Welcome to Catheys Valley, CA!
This beautiful location has a lot of interesting geological features. This earthcache will focus on the specific geological features of one boulder at the Cathey Valley Park, although there is a lot of interesting things you can learn about the valley as a whole. This earthcache will focus on one geological feature: dikes.
A dike (or dyke) is a sheet of rock that is formed in a fracture of a pre-existing rock body. Dikes can be either magmatic or sedimentary in origin. Magmatic dikes form when magma flows into a crack then solidifies as a sheet intrusion, either cutting across layers of rock or through a contiguous mass of rock. Clastic dikes are formed when sediment fills a pre-existing crack. Basically speaking, a dike is when one rock type cuts through another. You will see some dikes on the boulder at the posted coordinates of this earthcache. Below are some images of major dikes in rock formations around the world.
Here are the logging requirements for this earthcache. Please message me the answers to the following questions via geocaching.com.
- The title and GC Code (GC94FX7) of this earthcache in the first line
- At this location is a large boulder. Estimate the height of this boulder in feet.
- Now, go to the west side of the boulder. Here, you'll see some unmistakable dikes in the boulder. Are these dikes about the same color as the boulder, or are they a significantly different color than the boulder?
- Approximate how many dikes you see on the west side of the boulder? Would you say that there are a few (less than 5) dikes or a lot (more than 5) of dikes on the boulder?
- (optional but appreciated) Please include pictures of your fun trip and your time at the park!
Thanks for finding this earthcache. There's a lot of cool things to do in this park, so be sure to walk around and explore. I know there's another geocache in the park and a nice playground for the kids. Enjoy your trip and happy caching!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dike_(geology)#:~:text=A%20dike%20or%20dyke%2C%20in,a%20pre%2Dexisting%20rock%20body.&text=Magmatic%20dikes%20form%20when%20magma,a%20contiguous%20mass%20of%20rock.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catheys_Valley,_California
My Brain
This EarthCache was brought to you by Eragon23, a Platinum EarthCache Master of the Geological Society of America's EarthCache Masters program!
