The coordinates will take you to the main Halifax town centre branch of its famous bank, though it hasn't always been a bank - it started life as a building society. The building you are stood in front of is the original Building Society building. This well known high street bank was formed in 1853. The idea was thought up in a meeting room situated above the Old Cock Inn which is a short walk from where you are now stood. This remained their head office until 1973 when the nearby Trinity Road building took over this role.
But the history we are looking at for this EarthCache goes back much further than that.
The published coords should take you to side of the building - you should be on King Edward Street with a pub behind you, and bus stops across the road - if there are no bus shelters, you are at the wrong side of the building and will struggle to answer question 4.
If you look closely at the panels beneath the windows, you will notice there is something special about this stone. They are highly polished decorative stone in which you can see crystals – these are known as phenocrysts.
A phenocryst is a crystal in igneous rock, which is larger than the crystals of the rock that it forms part of. Here the panels are made out of basalt which is an igneous rock. It tends to have small crystals, due to the rapid cooling of lava near the surface, however basalt can have large crystals in it, which formed prior to the extrusion of the magma.
Phenocrysts can have different forms:
Euhedral - these crystals are well defined, sharp and easily recognisable edges.
Anhedral – these crystals do not have well defined edges.
I have designed this to be an easy EarthCache which hopefully won't cause too much difficulty. Children may enjoy the learning experience here, hence I have kept the “science” bit to a minimum – but hopefully you will still learn something.
To claim a find here, please take a look at the panels and columns at the published coordinates (you should be at the side of the building - on King Edward Street with a pub behind you, and bus shelters across the road - please check you are in the correct place), and then answer the questions below. Please do not post the answers in your log – please send the answers to me either via the Message Centre or by e-mail. I am happy for you to log a find straight after sending the answers – I will contact you if there are any problems.
If you wish to include a photo with your log, please ensure it does not contain any spoilers – thank you.
(1) Have a look at the phenocrysts. What colour are they?
(2) Compare the panels to the columns nearby - are they the same? Why do you think this? Describe any differences or similiarities which have brought you to your conclusion.
(3) Are these phenocrysts euhedral or anhedral? Why do you think this?
(4) On the 3rd pillar from the left there is a noticeable "blemish" which is different to anything else you will see on either the panels or the columns. Please describe this blemish (size, colour, texture etc). The item in question may or may not be geological. Please ensure you are at the correct side of the building - there should be a pub and bus shelters at the opposite side of the road.
If answers are not submitted within 7 days of logging - I reserve the right to delete your log. If you have signal to submit your "found it" log, you have signal to submit the answers. Please do so prior to logging wherever possible.