Hello. Welcome to the Monument Geocache series. This is a series of geocaches hidden in the New Monument area. This is my first earth cache. When I found out what they were I immediately knew where to put it. I call this place Moonlight Ridge. if you are using a Gps you are probably thinking, " Mr.Lemon, this place is obviously called rattlesnakes revenge'. Well yes, you are correct. I have been going to this place for years. I still know it like the back of my hand. About once a month I have come up here with a fire starter and an old tin bucket and had a little fire to myself. As corny as it may sound, the nights were amazing. There was something special about those nights. One night during a harsh blizzard I hiked up here with my old tin bucket. Once I got to the peak it was as clear as day. The moonlight reflecting on the snow made it pretty bright( for night). As I sat on that peak with just my thoughts and the sound of nature I realized I did not need a fire. You could see crystal clear up on that ridge top. From that moment on I named it Moonlight Ridge. since construction opened up I never really felt those nights again. I still hope other people can experience that feeling.... someday. So enough of that story. I'm getting off-topic.
"In earth science, erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location[1] (not to be confused with weathering which involves no movement). This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, animals, and humans. In accordance with these agents, erosion is sometimes divided into water erosion, glacial erosion, snow erosion, wind (Aeolic) erosion, zoogenic erosion, and anthropogenic erosion. The particulate breakdown of rock or soil into clastic sediment is referred to as physical or mechanical erosion; this contrasts with chemical erosion, where soil or rock material is removed from an area by its dissolving into a solvent (typically water), followed by the flow away of that solution. Eroded sediment or solutes may be transported just a few millimeters, or for thousands of kilometers."
This area is mainly made up of limestone. You are probably thinking that it's too coarse to be limestone. This is where erosion comes to play. This area has had so much erosion that the top layer will seem Pebley. Limestone is known for having soft outer surfaces and a hardcore. This makes it perfect for erosion because the outer layer erodes faster.
Here are the three types of erosion:
Water erosion: Water erosion is the most common form of erosion. Water erosion typically leaves large valleys in the rocks( Depending on how big the rock formation is...). It can also tear off large forms of land or rocks leaving behind boulders. It also leaves a very course, sand-like, gravel behind because of the water moving it downstream.
Wind erosion: Wind erosion is the second most common type of erosion. Wind erosion is most commonly found in flat terrains. The wind blows small amounts of gravel or sand from place to place. Usually, this is how dust bowls occur. It sometimes takes much longer than water erosion.
Glacial erosion: Snow deposited at high elevations has potential energy that is converted into energy of motion when it is converted to ice and flows as a glacier. The movement of glaciers predominantly erodes by abrasion/scouring and plucking. In the abrasion process, debris in the basal ice scrapes along the rock surface, polishing and gouging the underlying rocks, while in the process of plucking glaciers cause pieces of bedrock to crack off and be incorporated in the flowing ice. glacial erosion typically leaves behind small scars (Like ditches) and also leaves behind multiple small hollow holes.
To get the found status of this cache you will need to hike up to Moonlightridge and take a picture of the rock formations( preferably one with you in it). You will also need to describe the boulders. (What do they feel like? What color are they? Are the rocks rough or smooth?) Also, tell me what type of erosion this area is affected by. Send me the answers and then log the cache. Any logs without the following will be deleted. I hope you learned a bit more about our earth and I hope you enjoyed my little story.
Here are my sources
CONTRIBUTOR: The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
TITLE Erosion
PUBLISHER Encyclopædia Britannica
DATE PUBLISHED May 22, 2020
URL https://www.britannica.com/science/erosion-geology
ACCESS DATE November 02, 2020
Citation 2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erosion
“Erosion.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Aug. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erosion.
Citation 3
https://www.geo.fu-berlin.de/en/v/geolearning/mountain_building/weathering/Erosion2/index.html