NP Smoky Mountains - Clingmans Dome Concretions EarthCache

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rainbowtree: DO NOT post a log to this cache, even backdated. Your log will be immediately deleted.
A special thank you to those who completed all the requirements as requested -and- added A B C to your log.

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Hidden : 6/23/2017
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

Clingmans Dome is open year-round, but the road leading to it is closed from December 1 through April 1. The peak is accessible after driving Clingman's Dome Road from Newfound Gap, and then walking a steep half-mile trail. A paved trail leads to a 54-foot observation tower. Park in the lot and follow the walkway to the dome. Stay on the paved walkway.

EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. Enjoy the journey (learning adventure) as well as the destination (smiley earned). Remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints. To get credit for this Earthcache, complete the following tasks:

1. MESSAGE …. a. Identify the concretion at the posted coords. ... b, Explain how it was formed.

2. MESSAGE …. There are several of these concretions within this outcrop. What is their range in size and depth?

OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in finding and creating this earthcache by adding ABC to your log.

A. Post a picture near the posted coords. This picture is your log signature verifying that you were at the earthcache. DO NOT reveal any of the concretions in your picture.

B. JOURNEY OF THE MIND ... Science explains what we observe. Relate (in your own words) something you found interesting in the reading. This adds to your learning adventure and your log.

C. JOURNEY OF THE HEART ... Art shares our personal experience of what we see. Share something special you found on site, and why it is special to you. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.

THANK YOU Jamie Sanders for permission to share this learning adventure to Tennessee's High Point.




CONCRETIONS

A concretion is a hard, compact mass of matter formed by the precipitation of mineral cement within the spaces between particles. They are found in clay strata that was originally mud laid down on the sea floor millions of years ago. Concretions vary in size and shape, but most usually spherical.

CALCIUM CARBONATE DISCS - These concretions aka fairy stones consist of small single or multiple discs often with concentric surface grooves. They can appear as shallow bowl-like depressions formed when calcium carbonate minerals in the rock weathered quicker than the non-calcareous parts of the rock. This process is called differential weathering.
CANNONBALL CONCRETIONS - These concretions are large round concretions resembling cannonballs. They were created by early cementation of sand and silt by calcite.
ELONGATE CONCRETIONS - These concretions form parallel to sedimentary strata due to the flow of groundwater.
HIATUS CONCRETIONS - These concretions are characterized by exhumation, exposure and reburial. They are most commonly found during periods in which calcite sea conditions prevailed, such as the Ordovician, Jurassic and Cretaceous. Fossils are often associated with these formations.
KANSAS POP ROCKS - These concretions are typically associated with thin layers of altered volcanic ash. Shape is generally oblate spheroids with variable sizes. Called "pop rocks" because they explode when thrown in a fire or produce sparks and a burning sulfur smell if cut or hammered.
MOQUI MARBLES - These concretions were created by the precipitation of iron dissolved in groundwater. They are varied in both shape and size.
ROSE ROCKS - These concretions are made of crystals that resemble a rose in bloom. The rock’s petal-shaped clusters is due to the intergrowth of crystals. The mineral comprising the rose was precipitated in interconnected voids in the rock.

RESOURCES
Clingman's Dome booklet available on site -and- http://www.clingmansdome.com/
Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Geologic Resource Evaluation Report - pdf
https://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/inventory/publications/reports/grsm_gre_rpt_view.pdf
MAP - https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/geology/publications/pp/587/sec1.htm

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

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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