Todmorden’s Center Vale Park EC EarthCache

An EarthCache accessible to wheelchairs and dead easy to find the answers.

To log this EarthCache you need to visit the location given, make some observations and message or email the answers to me. 

You can log and message me at the same time.

If you feel willing and able please include photos of your visit.

You should be looking at a bronze statue of John Fielden MP which is placed upon a tall platform made up of three types of rock.  Please study the rock, read the information below and answer the questions to claim this cache.

John Fielden MP

This statue is in memory of a former MP for Oldham who Entered the House of Commons on 10 December 1832 winning his seat in theGeneral election and Left the House of Commons on 23 July 1847 when he lost his seat in another General election.  He was a prominent industrialist, mill owner and though he was a Whig MP in government he was thought to be radical and often opposed his party.

He was a supporter of the factory reform movement and fought for the rights and conditions of the poor throughout his life.  He was instrumental in limiting the hours of children working in mills and spearheaded such practices in the 8 mills he and his brothers had inherited from his wealthy family.  Despite his privileged upbringing, in a very wealthy family, he was seen of a man of the people and as such his efforts are recognised by the erecting of this statue to commemorate his life in 1869 originally in Rochdale; it has been at this location since 1979.

The stones

This platform is made up of three sections, I’m going to call them the base; lowest, the plinth; in the middle and the stand; on which the statue is placed.

Your mission is to look at these three types of stone, compare the properties of the rock and choose from the descriptions below which stone it which.

Here is some information to help you choose.

Sand stone

Sandstone is of course a sedimentary rock composed of small sand-size grains of mineral, rock, or organic material. It also contains a cementing material that binds the sand grains together and may contain a matrix of silt- or clay-size particles that occupy the spaces between the sand grains.  Sandstone is one of the most common types of sedimentary rock and is found in sedimentary basins throughout the world. It is often mined for use as a construction material or as a raw material used in manufacturing. When used in construction it tends to have very few lines or marks in it and is all of one colour.  It is a very strong, hard material and will weather very slowly.  It can be yellow, red, grey and many other colours but is unlikely to be white.

Granite

Granite is a coloured igneous rock with crystals large enough to be visible with the unaided eye. It forms from the slow crystallization of magma below Earth's surface. Granite is composed mainly of quartz and feldspar with minor amounts of mica, amphiboles, and other minerals. This mineral composition usually results in dark mineral crystals easily visible throughout the rock. Pink granite, like other granites is an intrusive igneous rock typically containing feldspar, quartz, mica & amphibole minerals. This variation contains potassium feldspar plagioclase that gives the granite a distinctive pink colour as opposed to other variants which can be white, grey, dark brown or even black.

Limestone

Limestone is another sedimentary rock but this one is composed primarily of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in the form of the mineral calcite. It most commonly forms in clear, warm, shallow marine waters. It is usually an organic sedimentary rock that forms from the accumulation of shell, coral, algal, and fecal debris. It can also be a chemical sedimentary rock formed by the precipitation of calcium carbonate from lake or ocean water.  This is also a very hard rock with few lines or seams when used for construction.  It will weather a little quicker than the other two here because the weak acid solution of some rains will react with the stone and wash away.  When used in construction limestone will tend to be quite white and decorative and can be polished or chiseled to give a very attractive effect.

Questions

1. Please describe the three types of stone on the base, plinth and stand.
2. Please tell me which stone is used for each section and explain your thinking.
3. Please tell me the approx. height of the platform and statue.

Finally if you feel willing and able please include a photo of your visit.

Thanks for visiting Todmorden’s  Center Vale Park and I look forward to reading your logs.