ROCK CITY PARK
Adults $5.00 / Seniors $4.00 / Children 6-12 $3.00
Open Memorial Day to Labor Day from 9 to 5
THIS IS SEASONAL, BUT KEEPING IT ACTIVE FOR THOSE PLANNING A VISIT.
THANK YOU Cindy Smith (Park Director) and Dale Smith (Park Ranger) for permission to share this earthcache site.
THANK YOU University of Pittsburgh Bradford for the educational guide.
Enjoy your stroll and learning adventure as you wind your way around "gigantic rock formations". If you have all the required pictures, see Cindy or Dale for a special gift.
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:
1. MESSAGE …. How do you think these “pock marks” were formed? Do you see any other large cobbles or pebbles in the rocks? If not, this can’t be because of fallen cobbles. Do you see any tool markings left behind by diggers? If not, the markings can’t be the result of someone carving into the rock.
2. MESSAGE …. Are the “pock marks” on the surfaces primary or secondary structures? How do you know?
3. MESSAGE …. How was the Honeycomb Erosion created?
4. LOG …. Post a picture of another example of honeycomb weathering anywhere along the trail, but NOT at the coordinates. This picture is your log signature.
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in creating this earthcache by adding A and B to your log.
A. 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.
B. 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. 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
HONEYCOMB WEATHERING
These are natural erosional features developed over thousands of years by rain water. When a drop of water stays suspended on the surface of an overhanging pebble, the water will produce some chemical erosion to the cement surrounding the quartz pebble. In time, millions of rain droplets will erode the cement surrounding the pebble causing it to fall, and leaving behind an indentation. These indentations represent an increased surface upon which water and other elements can act and continue to erode which enlarges their indentation.
SEDIMENTARY STRUCTURES
Primary sedimentary structures are produced at the same time as the sedimentary rock in which they occur. Examples include stratification and cross-bedding. Secondary sedimentary structures form after deposition.
WEATHERING
Mechanical weathering breaks apart rocks without changing their chemical composition. Each fragment and particle weathered away by a mechanical process retains the same characteristics as the original rock. Chemical weathering occurs when water, air, and other substances react with the minerals in rock. In chemical weathering, the composition of the rock changes.
RESOURCES ... Rock City Park ... University of Pittsburgh Bradford Educational Resource Guide