EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. Enjoy the journey (learning adventure) as well as the destination (smiley earned). Remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints. To get credit for this Earthcache, complete the following tasks:
1. MESSAGE …. Observe the rock. Describe three features. Examples - type / size / colors / petroglyphs / organisms / etc.
2. MESSAGE …. Take an elevation reading at the posted coords. Climb the steps to the observation deck. Take another elevation reading here. How many feet is it from the bottom to the top of Sky Rock? Add the additional height of the rock above the observation deck to your answer.
3. MESSAGE …. a. From the observation deck, observe the surrounding topography. Describe three features you see. ... b. Why does Sky Rock stand so high above the rest of the city?
4. MESSAGE …. View the interpretive panel "Dorsey's Knob: A View Across Space and Time". If you could go back in time, which year would you visit and why?
5. LOG …. Post a picture of you or your signature item anywhere along the trail. This picture is your log signature.
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in creating this earthcache by adding A and B to your log.
A. JOURNEY OF THE MIND ... Science explains what we observe. Relate (in your own words) something you found interesting in the reading. This adds to your learning adventure and your log.
B. JOURNEY OF THE HEART ... Art shares our personal experience of what we see. Share something special you found on site, and why it is special to you. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.
Journeys of Heart and Mind ...
Stories to Touch the Heart and Puzzles to Challenge the Mind / Rainbow Tree Story
THANK YOU Melissa Burch for permission to develop this earthcache.
THANK YOU John Boback for information on Dorsey Knob (see photo) -and- explaining why Sky Rock stands so high above the surrounding terrrain .
DORSEY KNOB (AKA SKY ROCK)
Dorsey Knob is a mountain summit located off U.S. Route 119 at the southern edge of Morgantown in Monongalia County, West Virginia. Dorsey Knob is contained within a park spanning 71 acres that features the mountain's landmark Sky Rock (also referred to as Dorsey Knob).
Dorsey's Knob, overlooking the Monongahela River, just south of Cobun Creek, is one of the most prominent topographic features of Monongalia County. It was named for the George Dorsey family who owned the land surrounding the peak, and lived in a cabin nearby (1811).
The top of Sky Rock is at an altitude of 1,398 feet, rising nearly 600 feet above the surrounding landscape. It overlooks the Monongahela River and the Appalachian Mountains. Looking at a topographic map, although Sky Rock is a local high spot, it is not really that much higher than the terrain to the south. What makes it seem so high is the fact that it is directly adjacent to the deeply eroded Monongahela River valley.
Geologically, Dorsey's Knob is on the crest of an anticline. The knob is composed of Lower Pittsburgh Sandstone, with layers of shales and the Pittsburgh Coal (formed 280 million years ago) just beneath it. The hard sandstone rock disintegrates more slowly than the shales, and once it has weathered away, erosion proceeds with relatively rapidity. This has resulted in the Knob, with the cap of hard sandstone standing up like the cone of an ancient volcano, 600' above the level of the river, and its prominence was such that early residents thought it was the highest point in the county.
The rock formation of which the Knob is composed is gradually wearing away and the slopes are dotted with numerous large boulders, some of them weighing several tons. The top layer of the Knob itself has a crevice a foot wide, going down 12'. This, too, in time will fracture and slide down the slope.
GEOGRAPHY and ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
See http://www.powershow.com/view/23b68a-NTRlN/Geography_of_Dorseys_Knob_powerpoint_ppt_presentation
http://www.boparc.org/blog
CHALLENGE - HAIRPIN CURVE - See pic
Find this rock formation and add coords to your log.
U.S. Route 50 East of Grafton and Clarksburg WV
CHALLENGE - CURIOUS ROCK - See pic
Find this rock formation and add coords to your log.
Spencer WV
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/curious-rock
-Onlookers say this large, 20 ft rock formation looks like a “God” sitting on the mountain top. After a 2 hour hike, this unexplained tower appears to have an altar for worship, or simply a sitting area for visitors.
-The large cap stone precariously sitting atop the stone column almost looks like a hat. While there are local mysteries regarding the formation’s origins, geologists actually have a name for this type of rock: a “Table Rock” formation, not unlike the Jug Rock formation in Indiana or the Turnip Rock formation in Michigan.
-Their occurrence, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, makes it understandable why towers like this captivate members of the community as well as local scientists. Explorers have made the long hike to view the rock hat-wearing rock since early pioneer days. The current land owner has contacted the state to see what they knew about the formation, and to his surprise state officials know of the site but no official research has been done.
