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.
FOSSIL DIG
At the posted coordinates is a simulated dig. You are looking for a fossil to post as your log signature. You are welcome to keep the fossil (one per cacher) if you wish. Otherwise, kindly return it to the matrix. You are also looking for the location of the fossils.
1. LOG …. Post a picture of you or your signature item with the fossil you found at the dig site. This picture is your log signature.
FOSSILS
The matrix for most of these fossils required tools, as opposed to the soft matrix of the fossil dig.
2. MESSAGE …. a. Identify one fossil. / b. What type of fossil is it? / No duplicate answers for 2-5.
3. MESSAGE …. a. Identify one fossil. / b. What type of fossil is it? / No duplicate answers for 2-5.
4. MESSAGE …. a. Identify one fossil. / b. What type of fossil is it? / No duplicate answers for 2-5.
5. MESSAGE …. a. Identify one fossil. / b. What type of fossil is it? / No duplicate answers for 2-5.
6. MESSAGE ... a. Identify the organism displaying a prominent cast. / b. Depth of the cast.
7. MESSAGE ... Walmart (GC8FNH2) has a gray shale bank filled with fossils. a. Identify one mold. / b. Identify one cast. / c. What other fossil rocks were found at the Walmart site (#2-12)?
8. MESSAGE ... a. Identify the index fossil. / b. What type of fossil is it? / c. What geological time period did this organism live?
9. MESSAGE ... a. Where is the horn coral located? / b. What type of fossil is it?
10. MESSAGE ... a. What fossils are embedded in the sand matrix? / b. What is the average length? / c. How does this compare with their modern relatives?
11. MESSAGE ... a. What type of fossil is it? / b. Is the fossil embedded in a matrix?
12. MESSAGE (The Mystery) …. a. Is this a fossil? Explain your decision. / b. How was it formed? This explanation can be scientific or creative. Your choice.
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 fossil in/around the ANF, Give coordinates. Identify your fossil. If you found your fossil 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
FOSSILS
Fossils are the remains or impression of a prehistoric organism.
INDEX FOSSILS
Index Fossils are "the forms of life which existed during limited periods of geologic time and thus are used as guides to the age of the rocks in which they are preserved."
TYPES - There are FOUR main types of fossils.
TRUE FORM - actual animal or animal part.
MOLD - impression
CAST - formed when a mold is filled in
TRACE - evidence left by the organism like burrows, footprints, etc.
FOSSILIZATION - There are SIX ways that organisms turn into fossils.
UNALTERED - insects trapped in amber (hardened form of tree sap
PERMINERALIZATION and PETRIFICATION - minerals replace the tissues
REPLACEMENT - minerals replace the hard parts
CARBONIZATION - only the carbon remains
RECRYSTALIZATION - small crystals turn into larger crystals
AUTHIGENIC - molds and casts that have been destroyed or dissolved
MATRIX - The rock the fossils are embedded in is called the matrix. This can vary from soft to hard.
SOFT - You can use your fingers and a brush to extract the fossils.
HARD - Use of a tool is needed to extract the fossils.
The chart above shows Index Fossils for each Period in the Geologic Time Scale
The chart below shows common fossils found in Pennsylvania.
RESOURCES
https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/geotime/fossils.html
SP World's End Fossils https://coord.info/GC7NMVG
Fossil Hunt https://coord.info/GC6QD37