Lest We Forget Peebles EarthCache
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An impressive hexagonal shrine war memorial ,which forms the east wall of the quadrangle of the Chambers Institute (through the arch) off the High Street in Peebles. A tribute to the 541 men and women of the area who lost their lives in the First World War, those lost in the Second World War are remembered in two tablets on the wall on either side.
Designed by Peebles man Burnett N H Orphoot, the foundations were laid in Feb 1921 and completed in July 1922. Unveiled 5th October 1922 by Field Marshal Earl Haig (visit link)
The war memorial consists of a hexagonal sandstone shrine with sandstone clad walls either side. Central to the memorial is a delicate cross of Sicilian limestone, elevated on a pedestal which is enriched with mosaics based on 12th century mosaics of Monreale. The cross is sheltered with an arched shrine, hexagonal on plan, with a domed roof covered by a copper canopy.
Sandstone and Limestone are sedimentary rocks, which is one of the three main rock groups (igneous and metamorphic being the other two) and is formed in four main ways: by the deposition of the weathered remains of other rocks (known as 'clastic' sedimentary rocks); by the accumulation and the consolidation of sediments; by the deposition of the results of biogenic activity; and by precipitation from solution. Sedimentary rocks include chalk, limestone, sandstone, clay and shale. Fossils are often preserved in these rocks. Sedimentary rocks cover 75% of the Earth's surface.
Four basic processes are involved in the formation of a clastic sedimentary rock: weathering (erosion) caused mainly by friction of waves, transportation where the sediment is carried along by a current, deposition and compaction where the sediment is squashed together to form a rock of this kind. Sedimentary rocks are formed from overburden pressure as particles of sediment are deposited out of air, ice, or water flows carrying the particles in suspension. As sediment deposition builds up, the overburden (or 'lithostatic') pressure squeezes the sediment into layered solids in a process known as lithification ('rock formation') and the trapped fluids within are expelled.
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mostly of sand grains made of quartz and feldspar. Sandstone is formed when sands are eroded from one part of the Earth surface and then are transported by water or wind to a different location. There, the sediments are deposited in layers. Overtime these sand layers are buried deep under the Earth’s surface and become slowly cemented together into hard rock. That is why you can often see layers in sandstone rocks. Sandstones can vary enormously in colour, (brown, tan, yellow, red, grey, pink, white and black) texture and composition depending on the nature of the original source material and the environment of deposition.
Limestone is rock comprised primarily of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) It most commonly forms in clear, warm, shallow marine waters, from the accumulation of shell, coral, algal, and fecal debris. But also forms when dissolved materials precipitate from solution (Chemical sedimentary rock) Variable in colour, but generally light coloured, grey through yellow.
To claim this earthcache, please send your answers to the questions below to us by email or message centre - do not post in your online log. Your log may be deleted if these criteria are not met. Educational guidelines for Earthcaches are set by Geocaching.com and GeoSociety.org (Earthcache) and have to be adhered to.
1 Get up close to the wall and describe the pattern on a singular block and compare it to the next one along. Are they exactly the same or different? If they are different, could you explain why? While you are here, run your fingers along it to compare to the feel of the limestone.
2 What is the predominant colour of the sandstone and what causes this colouration?
3 Now have a look at the limestone, how does it differ to the sandstone? (Colour and feel )
4 Can you see any fossils in the limestone and can you describe any you see (size, shape)
While not compulsory, it is always good to see photos of your visit
If you visit and the gates are locked, a photolog is acceptable ( taken through the gates )
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