Welcome to Aberystwyth
Standing at the listed coordinates you will see infront of you a statue of a book.
The Geology
Did you know, there are 3 groups of rock, here is a brief overview of the 3 and some of the rocks that fall into each category:
Igneous rock - All igneous rocks start out as molton rock, (magma) this is then cooled and then crystallises to create the rock.
There are 2 types of these rocks, extrusive and intrusive.
Volcanic processes form extrusive igneous rocks by pushing the rock through the Earths crust.
Extrusive rocks cool quickly on the surface of the Earth, this fast cooling often makes crystals too small to see without some kind of magnifier.
One type of extrusive igneous rock is basalt, this rock is formed from the rapid cooling of lava and is the most common volcanic rock on Earth.
Intrusive igneous rocks cool deep below the surface of the Earth and the crystals in intrusive rocks are visible without magnification due to their larger size.
Granite is one of the best-known igneous rocks.
Many people recognise granite because it is one of the common types of igneous rock found today, this is because granite is used to make many objects that we encounter in daily life.
Granite mainly consists of feldspar, quartz, mica and amphibole minerals.
This mineral composition usually gives granite a red, pink, grey or white colour with dark mineral crystals visible throughout the rock.
Common uses for granite include counter tops, floor tiles, paving stones, roadside kerb stones, stair treads, building veneer and cemetery monuments.
Metamorphic rock - Metamorphic rocks form when sedimentary, igneous or other metamorphic rocks are subjected to heat and pressure from burial or contact with intrusive or extrusive igneous rocks.
Slate is a fine-grained metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism.
Slate is sometimes grey in colour, especially when seen, en masse, such as with covering roofs, although this does depend on the location found and the geology.
However, slate can be seen in a variety of colours even from a single locality; for example, slate from North Wales can be found in many shades of grey, from pale to dark and may also be purple, green or cyan.
Slate is mainly composed of the minerals quartz and muscovite or illite, often along with biotite, chlorite, hematite and pyrite.
Occasionally, as in the purple slates of North Wales, ferrous reduction spheres form leaving a light green spotted texture on the stone surface.
Another common metamorphic rock is marble.
Marble is formed when limestone is subjected to high pressure or heat and metamorphism then causes the original mineral grains to recrystalise.
White marble is formed from pure white limestone, although commonly swirls or viens appear due to the mineral impurities of clay, silt, sand, chert or iron oxide being present in the limestone.
Common uses today for marble include, building construction, sculptures, road building, flooring, counter tops and its even used in the pharmaceutical industry after being crushed into powder!
Sedimentary rock - Sedimentary rocks are those rocks that are sometimes made up of pieces of other rocks. We call these pieces of rock "clasts"
Sedimentary rocks form in layers called beds or strata, these layers can easily be seen in some sedimentary rock formations such as sandstone cliffs.
Clasts of rock are eroded or broken off from larger rocks, then transported by wind or water and deposited in a basin, after a period of time and compression, the clasts are then transformed into stone.
The sedimentary rocks that we see around today were once gravel, sand, silt, mud, or living things.
Sandstone is a common sedimentary rock and can be found all over the world, with red sandstone being found in large areas of England and Wales.
Sandstone may be any colour due to impurities within the minerals, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow, red, grey, pink, white, and black.
Although resistance to weathering may vary in sandstone, it is an easy rock to work with and this makes it a common building and paving material.
Besides construction, sandstone can be used for decorative use, such as stautes, monuments and other ornate features.
The EarthCache:
In order to log a find you are required to complete the following questions and tasks and send your answers to us via the email address on our profile or via the message centre.
Any finds logged without completing the tasks and sending us their answers will have their log deleted.
1. At the listed coordinates examine the book, the book is made using 2 types of rock, describe the rocks appearance and colour, describe how the rocks feel and explain how they differ?
2. Now you have examined the book, a) what rock is the spine made from, b) what rock are the pages of the book made from?
3. What group do these rocks belong to, sedimentary, metamorphic or igneous?
4. In front of the book you will see some stone letters that have fallen from its pages, please explain what type of rock these letters are made from and how does their appearance differ from the book itself?
5. In order to evidence that you have visited the location, a photo of you/GPS/other personal object with the sea behind you at the GZ must be posted on the find log.
A photo on your found log is now a logging requirement (EarthCache guidelines) anyone logging a find without a photo will have the log deleted.
Please do not add any answers to your find log.
Enjoy the location and happy EarthCaching.