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If you like geology, you are in for a treat at this EarthCache. In these halls are beautifully displayed minerals and fossils in glass topped cases. It is the perfect place to learn about and to identify minerals and fossils from all over the world, but especially from our area.
My four-year-old grandchild, who many of you know, and I hang out at this university frequently. When we were at this earthcache she asked me to tell her the names of the rocks in front of us. I asked her which ones. She said, "All of them." We were here a long time. Not only are there display cases of minerals and fossils from many places throughout the world, there are special display cases that show minerals from Shawnee County, Kansas that were collected by Bill Boltz from Shawnee County, and fossils from Kansas collected by Tambra Eifert, Ph.D. Although EarthCaching is primarily an outside activity, it would be very hard to learn this much, this quickly, by going outside and looking for minerals and fossils on your own. It took the owners of these specimens many years to put together these collections and they are truly spectacular. It would take us many more years to develop a collection as diverse as these. This area not only displays minerals and fossils, but labels them and is a very useful place to help you identify specimens that you see yourself out in the field. Besides the specimens, there are numerous descriptions and posters that further understanding about the subject. Perhaps this EarthCache will inspire you to go out and find some minerals and fossils of your own. THE FREE DICTIONARY defines a mineral as, “A naturally occurring, homogeneous inorganic solid substance having a definite chemical composition and characteristic crystalline structure, color, and hardness.” A sign in this area defines minerals as, “…naturally occurring, solid chemical substances formed through geochemical processes.” THE FREE DICTIONARY defines a fossil as, “A remnant or trace of an organism of a past geologic age, such as a skeleton or leaf imprint, embedded and preserved in the earth’s crust.” EarthCache Academy’s course on fossils describes fossils as “The remains, impression or trace of any organism that lived in past ages.” Fossils are often created by rapid burial, such as by water borne sediment. Since Kansas was covered by ocean in the distant past, this was the way fossils here were formed. There are two types of fossils: direct evidence of life and indirect evidence of life. Direct evidence of life includes fossils from animals, such as parts of an animal skeleton, teeth, and shells, and fossils from plants, such as wood and leaves. Indirect evidence of life includes fossils that are not part of an actual plant or animals but evidence of one, including footprints, trails made by sliding movements and dung. Among other things, fossils can tell us what types of life was here at different times in the past, what types of environments were present, what went extinct during times of major extinctions, and what type of food was eaten by different animals. To claim this EarthCache, please email the cache owner the answers to the following questions: 1. In your own words, what is the difference between a mineral and a fossil? 2. Is a dinosaur bone a direct evidence of life or an indirect evidence of life? 3. Is dinosaur dung a direct evidence of life or an indirect evidence of life? Thanks go to Tambra L. Eifert, Ph.D., Washburn University Faculty Member, and EarthCache Academy’s course on fossils for helping me with this Earth Cache.
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