What Kind Of Alien Is This? In Asbury Woods EarthCache

This earthcache is part of a series of earthcaches highlighting some of the unique and diverse environmental features of Asbury Woods.

IMPORTANT RULES - PLEASE READ
 

1. Trails are open during daylight hours only. NO NIGHT CACHING!!!
2. NO DOGS are permitted on the Nature Center trails.
3. Stay on the trails to protect fragile plants and animals.
4. No bicycles are permitted.
5. Skis are not permitted on the Boardwalk Trail at the nature center at any time.
6. Possession of alcoholic beverages is prohibited.
7. NO LITTERING

A Little About Asbury Woods

Asbury Woods Nature Center is an educational facility of the Millcreek Township School District. The center is located in a unique and diverse environment, and it provides a wide variety of educational and recreational opportunities for visitors.

The Asbury Woods Nature Center is a state-of-the-art regional nature center with over 205 acres and 4.5 miles of hiking trails. The Center is free and open to the public year-round. Within the Asbury Woods Nature Center Exhibit Hall visitors of all ages enjoy native live animal habitats, a turtle pond, an amphitheater/program area, and a live honeybee hive exhibit – a favorite for many. All exhibits are designed to help visitors learn about native animals they might encounter on the Center’s trails or in their neighborhood.

The Center is open to the public seven days a week June 1 thru August 31, closed Mondays September 1 thru May 31. Trails are open dawn to dusk year around.

Background Information

An alien is something that is different or foreign.  I could be something that comes from a different country, or it could be something from out of this world (extraterrestrial).<br><br>

On the grounds of the Asbury Woods Nature Center there is a rock that is quite foreign to this area.  The color of the rock is much different from others in the area, and the shape, texture and surface characteristics are also much different.  There are two theories about the origin of the rock:

1. The rock could be a meteorite.  A meteorite is a solid piece of debris with an extraterrestrial origin.  It could have come from an asteroid or a comet or some other "alien" body.  There are three general categories of meteorites: stony rocks composed mainly of silicat minerals; iron meteorites composed mainly of metallic nickel-iron, and stony-iron meteorites containing both silicates and nickel iron. The surface usually has a fusion crust produced when the meteorite passes through the atmosphere.  Not all fusion crusts look the same. The color can vary from shiny black (almost plastic looking) to brown to yellowish.  The surface characteristics can also vary.  Some meteorites have a very smooth finish while others can be very rough and jagged.  Others can fall anywhere between these extremes.
2. The rock could be a glacial erratic which was picked up in Canada and dropped off by a glacier.  A glacial erraic is a piece of rack that is different in size and type to the native rock in the area.  These rocks are carried by glacial ice over great distances.  When the glacier starts to recede the rocks it has been carrying are dropped out in the melt water.  The Wisconsinan glacier covered Erie County, PA approximately 10,000 years ago.  As it receded it dropped many rocks (erratics) all over the county.  In 1969 a geologist declared that this rock was not actually a meteorite, but was an erratic that was deposited by the Wisconsinan glacier.  He said that it was hornblende which is an igneous rock from the Canadien Shield.  Since it came from Canada it is still an "alien".  It is a rare rock for this area.
3. Well, which kind of alien is it?  It is commonly accepted to be an igneous rock from Canada, but look it over and you be the judge.

   
   

   

   Examples of Meteorites

   
   
   Claiming This Cache
   
   In order to claim this cache you will have to answer several questions. All of the answers can be found at the cache site. You may log the cache as soon as you visit the site. You must email your answers within a week of logging the cache, or the log will be deleted. I hope you enjoy your walk around the Asbury Nature Center.
   
   Questions
    
   1. What is the color of the rock?
   2. Describe in your own words the surface of the rock.
   3. Opinion question: (Include the answer to this question in your log, not in your email. Be creative - there are no wrong answers.) How do YOU think the rock got here, and is the geologist right or do you think it is a meteorite?
   4. OPTIONAL - Photos are always nice, but do not include any spoiler images.