EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. 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:
1. MESSAGE …. Asked a ranger for outstanding geological features in the park. Said to visit Rock Reef Pass, the high point in the Everglades. This shows the difference a small elevation makes. ... a, What is the elevation? ... b. Why is this considered a special feature by the locals?
2. MESSAGE …. At the highest point near the sign ... a. Describe the vegetation. ... b. Reach down and feel the soil. Describe the color and texture. Is it peat or marl?
3. MESSAGE …. At the lowest point near the sign ... a. Describe the vegetation. ... b. Reach down and feel the soil. Describe the color and texture. Is it peat or marl?
4. LOG …. Post a picture of you or your signature item at or near the coordinates. This picture is your log signature.
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in creating this earthcache by adding A and B to your log.
A. 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.
B. 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. 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 Kimberly (Park Ranger) for permission to share this learning adventure.
EVERGLADES HUMOR
Asked a ranger for outstanding geological places in the Everglades ... Was told to visit Rock Reef Pass, the highest point in the Everglades. When we arrived, thought it was just a bump in the road embellished by local humor. Observation and Research enlightened us as to why the ranger viewed this as an outstanding feature.
ELEVATION -and- SEASONS
Subtle changes in elevation result in dramatic changes in vegetation communities. The elevation change is only 12 to 14 feet from the maximum near Lake Okeechobee to sea level. "As in most areas of south Florida, subtle changes in elevation result in dramatic changes in vegetation communities. Pine forests are present on the higher ground of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge. Where fire has been excluded, pines give way to hardwood hammocks. In wetter areas near the end of the ridge, dwarf pond cypress grow. Sawgrass prairies extend south of the ridge. A narrow band of mangroves fringes the southeastern coast, and the shallow waters of Florida Bay provide an abundant food supply for great numbers of wading birds."
Even a few inches of elevation can make a difference in how wet or dry the soil remains throughout the year. These differences in moisture help create unique habitats, each with its own special set of plants and animals. There are two seasons in the Everglades. The dry season occurs from December through April and water levels are low. The wet season occurs from May through November and water levels are high.
EVERGLADES SOIL
Soil is weathered bedrock combined with minerals and organic matter. Main soil types in the Everglades are marl and peat. These are largely the result of multiple sea-level fluctuations during the Ice Age.
Marl - Calcitic mud commonly found in the shallower marshes subjected to shorter periods of surface water inundation. Large areas of freshwater marl prairie border the deeper sloughs of the Everglades. Marl is found in the drier areas.
Peat - Waterlogged partially-decomposed acid-loving plant material built up over hundreds of years in poorly-drained wetland habitats. Peat is found in the wetter areas.
ROCK REEF
This is a narrow, raised reef that is several miles long. "When sea level was above current levels, several parallel reefs formed along the edge of the submerged coastline, depositing the Key Largo Limestone. Later sea-level fluctuations caused some of the Miami Limestone to dissolve and then redeposit as a denser cap rock overlying the Key Largo and Miami limestones."
RESOURCES
https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/evergeology.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02gZXpntWmA