Welcome to the Shelby County Chert Pit! Well, the entrance to the Chert Pit. Wait. . .what exactly is chert? I assume it's a waste material (since it has its own pit, apparently), but what is it?
chert
noun
\ ˈchərt , ˈchat \
: a rock resembling flint and consisting essentially of a large amount of fibrous chalcedony with smaller amounts of cryptocrystalline quartz and amorphous silica
Okay, so. . .that's what chert is. Now, what do, uhh, half of those words mean?
chalcedony
noun
chal·ce·do·ny | \ kal-ˈse-də-nē , chal-; ˈkal-sə-ˌdō-nē , ˈchal-, -ˌdä- \
: a translucent variety of quartz of various colors and waxy luster
cryptocrystalline
adjective
cryp·to·crys·tal·line | \ ˌkrip-tō-ˈkri-stə-lən \
: having a crystalline structure so fine that no distinct particles are recognizable under a microscope
amorphous
adjective
amor·phous | \ ə-ˈmȯr-fəs \
2: having no real or apparent crystalline form
(All definitions from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Ahh, gotcha. So that's what chert is! When I stopped by and saw the sign at the entrance to this pit, I was very curious--you see, I'm a member of the portion of the population that had no clue what chert was. Maybe you were unaware, too! If so, we've both just become slightly more educated! From that standpoint, I'd say this cache has served its purpose. Were these hyper-specific definitions really necessary, though? No! Of course not! That's what makes the cache fun! I have yet to think of a context in daily life where you would need to know this, unless you were a geologist, maybe. Hopefully, you've enjoyed this learning experience as much as I have! Now, go forth, and be sure to never put this random information to use!
The Chert Pit itself is gated, but the entrance has plenty of room to pull off the road and park. Cache is hidden on the near side of the gate, so there is no need to enter the pit property itself. Container is a grey bottle with a logsheet, pencil, and some tradables. Just like you should always do while caching in Alabama, watch out for poisonous plants, snakes, and ever-so-suspicious muggles. That should be everything you need to know! Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to come back to visit the Chert Pit!
~Congrats to fathertree for FTF!~