Australian War Memorial
**This cache is located within an area frequently patrolled by Police. Please avoid acting suspiciously whilst searching for it, and if challenged, explain about geocaching. It may be worth pointing out that it is not a physical box you are looking for.**
The Australian War Memorial, London, is at Hyde Park Corner on the south west end of Green Park, and the nearest underground station is Hyde Park Corner.
Inaugurated in 2003, the monument pays homage to the Australians who died in the two World Wars. It consists of a curving wall inscribed with the names of hundreds of Australian towns and, in much larger letters, the names of the places where the soldiers fought. Water flows continually over the wall's inscriptions.
This memorial commemorates the service men and women who served in WWI and WWII by listing the names of the towns in which they were born. Superimposed on the 23,844 town names are 47 of the many battles in which they fought and made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, Australia.
http://www.awmlondon.gov.au/
Use the link above to search the names of the wall. Or look up some more information.
(More information further down. BUT first the earth lesson.)
Igneous rocks are formed by the solidification of magma, a silicate liquid generated by partial melting of the upper mantle or the lower crust. Different environments of formation, and the cooling rates associated with these, create very different textures and define the two major groupings within igneous rocks:
Volcanic rocks
Volcanic rocks form when magma rises to the surface and erupts, either as lava or pyroclastic material. The rate of cooling of the magma is rapid, and crystal growth is inhibited. Volcanic rocks are characteristically fine-grained. Volcanic rocks often exhibit structures caused by their eruption, e.g. flow banding (formed by shearing of the lava as it flows), and vesicles (open cavities that represent escaped gasses).
Plutonic rocks
Plutonic rocks form when magma cools within the Earth's crust. The rate of cooling of the magma is slow, allowing large crystals to grow. Plutonic rocks are characteristically coarse-grained.
Photo: scheme for igneous rock identification.
(The following chart is a useful guide to identification of igneous rocks from their mineral composition)
Textures of igneous rocks
The environment of formation produces characteristic textures in igneous rocks which aid in their identification. These textures are:
Phaneritic - This texture describes a rock with large, easily visible, interlocking crystals of several minerals. The crystals are randomly distributed and not aligned in any consistent direction. A phaneritic texture is developed by the slow cooling and crystallisation of magma trapped within the Earth's crust and is characteristic of plutonic rocks.
Porphyritic - This texture describes a rock that has well-formed crystals visible to the naked eye, called phenocrysts, set in a very fine grained or glassy matrix, called the groundmass. A porphyritic texture is developed when magma that has been slowly cooling and crystallising within the Earth's crust is suddenly erupted at the surface, causing the remaining uncrystallised magma to cool rapidly. This texture is characteristic of most volcanic rocks.
Aphanitic - This texture describes very fine grained rock where individual crystals can be seen only with the aid of a microscope, i.e. the rock is mostly groundmass. An aphanitic texture is developed when magma is erupted at the Earth's surface and cools too quickly for large crystals to grow. This texture is exhibited by some volcanic rocks.
Eutaxitic (applies only to welded ignimbrites) - This texture describes a rock with a planar fabric in which flattened pumice clasts are surrounded by a fine grained groundmass of sintered ash. The flattened pumice clasts are lenticular (lens-shaped) in cross-section and are called fiamme (Italian for flame). An eutaxitic texture is developed when hot, pumice-rich material is erupted explosively and is then compressed by overlying material while still in a hot, plastic state.
Other features
The chemical composition of the magma determines which minerals will form and in what proportions they will occur. Therefore, identification of the minerals present in the rock is an important step in being able to correctly identify the rock. Magmas that are relatively low in silica (SiO2) crystallise olivine, pyroxene (augite) and calcium-rich plagioclase, while magmas that are high in SiO2 crystallise quartz, sodium-rich plagioclase, orthoclase, biotite and hornblende. As with minerals, igneous rocks can be broadly divided into mafic and felsic types. Mafic rocks are generally darker, and have higher abundances of mafic minerals. Felsic rocks are generally lighter in colour, having a higher concentration of felsic minerals.
Granite
Granite is a light-colored plutonic rock found throughout the continental crust, most commonly in mountainous areas. It forms from the slow crystallization of magma below Earth’s surface, and it consists of coarse grains of quartz (10-50%), potassium feldspar, and sodium feldspar. These minerals make up more than 80% of the rock. Other common minerals include mica (muscovite and biotite) and hornblende (see amphibole). The chemical composition of granite is typically 70-77% silica, 11-13% alumina, 3-5% potassium oxide, 3-5% soda, 1% lime, 2-3% total iron, and less than 1% magnesia and titania. Volcanic rock of equivalent chemical composition and mineralogy is called rhyolite. Granites are the most abundant plutonic rocks of mountain belts and continental shield areas. They occur in great batholiths that may occupy thousands of square kilometers and are usually closely associated with quartz monzonite, granodiorite, diorite, and gabbro.
Most granite seems to have formed either by melting, partial melting, or metamorphism of deeply buried shale and sandstone. Granite dikes are clearly igneous, and granite emplaced in the upper few kilometers of the Earth's crust also often shows evidence of forceful intrusion into surrounding rocks, whereas some granites that formed deeper within the crust seem not to have been forcefully emplaced. Evidence of intrusion or great mobility is considered to indicate an igneous origin that stems from melting of sediments.
Granite is used as a building and ornamental stone. Many ore deposits (copper, lead, zinc, gold, and silver, for example) were produced by hydrothermal solutions created during late stages of cooling of granite bodies. These may be emplaced around the peripheries or related to fissures and fractures within bodies of granite. approx. 27% quartz + mica, amphibole, pyroxene, albite feldspar, a building stone.
Quartz
Quartz is a complex silicate in which all the oxygen atoms of the SiO4 tetrahedra are shared between two tetrahedra, leading to complex 3-dimensional frameworks. For this reason, quartz is referred to as a framework silicate.
Quartz is among the most common of all rock forming minerals and is found in many metamorphic rocks, sedimentary rocks, and those igneous rocks that are high in silica content such as granites and rhyolites. It is a common vein mineral and is often associated with mineral deposits.
Biotite
Biotite is a member of the mica group of silicates (sheet silicates), like chlorite and muscovite. It occurs in more geological environments than any of the other micas. It is a common rock forming mineral, being present in at least some percentage in many igneous rocks (e.g. granite and rhyolite), and metamorphic rocks (e.g. schist, gneiss).
Feldspar (Plagioclase & Orthoclase)
Plagioclase is a member of the feldspar group (like orthoclase) and is a framework silicate. Plagioclase consists of a solid solution between the albite and anorthite end-members, and together with quartz is the most common of the rock forming minerals.
Orthoclase is a member of the feldspar group (like plagioclase) and is a framework silicate. Orthoclase, also known as alkali feldspar or K-feldspar, is one end-member of a solid solution between orthoclase and albite.
Orthoclase is found in silica-rich igneous rocks such as granite, and in high grade metamorphic rocks.
To log this cache.
To get to log this cache you will have to visit and answer the questions which are related to the coordinates given the earthcache.
When answers are collected, send them to CO for verification.
As I own about 50 earthcaches there are MANY mails/messages to answer back on, and I will not always be able to answer right-back, BUT I READ ALL SENT ANSWERS AND LOGS, so if anything is not correct or need an upgrade, you will indeed hear back from me.
Thanks for your understanding, and for picking one of my caches.
You can log immediately answers are sent CO. If there are any questions about your answers CO will contact you.
Logs without answers to CO or with pending questions from CO will be deleted without any further notice.
Please do not include pictures in your log that may answer the questions.
Questions
1. Answer the questions under by visiting the Coordinates.
A. Spotted here at gz is a wall of granite. How was the granite stone formed million years back in time?
B. How much of the rock in % do the minerals quartz and feldspar make up in granite?
C. - What color is the granite stone at gz?
- Is the stone fine or course grained?
- What mineral is it that you see the most of in the stone?
D. Go to the stones (two next to each other) infront of the logos, and you will find a world map attached to the granite block. Use the scheme for igneous rock identification to tell if the granite in front of you are Mafic rich or Felsic rich!
E. The granite stones that are laid up against the wall are laid up in layers, how many levels do they make at the most?
2. Take a photo of yourself, the group or your GPS when logging the cache.
Without revealing any answers!
(It’s voluntary to post a photo in your online log)
Australian War Memorial
On 12 May 1937, Australian soldiers and sailors of the Coronation Contingent assembled and marched along the Royal Route to the Hyde Park Gate and out to Hyde Park Corner to take part in a parade to honour the crowning of King George VI. Nearly 67 years later some of those same soldiers returned to Hyde Park Corner for the dedication of the Australian War Memorial.
This memorial commemorates the service men and women who served in WWI and WWII by listing the names of the towns in which they were born. Superimposed on the 23,844 town names are 47 of the many battles in which they fought and made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, Australia.
Occupying a prominent position on Hyde Park Corner in the heart of London, the site of the memorial is part of the ceremonial route that links Admiralty Arch, the Mall, Buckingham Palace and Marble Arch. Adjacent to the memorial is Wellington Arch, a monument to mark the victory of the Iron Duke at Waterloo.
Taking its inspiration from the contours of Hyde Park Corner, the memorial becomes partly a landform, rising from the surface and creating a focus for the site. Its use of green/grey Australian granite reflects the essence of the bush. Principal architect Peter Tonkin explains that 'the form chosen for the memorial reflects the sweep of Australian landscape, the breadth and generosity of our people, the openness that we believe should characterise our culture'. Also reflected in the shape of the wall are echoes of Australia’s unique flora and cultural heritage – the gumleaf and the boomerang.
The 23,844 place names that are etched into the solid granite of the wall record the origins of Australia’s sons and daughters who served their nation in the two world wars. They recall the impact that was felt by the families and communities of these towns. In the words of the design team, 'they are the places where families grieved and endured, where lives were resumed and carried on into the future'. One of the purposes of the memorial is to recognise the contribution made by these towns, some of which sent whole generations to serve in the wars.
The project’s completion was timed to coincide with the 85th anniversary of Armistice Day – 11 November 2003. The Australian War Memorial London was dedicated by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in the presence of the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon. John Howard MP and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the Rt Hon. Tony Blair MP.
The opening of the memorial on 11 November at 11am, just 11 months after the process was started, represents a remarkable achievement by all of those who were involved in bringing this prestigious project to fruition.
