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- two pictures (log signatures) are required to post a find for this cache. 1. Pic at Timberdoodle / 2. Pic at PITT
TIMBERDOODLE
1. MESSAGE …. Take a 360° look around. Describe the size and location of the rocks.
2. MESSAGE …. a. Compare the rocks you encounter along the trail with those at the waypoint. / b. Where did the rocks along the trail and at the waypoint come from?
3. MESSAGE …. a. Identify the type of rock along the trail and at the waypoint. / b. Are these rocks native to this area?
The native rocks in this area are sandstone (feels gritty), shale (smells like wet mud when moistened), conglomerate (pieces of other rocks), limestone (fizzes in vinegar).
4. LOG ... Post a picture at any of the Interpretive Placques. This picture is your log signature.
PITT - Walk the Richard E. McDowell Trail aka PITT Trail (waypoint).
5. MESSAGE - a. Identify the rocks along the trail. / b. Are these rocks native to this area? / c. Where did these pop-up rocks come from?
The native rocks in this area are sandstone (feels gritty), shale (smells like wet mud when moistened), conglomerate (pieces of other rocks), limestone (fizzes in vinegar).
6. MESSAGE - Compare the rocks at PITT with those at Timberdoodle.
7. LOG - Post a picture anywhere along the trail. This picture is your discovery log signature.
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.
SEARCHING FOR ROCK POP-UPS
Rocks dot the forest landscape. Several processes singly or working together may result in an isolated rock or group of rocks.
"Some 445 million years ago, what is now the Allegheny National Forest was submerged beneath a shallow, inland sea. Over time, weathered material eroded from ancient mountains in eastern Pennsylvania and filled in the sea floor. These deposits left large rocky outcrops, known as Olean conglomerates, which are seen throughout the Allegheny National Forest today. Mud and sand was also deposited, burying microscopic marine life and creating the rich oil deposits by which Pennsylvania would later become so well known." ANF
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).
GRAVITY
Rocks, both small and large, roll down hillsides. These can be single rocks or mass movement of a group of rocks. 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?
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