Courthouse-on-the-Square EarthCache
Hidden : 8/7/2014
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

Majestically towering above the twisted and tangled trees and mostly manicured grass, in the center of Denton's vibrantly vivid downtown square, you will find a late-nineteenth-century example of Romanesque architecture holding an often overlooked geological lesson.

Surrounded by mega antique shops, trendy boutiques, Irish and English pubs, hipster coffee houses and restaurants to satisfy even the most eccentric palate, is the historic Courthouse on the Square.

Completed in 1897, and built with Texas sedimentary and igneous rock such as limestone quarried in Denton County, Burnet County red granite for the eighty-two polished columns and Pecos red sandstone from west Texas.



Some limestone is composed mostly of skeletal fragments and minerals, such as calcium, in the form of a carbonate (CaCO3), from marine organisms. This type of limestone is called fossiliferous limestone. What comes to mind when you hear that word?

Granite is an igneous rock which is granular in texture. It consists of feldspar, quartz and mica. These minerals make up the typical peppering of color seen in the rock.

Sandstone, another sedimentary rock, is a porous rock and relatively softer than granite and limestone, yet resistant to weathering, which makes it a desirable rock when working with tools and building construction.



You can see these three rocks within a few feet of ground zero. Examine the stone and submit your answers to the following in your own words:

1) What do you see in the steps and tops of the stairway walls that confirm you are looking at fossiliferous limestone?

2) Describe the peppering of color seen in the mineral grains of the polished pink granite columns flanking the top of the steps.

3) Looking at the red sandstone caps atop the granite columns, why do you believe they are more ornately carved and chiseled than the rest of the stone?

4) On the northeast corner of the courthouse you will find the cornerstone. What is the name of the lodge inscribed in the stone?

OPTIONAL: Photos of yourself or surroundings will be met with giddy earthcache-geek excitement.
Placed by a member of D.A.W.G.S.
Denton Area Wayward Geocache Seekers

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