This cache exists with permission of the The Trustees of Reservations (TTOR). In accordance with TTOR rules, mountain bikes are prohibited and dogs must be on a leash. Thank you!
Special Tools: Your GPS should have a compass feature. However, if it should go dead, you will want to have a backup such as an analog compass. One of your requirements is to determine the direction of a specific characteristic of this Earthcache.
This is an EarthCache; there is no physical container to find, just questions to answer (below). You will park in the designated parking lot for the Dry Hill reservation.
Dry Hill is a property under the protection of The Trustees of Reservations (TTOR). From the parking area you will follow the posted trail and signs to the summit. A relatively mild hike will take you to the base of Dry Hill followed by a moderate uphill hike to the summit. When you arrive at the summit, you will find amazing views to the south and southwest across the Berkshire Hills into New York and Connecticut. When you are there take a moment to look at the rock you are standing on. This promontory is made of marble and quartzite. This is the location of the Earthcache and where you will find the information needed to log this cache.
A promontory is a raised mass of rock which is declined abruptly from only one side. It can overlook water (in which case it can be called a peninsula) or land.
Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the softer rock to the sides of it, or are the high ground that remains between two river valleys where they form a confluence.
While at the Dry Hill promontory, you will see several splits in the rock. Joints and faults are splits that form in stressed rock - particularly near the surface. Joints are cracks with little movement of the rock on either side. They open up as the rock is subjected to tension or compression. Joints occur in parallel sets, and sometimes at right angles to each other. Faults are breaks in the Earth's crust involving significant horizontal or vertical movement, or both, along a line of weakness called a fault plane.
The Dry Hill Ridge is within the drainage of the Konkapot River, which flows in a southerly direction to the west of the ridge, and eventually joins the Housatonic River in Ashley Falls.
To gain credit for this cache:
Send me an email - not part of your log - answers to the following three questions.
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At the posted coordinates there is a large crack in the rock. Is this crack a joint or a fault?
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Facing the edge of the cliff what direction does the crack point? I am looking for the degree reading from your compass.
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What is the approximate width and length of the large crack?
Photos of you at this beautiful spot are always welcome and optional. Please ensure that you do not post photos that will give away answers to the questions.
References:
Dry Hill Management Plan. (2005). The Trustees of Reservations.
New Marlborough Open Space and Recreation Plan (2004). Town of New Marlborough.
Bulletin of the United States Geological Survey (No. 159). (1899). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
Lambert, D. (1988). The Field Guide to Geology. New York: Facts On File.
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Originally placed by 1311, adopted by Bearadise413.
Congratulations to Caseymtn for the FTF! 😀