Church Micro 13368...Telford - St George EarthCache
Hidden : 6/10/2020
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:


History of the church

Prior to 1860 the area now known as St Georges did not exist, it was instead called Pains Lane. The area around Pains Lane grew rapidly in the Industrial Revolution and a new brick church was completed in 1805 to service the expanding community. In 1857 when the Rev William Allen arrived in the Ecclesiastical District of Pains Lane, he had to live in the parsonage at Priorslee until the new vicarage was completed in 1863. His parish extended from the Albion Bank in the west to the toll gate on Red Hill in the east and from Snedshill in the south to the north end of Gower St in the north, just south of the Talbot Inn. The parish at this time consisted of less than 2000 people.

Soon after his arrival, work started on the new church, the stone was quarried locally from the hole to the north of Limekiln Bank. The foundation stone was laid on 4 November 1861 by the Rt Hon Earl Granville KG, with a silver trowel. Earl Granville spread the mortar after having inserted a bottle containing parchment and some new coins into the cavity. The church was designed by George Edmond Street RA and erected in the memory of George Granville, 2nd Duke of Sutherland. It was consecrated by the Bishop of Lichfield, Bishop Lonsdale, on 10 October 1862. The new church seated 800, with a chancel, a nave of 4 bays, 3 aisles and a porch in the South West side of the church. The church at this stage was without a tower.

It wasn’t until 1928 that work was completed on the tower, with its bells, clock and a new flight of steps up to the road, the tower was formally opened in October 1930. It is now a landmark on the horizon which can be seen for miles around.

Cone in cone structures

Along the church boundary wall, nodules of Coal Measures containing cone in cone structures taken from a nearby quarry have been used for decoration. Cone in Cone structures are a very intriguing geological mystery. These structures are commonly mistaken for fossils and very closely resemble fossils of petrified wood and marine organisms such as horn corals. In fact they contain no organic matter but are as their name suggests cone-shaped rock formations that nest inside a rock cone cup. These cone structures tend to be between 2cm and 25cm tall and are usually composed of calcium carbonate however there have been rare cases of cone in cone structures being found in gypsum, siderite and hard coal. The cones usually form with the larger end at the top of the bedding plane and the smaller end pointing downwards. As shown in the photo on the right, a side view of a cone shows that the interior of the cone cup has corrugations that are oriented perpendicular to the overall cone shape. These are called annular rings and are thought to form as a sort of growth pattern as the cones develop.

The method of formation of these cone in cone structures is still widely debated and as they have not been able to be replicated in a modern environment they cannot be easily studied to decipher this mystery. What is known is that they are secondary sedimentary structures that form in association with diagenesis (the chemical and physical changes of sedimentary rocks due to increasing pressure and temperature as they get buried), researchers also tend to agree that the structures form from the growth of calcareous fibers. Among the many theories attempting to explain the phenomenon,the most widely accepted is the Displacive Crystal Growth Mechanism. The displacive crystal growth mechanism states that when crystal formation begins in a partially consolidated sedimentary medium, as in cone in cone structures, the crystal structures begin to take up more and more space while they are forming causing pressure to build up within the sedimentary medium. Parts of the structure are under greater or lesser pressure and so this causes the typical conical structure to form.

If you look at the above photo again closely you can see that the top of the cone is partially lifted away from the surface of the rock. If the structure is weathered enough it is actually possible to remove the cone from its cup. This causes further confusion with fossils especially horn corals but makes them a useful tool for geologists. Whether the cone is in the cup or not the larger end of the structure can be used to determine which part of a rock is stratigraphically younger.

Chert

Some of the cone in cone structures are found in association with a nodule of chert. Chert is a hard, fine-grained rock composed of very fine quartz crystals. It can vary in colour including grey, brown, light green, dark green and red depending on which elements it contains.

Logging requirements

Please walk along the church wall between the two waypoints and examine the structures you see. Then answer the following questions:

1) Based on the above information, which end of the cone has formed under the greatest pressure and why?

2) Find an example where the smoother, uncorrugated outer surface of the cone structure is visible and look closely at the striations on the surface. Are these striations running parallel or perpendicular to the inner corrugations? What do you think has caused this striated appearance?

3) Taking into account your previous answers, briefly explain why many of the structures present here are split.

4) Find a nodule of chert. Compare with the pictures in the description and describe the colour of the chert. Please also tell us what you think is present in the chert to cause this colour?

5)Take a photo of yourself and/or your GPSr at the church.


Once you have the answers then message us though our Geocaching profile or send your answers via email. Please do not give the answers in your online log. Feel free to log the cache as soon as you have sent your answers and we will try and message you back as soon as possible. Happy Caching!

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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro@gmail.co.uk.

See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Dhrfgvba 2 - Erzrzore gung Pbar va pbar fgehpgherf ner sbezrq bs pnypnerbhf svoerf va pynl be zhqfgbar.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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