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- two log signature pictures are required to post a find for this cache.
BEDROCK - Waypoint 3
1a. MESSAGE ... Going from North to South, describe the differences. What is responsible for the changes you see?
1b. MESSAGE ... What colors are there -and- what is responsible for the colors?
1c. MESSAGE ... Describe the texture. Is the texture the same along the entire outcrop? If not, why or why not?
ROCK CITY - Waypoints 4 and 5
2a. MESSAGE ... Look at the sandstone blocks beneath Bridge 1 and Bridge 2. Based on the reading, what is causing the separation of the blocks?
2b. MESSAGE ... Look at the sandstone blocks beneath Bridge 1 and Bridge 2. Based on your observations, what is the difference between the blocks observed from Bridge 1 and Bridge 2?
2c. MESSAGE ... What do you think caused these differences?
BUMPS and DEPRESSIONS - Waypoint 6
3a. MESSAGE ... What causes the bumps and depressions within the sandstone beneath your feet at the overlook?
3b. MESSAGE ... Descripe the size and location of the bumps found at the overlook.
3c. MESSAGE ... Descripe the size and location of the depressions found at the overlook.
LOG SIGNATURE PICTURES
LOG ….Take a picture of you or your signature item at the Fire Tower. This picture is your log signature.
LOG ….Take a picture of you or your signature item at the Overlook. This picture is your log signature.
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in creating this earthcache by adding A and B to your log.
A. 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.
B. 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. 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 Dale for permission to share this learning adventure.
BEDROCK
The bedrock formations are normally divided into three distinct groups. These consist of igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, and metamorphic rocks
The bedrock of Cook Forest is mainly sedimentary rock, deposited by an ocean that once covered western Pennsylvania. Heavy erosion of the mountains to the east deposited thick layers of sand, resulting in massive, coarse beds of sandstone. Movements in the earth’s crust eventually lifted this ocean floor to an elevation of 1,200 to 1,600 feet.
SANDSTONE
Sandstone is formed by the compaction and cementation of sand grains. Sandstone may be any color due to impurities within the minerals, but the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow, red, grey, pink, white, and black. Because it is composed of light colored minerals, sandstone is typically light tan in color. Commonly found within the light tan sandstone are streaks of red caused by the deposition of iron oxide (rust) during the formation of the rock.
Sandstone is continually weathered by wind and water. Erosion then disperses the wethered particles leaving the various shapes and crevices common in the rocks you observe.
ROCK CITY
Sandstone is unusual because it has few cracks. When the sandstone is exposed, it cracks in large pieces, some as large as a house.
Widely spaced vertical fractures called joints outline the blocks. Erosion, frost heave, and root-pry in the joints aid in the process of enlarging the cracks. In time, some boulders may creep far from their source. Movement is generally due to gravity where rocks, both small and large, roll down hillsides.
These boulders and pathways between them are called rock cities. The boulders are the buildings and the paths between them are the streets.
BUMPS AND DEPRESSIONS
Primary sedimentary structures are produced at the same time as the sedimentary rock in which they occur. Examples include stratification (layering) and cross-bedding (layering at an angle). Secondary sedimentary structures form after deposition.
A common secondary sedimentary structure are veins which are crystallized minerals within a rock. Hematite is the mineral form of iron oxide. These hematite veins are visible bumps (inclusions) within the sandstone at Cook Forest.
Weathering by wind and water are the main causes of the depressions found throughout the sandstone. These vary in size.
RESOURCES ... Cook Forest / Google search Hematite veins in sandstone / Earthcach Trail Pop-ups