This EarthCache was previously part of the Emperor's Quest. It now falls in the land of Dottie the Dachshund. The former Emperor's Quest had a story in each listing and this EarthCache was no exception. It's now only a chapter of a book long archived, but the EarthCache can still be completed by anyone who hasn't previously found it.
No sooner did the Emperor have his feet back on the ground then he was startled by a roar. The roar appeared to have come from a tiger, be it wearing smart robes and a scholars hat. "I am the guardian of the rock face" he announced. The Emperor scoffed. "You are not doing a very good job, there's a whole load of eagles skulking up there and they're not very friendly" he complained. The tiger shook his head. "I am not here to stop anyone using the rock face, it is part of our wonderful natural kingdom and my duty is to make sure it is changed by nothing more than the wind blowing and the rain falling on it." The Emperor smiled. "That's all very noble, but there is someone waiting to give me the next clue to the location of the 'Lost Chord' so we have to be moving on" he said. The tiger smiled. "Only I know the information you desire, but you must first be educated in our wonderful rocks before I can let you know where to go."
The Emperor was quick to respond. "It's fine, I've studied geology, ask me what you will." The tiger looked impressed. He pointed towards the rock face. "Tell me about what you see," the tiger asked. The Emperor looked blank. "It's a rock" he finally replied. The tiger smiled sympathetically, like a professor looking at a student he knows is going to be hard work. "I will need you to understand this wonderful formation much more than that. Please, take a seat on the stone whilst I begin my tale."
"Cast your minds back a time long ago, about 340 million years ago in fact. This area would have been a warm, clear and shallow sea, full of water. Creatures lived and died in the sea, gradually laying down a thick bed of calcium deposits from their shells, in some places, maybe 600 metres deep. We call this rock Carboniferous Limestone and this rock lies underneath the whole of this area - but you won't see any here." he continued.
"As the sea became more shallow about 300 million years ago, large rivers from nearby continents began to drain into the sea and deposit their silt; which was largely sand washed down the river. This gradually compressed to form rocks. The first layers of silt were fine and formed rocks now known as shale. Later on they became very coarse with large lumps of gravel in them - these hardened to form Millstone Grit, and this is what you can see here." The tiger paused, clearly enjoying the attention. "Do you follow me?" he asked. They all nodded.
"Many rocks were formed during this time, and we call it the Carboniferous period which lasted for 65 million years. But I want you to know exactly what you can see here. Well, the rock in front of you is from the Namurian period, one of the many sections that belong to the bigger Carboniferous period. These rocks were formed between 326 and 313 million years ago." The tiger paused, and was pleased to see that everyone still seemed to be paying attention.
"So, let me explain why you can see so many layers in this rock. Millstone Grit is a type of sandstone. As I said before, this is the result of rivers dumping sand onto the sea bed. Every tide and every flood dumped some sand, one bit at a time making a layer. These layers were disturbed by the sea currents which is why they may be inconsistent. Sometimes, a large event would occur, and a huge amount of sand would be dumped in one go, forming a large block many metres thick, and if you walk about in this quarry, you may find such examples." The tiger paused again, before pointing downwards.
"These rocks slowly got buried and were protected for a long time, before movements in the land caused them to be pushed up, become exposed, and now they are eroding. Some rocks provide uniform rock - ideal for quarrying and building. Most of the village of Chinley in the valley below is built from this stone, and therefore this is why there has been such a vast amount of quarrying along the edge." The tiger paused.
"So, hopefully you have understood what I have told you" the tiger concluded. They all nodded again. "Before you can have the next clue, I must get you to look more closely at the gritstone, and I have some questions for you." He turned and bounded onto the little ledge they had just climbed down from.
To log this earthcache, all answers to the questions below must be messaged to the Guardian of the Rocks - via my profile. Do not post any answers within your log. Please send your answers prior to posting your log; it is not necessary to wait for a reply but they will be checked and I will always try and acknowledge your answers. Logs posted without answers will be deleted. Photographs of you are welcome, preferably with the view or in the quarry but please avoid including ones showing the main edge to avoid compromising the questions."
"Firstly, I think the gritstone at the bottom of this rock face is different to the gritstone at the top. Can you describe the difference in colour between the two, and any other visual differences you can see. Why do you think this has happened?"
"Secondly, you were just climbing on one of the lower layers. How did the rock feel? You can go back to the rock face and touch it again. Smooth or coarse? Are all the layers the same depth or can you see some differences here? Can you see evidence of erosion, and do you think the rock is eroding consistently, or are some layers softer than others. Feel free to touch a few various layers and let me know if you can feel any difference."
"Finally, you will now walk on through the area of the edge that has been quarried. This rock is more like the stone you could see at the top of the rock face. When you get to the quarried rock, give it a rub. Describe the difference in feel to the last question. Is it smoother or coarser than the first rock? Why do you think that might be?"
It took the Emperor a bit of touching and feeling but even he finally realised there was more to geology, than it just being 'a rock'. With all the questions correctly answered, the guardian of the rocks shook the hand of the Emperor. "You are indeed now a wiser and more educated Emperor" he praised. "Your subjects will be impressed and you will be able to respect the rocks in your land a little better". The Emperor looked very pleased with himself. "And now, I will tell you where you must go next. Take the path along the edge, enjoy the beautiful view over our great land, and where you find many rocks, the next clue will be found." And then the tiger was gone and the group stood in silence, just for a moment, enjoying the sound of the wind in the rocks.
