This EarthCache, takes you to the Lifeboat Memorial in Southport. It can be a busy spot, but take your time, and you will see what you have come to find. Now there are some EarthCaches which show gateways, frontings on shops and other urban locations, though what is good about them is that they are accesible for all. This EarthCache is meant to be an enjoyable experience, so please do not worry about it being like at school, after all we are not doing a degree.
So what are we here to see, well I would like you to take a close look at the main body of the memorial, by this I mean the large square mid section and its sides. It is time to look closely.
So what are we here to look at?
The memorial is made out of granite. Granite is a common type of igneous rock. Igneous rock is one of the three main rock types , the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava, which then forms crystals which make up the rock. Granite is formed of crystals, of which some can be described as phenocrysts. Igneous rock forms by crystallisation either below the surface as intrusive (plutonic) rocks or on the surface as extrusive (volcanic) rocks. Intrusive rock forms within the crust from the crystallization of magma. As the magma pushes up from deep, it eventually slowly cools into a solid, and forms rock. An intrusive rock is any form of igneous rock that forms within the crust of the planet. Large areas of magma that solidify underground before they reach the surface are known as plutons .Granitic rocks mainly consist of feldspar, quartz, mica and amphibole minerals, which form an interlocking matrix of feldspar and quartz with scattered darker biotite mica and amphibole (often hornblende) peppering the lighter colour minerals. We are here to look for Iron Pyrite, which is also known as Fools Gold. Before you get excited, this mineral has no value, so no arriving with hammers, chisels etc! 
. You need to look very closely at the block of granite. I found that if I used my camera, and then enlarged the image it helped me to look at the features much more easily.
So what is Iron Pyrite?
It is an Iron Sulphide, and is found in all types of rock – (igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary) as well as in hydrothermal vents. Its formation can be in a variety of ways:
Igneous Rocks. In this situation it is formed from the minerals in magma, which seperated out, depending on the temperature as it cooled, with crystals being formed.
Metamorphic Rocks. These rocks are formed by heat and pressure, and in this situations, the pyrite could have been formed as the process of metamorphism takes place, or as a replacement mineral in the rock.
Sedimentary Rocks. With this type of rock, pyrite is usually found as a replacement mineral, when iron and sulphur present in the sediments combine to replace the original chemical composition of organic matter.
Pyrite crystals can form as framboids or cubes depending upon the temperatures and pressures.
Cubes commonly form as a result of fluid rich diagenesis or low-grade metamorphism. Diagenesis means the change of a rock, after initial deposition into a different form. It can take place due to a chemical, biological and physical change due to reasons such as temperature, pressures, and saturation with groundwater. They are formed due to authigenesis, which occures when a mineral deposit is produced where it is found. Once the cubes have formed, the pyrite becomes refractory, and can keep its features even when the rock has becomes deformed. Refractory means it is resistant to decomposition by heat, pressure, or chemical attack.
Framboids have spherical features, like the parts of a raspberry.
This being an EarthCache, in order to log it, I ask that you complete the above tasks. Please send the answers to me, and do not include them in your log. You can send them to me by using the message facility or email, both of which can be found by looking at my profile.
1. Please look at the granite block. How many areas of Fools Gold are there? On what aspect of the memorial (by this I mean, north, south etc).
2. Please tell me how wide and long each one is?
3. Which area has the most cubes, and which has the most framboids?