This cache is located along the Jefferson City Greenway trail, and is NOT accessible from highway 179. Park at the Greenway parking lot along West Edgewood.
This Earth Cache is designed to show you an interesting geological feature along Wears Creek in Jefferson City. The posted coordinates will lead you to a tall rock bluff composed of Sandstone, Quartz, and Limestone.
Laid down in the early Ordovician Period the Plattin Formation covers most of Missouri, and some parts of Illinois, and Arkansas. This bluff was laid as part of the Plattin Formation, and it has been eroding as Wears Creek tends to flood. Due to the erosion previously mentioned you can see veins of Quartz and Dolomite.
The Plattin Formation has been known to reach thicknesses of up to 250 feet thick. In Missouri the Plattin Sandstone only gets about five inches to two feet thick. This layer can be seen near the top of the rock bluff. During the Ordovician Period there were many Crinoids that occupied this area, so now you can see their fossils. You can(with some searching) see some of them near the center of the bluff.
Requirements to claim this find. 1, What is the dominant color of the Plattin Sandstone? 2, In What Period was the Plattin Sandstone laid down? 3, How many fossils can be seen in the rock bluff? Many, Few or None? 4, Name two reasons the rock bluff is eroding. 5, Where is the Plattin Sandstone on the bluff? Top, Bottom, or middle? 6, Although not required it would be nice if you could post a picture of the rock bluff with your log. Sources: NGS of Missouri survey 8 1899- 1904, Missouri Department of Natural Resources file #79 Plattin Formation.