Welcome to Rosses Point, but more correctly Bowmore Point as the actual Rosses Point is just north of here at the other end of the second (the more northerly) beach, although many people call this whole area Rosses Point as this is also the given name of the village you passed through to get here. The splendid beaches here are visited by many tourists and locals alike every year due to the relatively safe, sheltered beach and the good swimming for all ages, but most probably do not even see the object of this EarthCache let alone know what it is.
Prettily Petrified
The object of this EarthCache therefore is to learn about fossilisation, find one particular fossil (it's a decent size so you should find it fairly easily), to observe and understand it and therefore leave a little more enlightened knowing you've seen something (hopefully) that others didn't even notice!
Fossilization
This area of Connaught is made up mainly of sedimentary limestone and limestone is often where you will find most fossils due to the way it forms. Fossilization can occur in a number of ways:
1) Permineralization leading to petrification - the most common way. The organism dies, is enclosed quickly, by sediment laying down on a sea bed for example, which cuts off oxygen and slows decay and then minerals soak into and saturate the material, replacing the organic matter, this solidifies and creates the petrified fossil.
2) Imprint or molding - the shell or such like is pressed into the sediment layer, and once enclosed dissolves away leaving just an imprint of the original.
3) Casting (sometimes known as pseudomorphosis) - similar to above, the shells or material are enclosed, the surrounding sediment gets hard. Due to chemical influences the shell dissolves and the interstitial volume is filled with other materials, which petrify.
4) Compression - this is where the material are compressed under high pressure and leave behind a 'print' of the original item. This often happens with flatter things like leaves and ferns.
5) Preserving - this is the most uncommon but the one that many have heard about due to a certain film. Actual insect remains (normally a fly or such like) are preserved, often complete and whole, in amber (ancient solidified tree sap).
Visiting
To locate the fossil in question head down the concrete slipway from the car parking area and when the sand dunes end on your right go a couple more metres and then the fossil can be found directly to your right about 15 metres from the slipway (mind the couple steps that you have to go down (one large from the slipway and another where the rock changes). Obviously you can't do this when the tide is right in! DO NOT ATTEMPT IF THERE IS ANY DOUBT ABOUT THE WATER HEIGHT OR POTENTIAL WATER HEIGHT. YOU ATTEMPT THIS CACHE AT YOUR OWN RISK (But have fun!)
The Tasks
To log this EarthCache you will need to find the fossil (it's a decent size so you should find it fairly easily and it's not the banana-shaped thing - it's much bigger) and send the answers to me to the questions below. Feel free to log before I come back to you:
1) Describe the fossil (remember, it's not the banana-shaped thing - it's much bigger) in as much detail as you can, think of size, shapes, texture, colour etc. What size area does it cover roughly?
2) Is this fossil 2 or 3 dimensional?
3) Of the described types of fossilisation above which one is this?
4) What do you think this is the fossilized remains of? (A bit of extra research needed here maybe).
Pictures of yourself in the area (not of the fossil of course, that would just give it away) are very much welcomed, but not a requirement of logging.
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