BSH - Capitol Building and Statues EarthCache
BSH - Capitol Building and Statues
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(other)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
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 :-) or EMAIL …. What minerals make up the granite building and the marble sculptures?
2. MESSAGE :-) or EMAIL …. Describe the overall color and texture of the capitol building -and- the statues flanking the stairs. Use either the geology definitions or the building definitions for texture.
3. MESSAGE :-) or EMAIL …. Name all the different creatures that are part of the marble sculptures.
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in finding and creating this earthcache by adding ABC to your log.
A. Post a picture at or near the posted coords. This picture is your log signature verifying that you were at the earthcache.
B. 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.
C. 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 ... prose / story / poem / picture. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.
D. TOUR ... Take a tour of the interior. Tours are available at 9:00 / 11:00 / 1:00 / 3:00 Sat Sun Holidays except Christmas. Describe several places where you can see aspects of Earth Science.
THANK YOU rainbowtree for creating and allowing me to adopt this Earthcache.
NOTE: Suggested visit to this earthcache is on Sundays when there is no charge to park. Otherwise, see http://parkharrisburg.com/ for parking fees.
BUILDING STONES - HARRISBURG PENNSYLVANIA
Enjoy your journey observing the large variety of stone types
used in the construction of churches, buildings, monuments, and statues.
BUILDING STONES - Building stones are selected based on the following:
COLOR
A function of the individual colors of the minerals which make up the rock.
TEXTURE - Geologist Definitions
Fine - crystals too small to see, even with a lens .... Medium - crystals visible, but need a lens to identify them .... Coarse - crystals easily seen with naked eye
TEXTURE - Building Industry Definitions
Determined by the size, arrangement, and bonding of the mineral grains within the rock.
Natural - cut along lines of cleavage revealing natural grain giving an undulating surface .... Honed - smooth finish with a slight sheen .... Polished - shine on stone surface .... Flamed - rough surface with an irregular textured finish .... Sand Blasted - textured surface with a matte gloss .... Sawn - semi-smooth, regular finish .... Bush Hammered - pitted or grooved surface finish
DURABILITY
Based on the texture and porosity of a rock. A durable building stone is one which resists the weathering elements in the atmosphere without suffering decay in some way. The main causes of stone decay are Frost / Salt crystallization / Acid deposition.
ACCESSIBILITY
Relatively easy to quarry.
http://www.pacapitol.com/Main.html
CAPITOL BUILDING
STONE - biotite granite
MINERALS - feldspar, quartz, biotite
QUARRY - The granite is called "Woodbury gray" from the Robeson Mt. quarries of Woodbury Granite Co., Woodbury, Washington County, Vermont. SIZE - The Capitol is 520 feet long and 254 feet wide. The Capitol dome is 272 feet high and is topped by a figure, symbolic of the commonwealth, upholding a garlanded mace.
STATUES
STONE - Marble
DURABILITY - Due to the porosity of the marble and its mineral composition (calcite), weathering is relatively rapid (may be greater than 3 mm per 100 years).
QUARRY - Italian marble from Carrara, Italy INTERESTING FACT - "To the right is a group of men and women in attitudes representing the spiritual burdens carried by man. The group to the left represents humanity advancing through the inspiration of work and brotherhood."
MINERALS
BIOTITE is a name used for a large group of black mica minerals that are commonly found in igneous and metamorphic rocks. These include: annite, phlogopite, siderophyllite, fluorophlogopite, fluorannite, eastonite and many others.
CALCITE is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate. The other polymorphs are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Aragonite will change to calcite at 380–470 °C, and vaterite is even less stable.
FELDSPAR is the name given to a group of minerals distinguished by the presence of alumina and silica (SiO2) in their chemistry. This group includes aluminum silicates of soda, potassium, or lime. It is the single most abundant mineral group on Earth.
QUARTZ is the second-most-abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. Its crystal structure is a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical formula of SiO2.
RESOURCE - Building Stones of Pennsylvania's Capital Area by Alan R. Geyer EG_005.zip - Pennsylvania Department of Conservation
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)