ALLEGHENY NATIONAL FOREST DISCOVERY SERIES
Each of the earthcaches in this series will take you along roads and trails
to discover the wonders that exist in and around the ANF.
Elk - Forest - McKean - Warren
This discovery series was developed as a heartfelt THANK YOU to all who completed the requirements as requested, and wrote positive logs worth the time to read. Complete 24 ECT caches. Send a list of logs (GL links) via message for verification of requirements. Arrange to meet at Cache Condo to pick up your trackable coin.
EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. ... "Geocachers must complete the tasks before they log the EarthCache as found." (4.3. EarthCache logging tasks)
Enjoy the journey (learning adventure) as well as the destination (smiley earned). Remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints. To get credit for this Earthcache, complete the following tasks:
NOTE: Answers via message -and- log signature picture are required to post a find for this cache.
You can answer questions 1 and 2 as you slowly drive along this road. There is minimal traffic. You can safely park at the pull-off and then closely observe the rocks if you so choose. There are several reasons why huge rocks may appear (pop up) in a small area. Based on the reading and your observations, you decide how these huge rocks are only seen a short distance along Forest Road 127 (Adamson Rd). The questions in italics will help you form your hypothesis.
1. MESSAGE …. As you travel east along Forest Road 127, you see huge rocks for only a short distance. ..... a. What is the distance from beginning to end of this rock field? / b. How far from the road does this rock field extend?
2. MESSAGE …. a. Are there more rocks on the left side or right side? / b. To answer this, look at the topography. Hypothesize why.
3. LOG …. Post a picture anywhere along the rock field. Post a picture of your discovery pop-up rock. These pictures are your log signature. No spoiler pics..
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in finding and creating this earthcache by adding A B C to your log.
A. Discover another pop-up rock in/around the ANF, Give coordinates. Why do you think your rock popped up at this location? If you found your pop-up rock at a geocache/earthcache site, give name of the cache and GC number instead of cooordinates.
B. JOURNEY OF THE MIND ... Science explains what we observe. Relate (in your own words) something you found interesting in the reading. This adds to your learning adventure and your log.
C. JOURNEY OF THE HEART ... Art shares our personal experience of what we see. Share something special you found on site, and why it is special to you ... prose / story / poem / picture. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.
Journeys of Heart and Mind ...
Stories to Touch the Heart and Puzzles to Challenge the Mind / Rainbow Tree Story
THANK YOU LN for travelling and hiking with RT to complete this Earthcache Trail.
POP-UPS - There are several ways huge rocks may appear in a landscape otherwise devoid of them.
GRAVITY
Rocks, both small and large, roll down hillsides. These can be single rocks or mass movement of a group of rocks. Rock Creep is the slow downslope migration of large blocks of rock away from their parent outcrop. Are there hills evident?
EROSION
Differential erosion will cause rocks to be hewn from the surrounding bedrock. Look at the topography. Is the land fairly flat?
UPLIFT
Forces within the earth can cause underground rocks to be uplifted to the surface. Is there a difference in the surrounding topography?
ROCK CITY
"Rock cities develop from flat-lying, massive beds of resistant conglomerate or sandstone exposed on hilltops above much weaker beds of shale or siltstone. Widely spaced vertical fractures called joints outline the blocks. Erosion of the hillslope proceeds more rapidly in the weak beds than in the conglomerate, leaving it overhanging so the blocks eventually tumble. Frost heave and root-pry in the joints aid in the process, particularly in the early stages of separation. In time, some buildings may creep far from their source." Is the type of rock you see native to this area?
The native rocks exposed at the surface are sedimentary deposited during the Paleozoic Era. They are sandstone (feels gritty), shale (smells like wet mud when moistened), conglomerate (pieces of other rocks), limestone (fizzes in vinegar).
GLACIAL ERRATICS
These are pieces of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. They are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of miles. Was this area glaciated? ... See Glacial Map
LANDSCAPING
Huge rocks are often moved to various locations for landscaping purposes. Does this area appear to be landscaped?
RESOURCES
Pennsylvania and the Ice Age ... Glacial Deposits of Pennsylvania
Roadside Geology of Pennsylvania by Bradford B. Van Diver