This Earth Cache is designed to give you a lesson on a bit of local Fremont geology. The posted coordinates will lead you to a miniature Statue of Liberty. It’s limestone base is one of the topics I will discuss.
The base to this statue is crafted from Cottonwood Limestone local to the area. Cottonwood Limestone, or simply the Cottonwood Formation is the lowest member of the Beattie Formation and preserves fossils dating back to the Permian Period. You can spot a couple fossils if you look very closely at the stone monument. Another part of this Earth Cache is to give you a lesson on local geology so, here it is. The land on which the Masonic Park sits can be broken down into five soil horizons (Soil horizons are the levels of soil, silt, etc) First up is the clay silt A horizon. Next is the sand clay BK horizon. Then the laminated clay BT horizon. Then comes the clayey silt peat in the AO horizon, and last the clayey silt in the O horizon. These horizons are the end result of years of erosion from prehistoric seaways as the silt erodes in one place to be deposited in another. Also I will mention that the groundwater tables couldn’t exist as they do without the massive strainer that is the soil. And now... The questions. 1 How many fossils can you see in the Cottonwood Limestone base? A, Many B, Few C,None? 2 Describe the texture of the Cottonwood Limestone base? 3 What is the composition of the BK horizon? 4 What kind of erosion do you think is most likely in the Masonic Park? 5 Why do you think the soil horizons are important to the groundwater of Fremont? 6 Although not required it would be nice if you could post a picture of the Masonic Statue of Liberty. Sources Fremont NE lithology and soil horizons. Open file report 68 conservation and survey division funded by NGG mapping program 1994-Present.