Unlike the other islands of the Eastern Caribbean, Barbados evolved in an magmatic arc platform above the subduction between the plates of the Americas, Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, Barbados is set off from the chain of the Lesser Antilles by about 70-80 miles.
With the exception of some volcanic ash bands, the rock succession in Barbados is entirely sedimentary in origin. Donovan et al. (2005) states that 85% of the island is covered by coral reef limestone cap (Coral Rock), while the remaining 15% is an inlier of Tertiary sedimentary rocks of marine origin in the North-East.
The North East of Barbados (Scotland and Saint Joseph District) is made up of sandstones and clays, volcanic ash layers, chalk as well as the Oceanic Formation. The formations are 30-50 million years old. This part of the island is older than western Barbados because it is closer to the plate convergence. They are the geologic speciality which you are invited to discover in this earth cache.
Erosion is the action of exogenic processes (such as water flow or wind) which remove soil and rock from one location on the Earth's crust, then transport it to another location where it is deposited. Physical processes can be rainfall and surface runoff, rivers, coastal erosion, glaciers, floods, freezing and thawing, wind erosion and some others. Factors which affect the erosion rates are the climate, soil structure, vegetative cover and topography. Often, human activities increase erosion rates, e.g. in agriculture, deforestation and urbanization. At this earth cache location we mainly see coastal erosion.
Go to the cache coordinates behind Barclays Park and Cattlewash where you can park your car (coming from North). The Bathsheba beach is a public beach on Barbados. There is no entry fee. In walking distance from your car you find the big Bathsheba Rock.
The big rocks, some as big as houses, show clear signs of erosion which are unique on Barbados. At their base, the rocks have intertidal notches at sea level. The tidal range in the Caribbean is less than 1 m which is reflected by the height of the notches of these rocks.
Being in the sea, the erosion is equal on all sides of the rocks which shows a clear difference to a cliff. This is called a 360° erosion. The shape of the rocks are like big mushrooms. The notches are an excellent example for erosion.
To log this earth cache please tell me which power is responsible for the erosion on this location. Is it wind or water? Please give reasons for your answer. If you want, you can upload a picture with you or your GPS on the earth cache location. You do not need to wait for my answer. You can log immediately after sending the answers. I will contact you if the answers are not correct.
/>
Happy exploring Barbados!
Sources: http://www.energy.gov.bb/web/geology-of-barbados
http://nmita.iowa.uiowa.edu/paleo/Barbados/Geology.htm
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/geologic-history-barbados-beaches-57660.html
http://isis.uwimona.edu.jm/geoggeol/JamGeolSoc/CJES%20Web%20page/CJESpdf/CJES%2038-3%20-%20Donovan.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erosion