Redcliffe Caves EarthCache
Hidden : 4/27/2016
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:



This Earthcache highlights Redcliffe Cliffs and Caves and the Red Sandstone that they are made of.

The Bristol district of Redcliffe, unsurprisingly, gets its name from the small Red Sandstone cliffs in this area of the district. Redcliffe Parade, St Mary Redcliffe and the Quaker's Burial Ground sit above these cliffs.
The colourful houses of Redcliffe Parade are built above the cliffs.

So why do the cliffs not look red?
Well, since sandstone is a soft sedimentary rock, it is susceptible to erosion, meaning that cliffs would collapse if left as they were. As a result, the red cliffs have been clad (built over) with walls made from concrete and other rocks, to strengthen them enough to have buildings built on and around them.
At GZ, you will be able to see the difference between the sandstone cave and cladded wall very clearly.

Red Sandstones

Old Red Sandstone (ORS) is a 400 million year old Devonian rock which consists of mudstones, siltstones and limestones which can alter the rock's colour, but is usually an orangey-red due to the presence of iron oxides in the rock which rust and turn orange. It can be found internationally.


New Red Sandstone (NRS) is a pink-red 200 million year old Triassic rock which consists of mudstones, other sandstones, and sometimes halites and gypsums. Like ORS, it contain iron oxides which rust to produce the red colour. It usually occurs in low-lying outcrops of the UK.

The Caves
 Inside the red cliffs of Redcliffe is a large Red Sandstone cave system, which has been a Regionally Important Geological Site (RIGS) since 1976.

The caves are open to the public on paid guided tours- if you are able to get on one then do- but you do not need to pay or go inside the caves to log this Earthcache.

These amazing caves are completely man-made; they were once mines for red sandstone for use in buildings. Sand was also mined from the caves to make glass. Throughout history they have also been used to store goods before shipping.
More recently, a railway tunnel also used to run through the cliffs to the left of the steps, under St Mary Redcliffe, and through to Temple Meads. (However there wasn't a station at this location so it couldn't be added to the REALLY SideTracked series).
To claim a find on this Earthcache, you must answer the questions below and email/message me (via my profile) within 24 hours of logging a find. Any drastically wrong or incomplete logs or logs from a cacher with unsent answers will have their logs deleted. Any photos that reveal answers will also be deleted.

1)Do you think that the cliffs/caves are made up of Old Red Sandstone or New Red Sandstone? Why? Use the description (the bit in italics) to help you decide and explain.
Do not base your answer of the cave photo above- this has been deliberately edited!

2) Describe the texture of the Red Sandstone at GZ. The best way of doing this is rubbing your finger over the rocks. How does this differ from the cladded rock?

3)What obvious discolouration is there to the sandstone here and what do you think causes this?

4) (To prove you visited) Read the nearby plaque and answer the following questions:
a) Which king once sheltered in these caves?
b) What is the full date at the bottom of the plaque?

5) *OPTIONAL* Take and post a photo of you/ your GPS at the cliffs or on Redcliffe Parade but NOT REVEALING THE CAVE ENTRANCE OR THE PLAQUE ANSWERS IN YOUR PHOTO.

Parking spaces are found all along the Parade and in a pay and display car park. Then it's a short walk down the ramp to GZ (so wheel friendly too).

As part of the 13th International Earthcache Day (Oct 2015) I challenged myself to place an Earthcache every month until Earthcache day 2016, kicking it off with GC62T8F. This Earthcache is number 7 in that challenge (April 2016).

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Gur cyndhr vf whfg nobir gur ragenapr bs gur pnir.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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