordinates are for the park sign #4 for the overlook of Teabo 2. In 1860, the shaft here was 480' deep, using bucket hoists to bring ore to the surface. (For reference that is 28% of the height of the Freedom Tower, or about twice the height of the George Washington Bridge above the Hudson River.)
At full capacity, 20,000 tons of ore were mined here annually. The fence surrounding part of the area is made from hoisting cable that was unwound for this purpose.
The area around the trail is covered with mine tailings. The ore mined here was about 60% iron. The tailings dumped here were not a high enough percentage iron to be considered worth processing.

Task 1: Use your magnet to check out the mine tailings along the trail. Will your magnet stick to the rock? If not, try again.
Task 2: Once you have found a rock that your magnet will stick to, use your magnetic compass to see if it is magnetite. Circle your magnet compass around the rock. Does your compass point to the rock? Then you have found a piece of magnetite! Please leave the magnetite in place and answer these questions:
Required answer #1: Describe the rock in terms of color, markings and texture. Does it include quartz?
Required answer #2: Compare the color and consistency of the mine tailings along the trail to the color and aspects of the boulders found in the area. Describe the differences. What cause these differences?

Task 3: Hike to the second waypoint. Sign Post #5. Here you are between the large pit at the Allen Mine and a series of exploratory pits for the Allen mine. Note the direction that the vein runs.
Required answer #3: In what direction do the veins of ore flow?
Please e-mail me your answers. Do not post them on your logs.
Photos are always welcomed, but not required.

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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