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 …. a. As you encounter each of the boulders pictured, what type of weathering has affected each rock formation? b. Explain why you chose that type of weathering.
2. MESSAGE …. As an additional verification that you walked the trail and physically examined each boulder, put them in order from trailhead to overlook.
These pictures are in alphabetical order according to what we named them.
A Balancing Act – B Dolphin Cruising – C Jelly Donut – D Monkey Talk
E Rock Critter - F Shark Fin – G Shell Art – H Sleeping Feline – I Stacking Game
3. MESSAGE …. Find the Double-Headed Sculpture. a. Type of weathering. Explain your choice. / b. Since the heads are facing opposite directions, is there a difference in how they are weathered? Explain your choice.
4. MESSAGE …. Find the Double-Headed Sculpture. There is an unusual feature on the side. Describe and explain how it occurred.
5. LOG …. Post a picture of you or your signature item at a rock you found interesting at this location. Post a picture of you or your signature item at your rock sculpture. These pictures are 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 rock sculpture in/around the ANF, Give coordinates. Name your rock sculpture. If you found your rock sculpture at a geocache/earthcache site, give name of the cache and GC number instead of cooordinates.
DISCOVERY CONTEST - Write a legend about your sculpture. ... EXAMPLE - The Fish and the Turtle by DimeDigger. If your discovery rock/photo/legend is selected, you will be given the opportunity to have it showcased here. You may then select a puzzle from my international collection.
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.
THANK YOU Rich for permission to share this earthcache.
JAKES ROCKS
Jake's Rocks is a huge expanse of conglomerate bedrock exposed high above the Allegheny Reservoir. As you walk the trail, you will see massive boulders strewn down the slope. The forest floor has a diverse array of plants tolerant of dry, sandy, acidic soils.
The varying concentration of minerals and sediment cause the rocks to weather differently. Mainly mechanical weathering is at play causing the differences you see among the rocks.
CONGLOMERATE is a coarse-grained sedimentary rock composed of rounded fragments embedded within finer grained material.
MECHANICAL WEATHERING
Mechanical weathering breaks apart rocks without changing their chemical composition. Each fragment and particle weathered away by a mechanical process retains the same characteristics as the original rock.
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. This increases the surface area for continual weathering by plants, wind, and water. Even large rocks can be split apart.
CHEMICAL WEATHERING
Chemical weathering occurs when water, air, and other substances react with the minerals in rock. In chemical weathering, the composition of the rock changes.
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. Plants give off organic acids as part of their life and decay processes. These acids help to break down rocks chemically. Decaying remains of dead animals in soil may form organic acids which, when dissolved in water, cause chemical weathering.
MECHANICAL/CHEMICAL WEATHERING
Additional agents of weathering are lightning strikes and burrowing animals. The type depends on whether the rocks are just physically altered -or- if their composition is altered.
RESOURCES
Mechanical Weathering ... Chemical Weathering ... Biological Weathering
GUIDEBOOKS http://fcopg.org/history/guidebooks
57th ANNUAL FIELD CONFERENCE http://fcopg.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/57th1992.pdf
https://rtpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/RTPI-Natural-History-Atlas-natural-sites-Allegheny-region.pdf
https://www.thoughtco.com/examples-of-chemical-weathering-607608
DISCOVERY CONTEST
GR8CACHERS
