To log this cache, please answer the following questions, and send them via the messenger function or email. I'm a Friendly CO - please try and answer the questions, and have a bit of fun whilst doing it. That said, no answers = No log (And yes, i'll delete it)
You are required to climb to the top to meet the Devil. There are steps provided as access is freely permitted, but they are quite steep and not particularly well maintained.
1. This stone exhibits a very clear colour. a) What is the colour, and b) why is it this colour? d) What does it feel like to touch (Grainy, coarse etc) d) Can you see any fossils?
2. Can you see evidence of layering within any of the stones – describe what you see, and why this might be particularly visible here (think about the type of rock), and suggest why this may look like it does at this location?
3. Based on your observations above, what type of stone is this?
4. Traverse to the other end (back near the steps). Find the graffiti by SIM, and tell me what is directly above that. (I do not condone any damaging of the landscape in this way!)
5. Optional picture of you atop the Devil's Spittleful
You MUST send answers to these questions to validate your find. Answers not sent within 7 days (unless advised) will result in log deletion.
The reserve name centres around the rocky knoll crowned with Scots pine known as the Devil’s Spittleful or Spadeful.
There have been several caches here in the past, but no earthcache. Time to fix that.
Legend tells that the Devil, hell bent on destroying Bewdley, took a spadeful (of this rock) with the intent of blocking the river Severn, which would drown the people living there. However, upon meeting a cobbler on the way, who misled the Devil into thinking it was a extremely great distance to achieve his endeavour, the Devil dropped his spadeful where he stood, creating the spittle.
Read more on the official information board near the gate.
The natural cave beneath the rock has become unstable and is now no longer safe to view - it is fenced off, please do not try to access it.
The Rifle Range is owned and managed by Wyre Forest District Council and the Wildlife Trust in partnership. This site is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Read more at:
https://www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/reserves/devils-spittleful-and-blackstone-farm
What is an SSSI? https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2017/07/sssi-definition/
Any of these things might be present at this earthcache site. It’s your job to use your knowledge of the materials that are here, along with the information in this cache, to help you answer the questions.
This is not designed to be a huge geological essay, but to help people appreciate the things which are in everyday use, for a variety of reasons.
So many Colours!
Earth's many rocks can take on a seemingly-endless array of colours. From bright reds and oranges to dull browns and grays, Earth's rocks can paint a beautiful picture in nature.
All those colours are the result of the minerals that make up the rocks. Minerals are the building blocks of rock. Some rocks consist of just one type of mineral, but most rocks contain a few different types of minerals joined together. It is estimated there are as many as 4,000 different types of minerals.
Each mineral has its own unique chemical composition, which helps to determine what colour it will be. A mineral's colour can also be affected by chemical impurities, interaction with other minerals, and environmental factors.
The science behind it…
Like all objects, a mineral's colour depends upon which wavelengths of light it absorbs and reflects. The atomic bonds within a mineral generally determine which wavelengths of light will be absorbed and which will be reflected. Those wavelengths that are reflected back to our eyes determine the colour of the mineral.
Some minerals have free electrons that will absorb certain wavelengths of light. Upon absorption, that extra energy may be emitted as another wavelength of light to get rid of the extra energy. If that mineral combines with impurities or other minerals, its atomic structure can change, thereby affecting what wavelengths of light are reflected and possibly changing its colour.
Minerals can take on different colours depending upon their internal atomic structure. For example, the graphite in your pencil and diamonds are both pure carbon. Differences in how they formed, however, gave them different atomic structures, and thus very different colours and properties.
Some minerals and their colours:
The primary elements that absorb visible-spectrum color are the transition metals on the Periodic Table. The most familiar of the 38 transition metals are iron (red, green, yellow), cobalt (blue), and nickel (green). Others include vanadium (red, orange), manganese (red), chromium (red, green), gold (yellow), titanium (blue), and copper (green, blue). Some rare earth elements also create color through their absorbtion patterns, including scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, and cerium.
Some Environmental factors: Red colours mean well oxygenated environments, such as river channels, some flood plains, and very shallow marine. Green colours mean an environment low in, or lacking, oxygen, often associated with marine environments. Dark gray to black colours mean anoxic conditions, which may mean deep water, but could also be a swamp environment.
A few common rocks and identifying features
Slate: is a fine-grained, foliated (consisting of thin sheets) metamorphic rock (modified by heat, pressure, and chemical processes, usually while buried deep below Earth's surface) that is created by the alteration of shale or mudstone by low-grade regional metamorphism. It is popular for a wide variety of uses such as roofing, flooring, and flagging because of its durability and attractive appearance. It is also waterproof. Slate occurs in a variety of colours from pale to dark. Due to its durability it has often been used for tombstones and memorial tablets. It looks darker when wet.
Sandstone: is a sedimentary rock, it can be grey, red or yellow in colour. You will usually be able to identify the bedding planes (layers) which are lines that run all the way through the rock, where different seasons or catastrophic events have altered the composition of the deposits for a short time. The rock will be quite durable but feel rough to the touch, and if you were to rub it hard enough, small grains will come off.
Basalt: is a dark igneous (having solidified from lava or magma) rock, and is made up of fine crystals, because it cooled rapidly after it came out of a volcano. Basalt does not contain any bedding planes. It is unsuitable for buildings since it is very hard and difficult to fashion into blocks for building, it can however be used more crudely for building simple walls.
Granite: is an igneous rock made up of noticeably different crystals of different coloured minerals. Granite may contain crystal structures of different sizes. It cooled slowly below the surface. You won’t be able to identify fossils because it forms from the cooling down of molten material, therefore never contained organisms in it. It doesn't contain any bedding planes as it formed from cooling magma. This is very good building material since it has no linear (arranged in or extending along a straight or nearly straight line) weaknesses.
Marble: is a metamorphic rock. It is formed from limestone that has been subjected to intense pressure underground due to tectonic movement (when plates in the earths’ crust move about) or through being subject to extreme heat. This rock is generally white with different coloured veins running through it. It is a very tough rock, excellent for decorating, and feels cool and very smooth even after years of exposure to the elements.
Limestone: is a sedimentary (made from sediment left by the action of water, ice, or wind) rock. It is a common building material (especially in ancient times) due to the decorative look of the rock and its readiness to being easily carved. This is often a light coloured rock, but other limestones may be variously coloured including darker colours. Limestone often suffers from chemical weathering, as a result of acid rain. It may contain bedding planes and many varieties of fossils including corals, shells and marine life.