Please note: this is a D3 cache and the answers must be specific to the questions asked (and correct). In other words, a D3 response is required - specific observation, evidence and (specific to the monument/area) geology. Superficial/generic/incomplete/arm chair responses are not acceptable and those logs will be deleted. Please, save this for a day when you have the time to observe the monument and reflect on the geology. Thank you.
"Their names are hallowed in the land they loved."
I would regularly drive by this monument, but never had a chance to stop. Now, I'd like to encourage others to visit this cenotaph which honours local lives lost in WWI, WWII and the Korean War, and is a microcosm of Ontario's geological history. Please be very careful when accessing this monument - traffic can be extremely heavy in the area.
The Science:
Let’s begin with some geological basics. There are 3 main types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary.
Igneous rocks are formed through volcanic processes, and have solidified from a molten state. The Earth is believed to have been entirely molten in its early stages of development. Hence, all other rock types are derivatives of igneous rocks. There are two types of Igneous rocks:
Plutonic/intrusive: Rock from magma rising up from deep under the earth's crust, and solidifies as it cools before it reaches the earth's surface. Examples include granite and gabbro.
Volcanic/extrusive: Rock that was originally lava, hot magma that reached (or exploded from) the surface of the earth before it hardened. Examples include basalt and obsidian.
Metamorphic rocks are formed from sedimentary rocks that are transformed over time. This can result from extreme pressure, temperature and chemical activity. Examples include marble and slate. Metamorphic rocks can be foliated such as gneiss, phyllite, schist, and slate, which have a layered or banded appearance that is produced by exposure to heat and directed pressure. Non-foliated metamorphic rocks such as hornfels, marble, quartzite, and novaculite do not have a layered or banded appearance.
Sedimentary rocks are formed by the accumulation of particles on or near the Earth's surface, and compacted down, often under extreme pressure, creating rock layers. There are three main types of sedimentary rocks: mudstone, sandstone, and limestone.
Common Minerals
Rocks are composed of minerals, and the following are the most common, particularly in igneous rocks. While rocks consist of aggregates of minerals, minerals themselves are made up of one or a number of chemical elements with a definite chemical composition. Minerals cannot be broken down into smaller units with different chemical compositions in the way that rocks can. More than 2,300 different types of minerals have been identified. Luckily many are rare, and the common rocks are made up of a relatively small number of minerals. Minerals can be distinguished using various physical and/or chemical characteristics, but, since chemistry cannot be determined readily in the field, geologists us the physical properties of minerals to identify them. These physical properties include colour, streak, form, hardness and lustre. For the purposes of this Earthcache, you'll be relying on your powers of observation. Quartz: a hard white or colourless mineral consisting of silicon dioxide, found widely in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. It is often coloured by impurities (as in amethyst, citrine, and cairngorm). Feldspar: any of a group of minerals, principally aluminosilicates of potassium, sodium, and calcium, characterized by two cleavages at nearly right angles: one of the most important constituents of igneous rocks. Plagioclase feldspar (often translucent, white or grey) has striations but orthoclase/potassium feldspar (often opaque, reddish-pink) does not. Mica: a shiny silicate mineral with a layered structure, found as minute scales in granite and other rocks, or as crystals. It can be found in the following colours: purple, rosy, silver, gray (lepidolite); dark green, brown, black (biotite); yellowish-brown, green-white (phlogopite); colourless, and transparent (muscovite). Olivine: an olive-green, gray-green, or brown mineral occurring widely in basalt, peridotite, and other basic igneous rocks. It is a silicate containing varying proportions of magnesium, iron, and other elements.
Fossils
Igneous rocks do not contain fossils; however, sedimentary rocks do. Fossilization can occur through a variety of methods such as: permineralization (mineral deposits form internal casts of the organism), casts and molds, authigenic mineralization, replacement and recrystalization, adpression (pressed close or lying flat against something), carbonization (conversion of organic material into carbon), and bioimmuration (a skeletal organism overgrows or otherwise subsumes another organism, preserving the latter, or an impression of it, within the skeleton). Paleontology is the study of fossils: their age, method of formation, and evolutionary significance. Specimens are usually considered to be fossils if they are over 10,000 years old. The oldest fossils are from around 3.48 - 4.1 billion years old. The observation in the 19th century that certain fossils were associated with certain rock strata led to the recognition of a geological timescale and the relative ages of different fossils (the order in which fossils relate to each other without calculating an actual age/date). The development of radiometric dating techniques in the early 20th century allowed scientists to quantitatively measure the absolute ages of rocks and the fossils they host.
Crinoids inhabited shallow water and grew in dense clusters, sometimes called 'crinoid gardens' because of their resemblance to plants. Long stems were anchored to the sea bed, and held aloft a globose, cup-like structure with radiating arms. The whole animal is formed of many individual plates that usually become scattered when the creature dies. The stem plates are common fossils and the main constituent of crinoidal limestone. Corals: like modern-day coral reefs, the abundant remains of fossil corals in Carboniferous limestone suggest the former existence of warm, clear, shallow and well-lit tropical seas. Corals have a variety of branching and encrusting shapes that provide homes for other creatures and act as a baffle to trap sediment. Different kinds of fossil corals occur at different levels in the limestone, allowing geologists to distinguish between older and younger beds. Brachiopods have become all but extinct in modern seas and oceans, but in the geological past they flourished at the shallow margins of oceans, especially in the Carboniferous. At first they appear little different from familiar modern-day sea shells, but they are in fact quite distinct, with different shell and soft part anatomy. Many brachiopods lived openly on the sea bed, although some lived in seabeds. Two important groups of brachiopods in the Carboniferous are strongly radially ribbed forms, called 'spiriferids' (long hinge-line which is the widest part of the shell), and large, less strongly ribbed forms with relatively plano-convex valves, called 'productids' (round with protruding "spikes"). Fossil annelids (worms): are also common in sedimentary rock. Eunicid worms resemble earthworms; priapulid worms often have a slightly curved body (end); spipanculan worms are quite rare and look like they have fat bodies with a much narrower "tail"; serpulid worm tubes are round and clustered.
Ontario's Geological Basics
Overlying the Canadian Shield in the far north and in southern Ontario are young sedimentary rocks which range in age from 540 to 360 million years. The fossil evidence suggests that these sedimentary rocks were formed when Ontario was flooded by shallow, tropical seas. The areas of deposition was controlled by the presence of mountains, formed from the basement rocks (the Canadian Shield).
Sediments were deposited from the Cambrian to the late Devonian times. They were composed of the weathering of the Precambrian surface (sandstones and shales) and from the calcareous skeletons of marine creatures. When these sediments were being formed this part of the world was situated near the equator, creating tropical conditions ideal for the growth of life in abundance.
Layers of sedimentary rocks such as limestone were formed in the tropical seas. In some cases, a combination of sea water as well as burial caused magnesium-rich fluids from calcareous sediments to change the limestone to dolostone. This process of converting limestone to dolostone often causes cavities or pores to form and these pores are frequently filled with new crystals of different minerals such as calcite. Other common minerals include celestine, marcasite and fluorite. Fossils were well-preserved in both the dolostone and the limestone.
Deposits of lead and zinc sulphides (sphalerite and galena) may be linked to regional scale metamorphism (often resulted from plate tectonics processes) and to hydrothermal activities.
Occasionally areas were sealed off from access to the open ocean. At these times, the salt water evaporated and formed beds of salt and gypsum.
In many areas, the rock mentioned above cannot be seen as the uppermost layers of rock and sediment in this Southern Ontario area consists largely of unconsolidated sediment which was deposited during the last million years, largely as a result of glaciations. Source: https://uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences-museum/resources/minerals-ontario/southern-ontario-paleozoic-rocks
Map of Ontario's geology: http://www.geologyontario.mndmf.gov.on.ca/mndmfiles/pub/data/imaging/M2544/M2544.pdf
Mining in Ontario
Mining is an important industry in Ontario, employing over 100,000 people, directly and indirectly, and producing about $10-billion worth of minerals annually. Ontario is Canada’s leader in metals mining, producing 53 per cent of the country’s gold, 47 per cent of its nickel and 31 per cent of its copper. Ontario is the second largest producer of nickel in the world. Although nickel has been part of useful alloys, such as bronze, for thousands of years, ancient metal smiths probably had little understanding of nickel as a distinct substance. Nickel wasn’t “discovered” until 1751 when it was isolated by Swedish chemist Baron Axel Fredrik Cronstedt.
Source: https://uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences-museum/resources/mining-ontario/big-business
Questions - please send the responses at the time of logging a find. Incorrect/incomplete/missing answers may result in a deleted log. This includes incorrect answers for Q5. NO group answers please - send as individuals. Thanks.
1. Identify the stone used to construct the cenotaph, including its type (igneous/metamorphic/sedimentary).
b) What specific evidence did you use to determine the type of stone? Hint: look at the SW corner in particular.
c) You'll need eagle eyes for this question. Look at the NW, N, SE and S sides. You will need to focus your attention between eye level and the ground. Identify the 2 types of fossils found on this cenotaph. Provide a measurement (length in cm) for each fossil type, including its likely name.
d) Using the map (hyperlinked above), identify the most likely geological era for this rock.
2. Count the # of inscription panels and identify the stone used to create the inscription panels. Was the same stone used for each panel?
b) Look at lowermost panel on the east side of the cenotaph and estimate (as a %) the proportion of different minerals you see. Use the descriptions above to identify each (of the) mineral(s).
c) Using the map (hyperlinked above), identify the most likely geological era for the rock used in the panel identified in question 2b.
3. Explain why these particular stones were selected for the monument.
4. Look at the sword. Using the evidence found on site, identify its likely metallic composition, explaining why you made the selection you did.
5.To determine you were at GZ: count the number of rock faces you can see on the lowest level of the north, east, south and west sides of the monument. In addition, how many lightbulbs light up the cenotaph?
Thanks for visiting this EC. Don't forget to send me your answers. Please do not post any spoiler photos - they will be removed. Please note that the difficulty of this EC reflects the expected amount of detail required to properly answer the questions. Use that as a guide when crafting and submitting your responses. NO group answers please - send as individuals. Thanks.