The posted coordinates take you to an unusual rock which seems stranded a few meters from the beach at Morecambe.
Read the information on the webpage, do a little research, visit the location and then answer the questions to claim the smiley face.
Morecambe Bay is a large estuary in northwest England, just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of 310 km2 (120 sq mi).
The bay is notorious for its quicksand and fast moving tides (it is said that the tide can come in "as fast as a horse can run").
Area Description:
Morecambe Bay is the joint estuary of five Rivers, namely the Wyre, Lune, Keer, Kent and Leven.
Geology:
Small exposures of Carboniferous and Triassic rocks are present, but much of the solid geology of the area is concealed by glacial deposits, including clays, sands and gravels, deposited by melting ice sheets between around 1,000,000 and 10,000 years ago. Important peat deposits provide a valuable record of the vegetation and climate from the end of the last glaciation.
Characteristics:
At low water Morecambe Bay forms a vast expanse of intertidal sandflats with smaller areas of mudflat around Walney Island and the Lune Channel. There are also exceptionally large mussel beds on stony skears found off Heysham and Walney. A large area of saltmarsh fringes the Bay and is grazed by stock in most cases, although ungrazed examples exist on the Wyre. Near-natural transitions between intertidal flats, saltmarsh, swamp and woodland are well displayed. The Bay also has a series of low limestone cliffs rising from the saltmarsh. South Walney, at the western edge of the estuary, is formed of sand, shingle ridges and bars of differing age and vegetation. The fauna of the Bay is diverse, with a varied invertebrate community and a breeding population of natterjack toads. The Bay is of international importance for its wintering wildfowl.
Erratics are glacier-transported rock fragments that differs from the local bedrock. Erratics may be embedded in till or occur on the ground surface and may range in size from pebbles to huge boulders weighing thousands of tons. The distance of transportation may range from less than 1 km (0.6 mile) to more than 800 km (500 miles); those transported over long distances generally consist of rock resistant to the shattering and grinding effects of glacial transport. Erratics composed of unusual and distinctive rock types can be traced to their source of origin and serve as indicators of the direction of glacial movement. Studies making use of such indicator erratics have provided information on the general origins and flow paths of the major ice sheets and on the locations of important mineral deposits. Erratics played an important part in the initial recognition of the last ice age and its extent. Originally thought to be transported by gigantic floods or by ice rafting, erratics were first explained in terms of glacial transport by the Swiss American naturalist and geologist J.L.R. Agassiz in 1840.
The Task :
Using your knowledge gained by reading the cache page, researching glacial erratics and rock types (via the weblinks) and visiting the cache location, answer the following questions :
1. Describe the size, texture and shape of the rock you are looking at ?
2. What type of rock is this deposit ? Sedimentary, Igneous or Metamorphic. Use the information below to explain this conclusion.
Igneous rocks are formed by magma from the molten interior of the Earth. When magma erupts it cools to form volcanic landforms. If magma cools inside the Earth it forms intrusive rock, which may later be exposed by erosion and weathering. Examples of igneous rocks include basalt and granite.
Metamorphic rocks have been subjected to tremendous heat and/or pressure, causing them to change into another type of rock. They are usually resistant to weathering and erosion and are therefore very hard-wearing. Examples of metamorphic rocks include marble, which originates from limestone, slate, which originates from clay, and schists formed from sandstone or shale (sedimentary rocks).
Sedimentary rocks are formed from sediments that have settled at the bottom of a lake, sea or ocean, and have been compressed over millions of years. The sediment comes from eroded rocks carried there by rivers or ice, and from the skeletons of sea creatures.Examples of sedimentary rocks include sandstone, limestone, chalk and clay. The geological process which results in the formation of sedimentary rocks is called deposition.
Deposition is the process by which sediments, soil and rocks are added to a landform or land mass. Wind, ice, and water (as well as sediment flowing via gravity), transport previously eroded sediment, which is deposited, building up layers of sediment. Deposition occurs when the forces responsible for sediment transportation are no longer sufficient to overcome the forces of gravity and friction, creating a resistance to motion, this is known as the null-point hypothesis. Deposition can also refer to the build up of sediment from organically derived matter or chemical processes. For example, chalk is made up partly of the microscopic calcium carbonate skeletons of marine plankton, the deposition of which has induced chemical processes to deposit further calcium carbonate. Similarly, the formation of coal begins with deposition of organic material, mainly from plants, in anaerobic conditions
3. Using all the information gathered about the rock and it's location -
Is this rock an erratic ? Explain why or why not.
Is the rock in it's natural location ? Explain why or why not
4. Optional - take a photo of yourself at the cache location.
When you have answered all the questions, send them to me by email or through the message centre.