ALLEGHENY NATIONAL FOREST DISCOVERY SERIES
Each of the earthcaches in this series will take you along roads and trails
to discover the wonders that exist in and around the ANF.
Elk - Forest - McKean - Warren
This discovery series was developed as a heartfelt THANK YOU to all who completed the requirements as requested, and wrote positive logs worth the time to read. Complete 24 ECT caches. Send a list of logs (GL links) via message for verification of requirements. Arrange to meet at Cache Condo to pick up your trackable coin.
LITTLE BOULDER NATURE TRAIL Field Guide.
Download ... https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/101899704
These are the stops along the trail ... Forest Favorite - Ancient Sentry - Green World - Soil Building - Relax - A Forest is Born - Durable Shelter - Trickle of Life - Valuable Tree - Precious Resource - Welcome to Beech Inn - Rare Tree ... Stops are numbered.
EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. ... "Geocachers must complete the tasks before they log the EarthCache as found." (4.3. EarthCache logging tasks)
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:
NOTE: Answers via message -and- log signature picture are required to post a find for this cache.
1. MESSAGE …. As you walk the trail, identify which stop (listed in the field guide) you observed mechanical weathering. Explain your choice.
2. MESSAGE …. As you walk the trail, identify which stop (listed in the field guide) you observed chemical weathering. Explain your choice.
3. MESSAGE …. As you walk the trail, identify which stop (listed in the field guide) you observed erosion. Explain your choice.
4. MESSAGE …. As you walk the trail, identify which stop (listed in the field guide) you observed deposition. Explain your choice.
5. MESSAGE …. Which site shows the greatest impact on the ANF? Explain your choice.
6. MESSAGE …. What process is responsible for the rocks you see here?
7. MESSAGE …. Explain why you think these huge rocks are only seen here?
8. MESSAGE …. Walk along the trail. How far from beginning to end does this boulder field extend?
9. LOG …. Post a picture at your favorite place along the trail. This picture is your log signature. No spoiler pics..
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in finding and creating this earthcache by adding A B C to your log.
A. Discover another pop-up rock in/around the ANF, Give coordinates. Why do you think your rock popped up at this location? If you found your pop-up rock at a geocache/earthcache site, give name of the cache and GC number instead of cooordinates.
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 ... prose / story / poem / picture. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.
Journeys of Heart and Mind ...
Stories to Touch the Heart and Puzzles to Challenge the Mind / Rainbow Tree Story
THANK YOU LN for travelling and hiking with RT to complete this Earthcache Trail.
WEATHERING - EROSION - DEPOSITION
Weathering (breaking down) - Erosion (movement) - Deposition (placement)
You will encounter the effect of these processes on the Allegheny National Forest as you walk along the Little Boulder Nature Trail.
Natural factors responsible for changing the landscape include climate, topography, vegetation, and tectonic activity.
MECHANICAL WEATHERING
Mechanical weathering changes the physical appearance of the rock, but does not affect its composition. The main agents of mechanical weathering are temperature, wind, water, gravity, and pressure.
TEMPERATURE - Different minerals expand and contract at varying rates. Temperature changes occur in both day-night and seasonal cycles. Frost shattering or ice wedging is due to the expansion of ice.
WIND - The abrasive action of wind causes separation of rock particles from the parent rock.
WATER - The abrasive action of water also causes separation of rock particles from the parent rock.
GRAVITY - As rocks tumble downward, abrasion causes separation of rock particles from parent rock.
PRESSURE - Plants take root in cracks in rocks and wedge them open as they grow. Even large rocks can be split apart.
CHEMICAL WEATHERING
Chemical weathering changes the composition of the rock. The main agent of chemical weathering is water and substances dissolved in it.
WATER - Water dissolves minerals in rocks, producing new compounds.
OXYGEN - Oxygen reacts with rocks, changing the color of rocks.
ACIDS - Produced when water reacts with the atmosphere.
LIVING ORGANISMS - Perform chemical reactions to obtain needed materials from rocks and soil.
EROSION
Natural forces (water, wind, ice, gravity) wear away rocks and soil. It is part of the rock cycle. Erosion occurs at the Earth's surface, and has no effect on the Earth's mantle and core.
DEPOSITION
"Deposition is the process that follows erosion. Erosion is the removal of particles (rock, sediment etc.) from a landscape, usually due to rain or wind. Deposition begins when erosion stops; the moving particles fall out of the water or wind and settle on a new surface."
ROCKS
The main rock types in this area are sedimentary. You will be observing the effects of weathering on these rocks.
SANDSTONE (Cemented Sand) ... Sandstone is often red to brown, light gray to nearly white. Sometimes it is yellow or green. It usually is composed of rounded grains that are all of the same size; and it is usually medium grained. Some sandstones show slight color variations in layering.
SHALE (Compacted Mud) ... Shale may be black, gray, red, brown, dark green, or blue. It is fine grained, so particles usually can not be seen. When moistened, shale usually smells like wet mud.
CONGLOMERATE (Mixture Rounded Pebbles) ... Conglomerate looks like a mixture of sand and different sizes of rounded pebbles. The pebbles are the important observation.
POP-UPS - There are several ways huge rocks may appear in a landscape otherwise devoid of them.
GRAVITY
Rocks, both small and large, roll down hillsides. These can be single rocks or mass movement of a group of rocks. Are there hills evident?
EROSION
Differential erosion will cause rocks to be hewn from the surrounding bedrock. Look at the topography. Is the land fairly flat?
UPLIFT
Forces within the earth can cause underground rocks to be uplifted to the surface. Is there a difference in the surrounding topography?
ROCK CITY
"Rock cities develop from flat-lying, massive beds of resistant conglomerate or sandstone exposed on hilltops above much weaker beds of shale or siltstone. Widely spaced vertical fractures called joints outline the blocks. Erosion of the hillslope proceeds more rapidly in the weak beds than in the conglomerate, leaving it overhanging so the blocks eventually tumble. Frost heave and root-pry in the joints aid in the process, particularly in the early stages of separation. In time, some buildings may creep far from their source." Is the type of rock you see native to this area?
The native rocks exposed at the surface are sedimentary deposited during the Paleozoic Era. They are sandstone (feels gritty), shale (smells like wet mud when moistened), conglomerate (pieces of other rocks), limestone (fizzes in vinegar).
GLACIAL ERRATICS
These are pieces of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. They are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of miles. Was this area glaciated? ... See Glacial Map
LANDSCAPING
Huge rocks are often moved to various locations for landscaping purposes. Does this area appear to be landscaped?
RESOURCES
Little Boulder Nature Trail - U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Pittsburgh District
Rock Cycle ... Pennsylvania and the Ice Age ... Glacial Deposits of Pennsylvania