ALWAYS WALK LIGHTLY UPON CEMETERY GROUNDS
SHOWING RESPECT FOR THOSE RESTING HERE
ST. MICHAELS / SHEFFIELD CEMETERY
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 is required to post a find for this cache.
We were surprised when we encountered these two gravestones. They are so similar, and yet so different. Both stones are side by side so location variable is eliminated. Both stones are made of the same material. Both stones were originally exactly the same construction. Both were born in the late 1800s. Both were born in Yugoslavia.
1. MESSAGE …. The two gravestones differ in coloration ... a. Describe the difference. / b. Explain why this occurred.
2. MESSAGE …. The two gravestones differ in size ... a. Describe the difference. / b. Explain why this occurred.
3. MESSAGE …. The two gravestones differ in position ... a. Describe the difference. / b. Explain why this occurred.
4. MESSAGE …. Give one more difference between the two gravestones. Explain why this occurred.
5. LOG …. Post a picture of you or your signature item at any gravesite with a flag. This picture is your log signature.
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in finding and creating this earthcache by adding A B C to your log.
A. Visit a memorial honoring our fallen heroes. Post a picture at the memorial. Label picture with name and location of memorial.
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
THANK YOU Father David for permission to share this learning adventure.
TYPES OF WEATHERING
Weathering is the breaking down of rock into smaller fragments. All rock weathers over time. Grains of sediment fall out. Cracks develop on the surface and deep inside. Weathering causes rocks to fracture, buckle, and crumble into soil and sediment. There are two types of weathering - mechanical and chemical.
MECHANICAL 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.
TEMPERATURE - Different minerals expand and contract at varying rates. Temperature changes occur in both day-night and seasonal cycles. Frost shattering or ice wedging is due to the expansion of ice.
WIND - The abrasive action of wind causes separation of rock particles from the parent rock.
WATER - The abrasive action of water also causes separation of rock particles from the parent rock.
GRAVITY - As rocks tumble downward, abrasion causes separation of rock particles from parent rock.
CHEMICAL WEATHERING - Chemical weathering occurs when water, air, and other substances react with the minerals in rock. In chemical weathering, the composition of the rock changes
WATER - Water dissolves minerals in rocks, producing new compounds.
OXYGEN - Oxygen reacts with rocks, changing the color of rocks.
ACIDS - Produced when water reacts with the atmosphere.
LIGHTNING STRIKES - The immense energy completely changes the rock.
BIOLOGICAL WEATHERING (Mechanical/Chemical) - Living organisms contribute to mechanical weathering through the growth of roots or the burrowing of animals. Tree roots grow into cracks and joints, increasing the surface area for continual weathering by plants, wind, and water. Plants give off organic acids as part of their life and decay processes. These acids help to break down rocks chemically. Decaying remains of dead animals in soil may form organic acids which, when dissolved in water, cause chemical weathering.
VASCULAR PLANTS (larger and grow out from the rocks) - Plant roots and seedlings sprouting in a crevice exert physical pressure as well as providing a pathway for water and chemical infiltration. The evidence that some soil is present is found in the plants which appear to be growing "out" of the rock. In reality, these plants have roots that are growing in soil that is located in the cracks of the rock.
NONVASCULAR PLANTS (smaller and cover surface of rocks) - Lichens and mosses grow on essentially bare rock surfaces and create a more humid chemical microenvironment. The attachment of these organisms to the rock surface enhances physical as well as chemical breakdown of the surface microlayer of the rock.
ANIMALS - Burrowing animals and insects disturb the soil layer adjacent to the bedrock surface thus further increasing water and acid infiltration and exposure to oxidation processes.
GRAVESTONE MOVEMENT
Two main processes are responsible for gravestone movement.
FREEZE-THAW - Water seeps into cracks . Water expands when it freezes forcing that part of the rock further apart like a wedge. When this process is continually repeated, sections of the rock become separated. This mechanism affects both stone and the ground it rests upon.
ROCK CREEP - Slow flow of materials downslope. Stone minutely creeps downhill due to gravity.
RESOURCES ... Process of Weathering / Gravestone Weathering / Physical Weathering / Chemical Weathering / Biological Weathering / London / Weathering 1 / Weathering 2
This series is dedicated to my dad who served in World War II.
GOD’S PROMISE …. A MOTHER’S LOVE
Told by my uncle (Joseph) ... And my father (Anthony)
Family was seated around the table on Thanksgiving Day when my uncle related why he and his brother returned home safely from the war.
Unbeknownst to my uncle aboard the carrier transporting him across the Atlantic, his ship was targeted by an underwater submarine. There were flashes in the distance that he later learned was the submarine being destroyed.
While stationed in Europe, his base was targeted by enemy fire. He awoke to the sound of the thundering of bombs exploding and saw the dark sky turn bright as the noonday sun. Men were scrambling for safety, but he remained seated with a peace that passeth all understanding. When the carnage was over, he looked down. There was a piece of shrapnel lodged just above his heart, but had not penetrated through his clothing.
Similarly, unbeknownst to my father aboard the carrier transporting him across the Pacific, his ship was targeted by an underwater submarine. There were flashes in the distance that he later learned was the submarine being destroyed.
My father loved to be amongst nature whenever and wherever. One day he was comfortably seated below a tree in the jungles of Australia. He laid his helmet beside him and was enjoying the peace of the moment. When it was time to leave, he reached for his helmet but was guided to look within before placing it upon his head. There sat a poisonous spider which would have surely been his demise. He dislodged the spider and returned to camp.
One day while on her knees communing with the Creator, my grandmother prayed for her sons to return home safely. She arose from prayer knowing God’s hand was upon her sons and they would return unharmed.
And so it was, many close encounters, but my uncle and my father each made it safely home. It was there the two brothers learned of God’s Promise and their Mother’s Love.