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150 years of the Periodic Table Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

Highlander 71: There has been no expression of interest in keeping this one in the game so I'm pulling the plug. Thanks to all who took the time to read the cache page, solve the puzzle, and make the find. I hope you enjoyed the experience of discovering a scenic spot that has a curious feature that makes you say "I wonder why that's there?!?"😉

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Hidden : 6/5/2019
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:


The International Year of the Periodic Table



In 2019 we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Elements. The table was not “discovered”, but rather it was formulated by Dmitri Mendeleev, based on his knowledge of how elements are related to each other and can be classified in groupings (in this case, vertical columns) as they display similar properties. And while there were gaps in the horizontal rows, or periods, of his table, Mendeleev proposed that these gaps were not mistakes, but rather that they represented elements that had not yet been discovered. He was able to predict with great accuracy the atomic weights and properties of these “missing” elements, and as more of these elements were discovered over the decades, his predictions were proven to be surprisingly accurate.

Your task in solving this mystery is to figure out where the cache container is hidden based on the following data:

  1. How many elements were there on Mendeleev’s first table back in 1869?
  2. How many elements comprise the 2019 version of the Periodic Table of Elements?

To reveal your final coordinates, use your answers to solve the following: N 49 22. (10A + A)  W 123 16. (7A + 3B)

Please be very careful where you park. Thanks to a few careless tradesmen who used to park beside where they were working in the area, the locals don't take too kindly to visitors who park illegally, even if it's "just for a few minutes".

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

nobhg bar zrger sebz gur obggbz fgrc, ybbx gb gur yrsg oruvaq n synggvfu cvrpr bs ebpx. Qrcraqat ba gur frnfba gurer zvtug or Uvzynlna Oynpxoreel ivarf gurer naq/be zbeavat tybel va gur jnl. Jngpu bhg sbe gubeaf!

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)