Cache placed with the kind permission of the Berlin Cemetery Association.  Cache available during daylight hours only.  Please be respectful while exploring this historic cemetery.  Picking up any trash you come across or righting any fallen flags is very much appreciated!

Absolutely no night caching, please respect this historic cemetery.

Weathering!
Weathering is a process where wind, rain, and other natural processes wear away at a rock.  This happens on a large scale, like the rounded tops of the Appalachian Mountains, and on a small scale, like on the tombstones here in this cemetery.

Of course, weathering doesn't happen all at once, it happens over a period of time.  Rahn (1971) and Meierding (1993) stated that this weathering process follows certain stages of deterioration as the lettering is affected and becomes more difficult to read. First, the edges of the carved surfaces become less distinct, particularly the lettering whose edges become rounded as small bits of material are worn away.  In later stages, the letters begin to flat out as erosion carries away more of the material of the tombstone, making the lettering more and more difficult to read. In the final stages, the lettering becomes nearly impossible to read or dissapears altogether as the surface of the tombstone is worm flat by the powers of nature.

Each of these stages, or classes, was given a number a number to identify it:

This method must be used with a degree of judgement by the user, but does give a good idea of the state of a tombstone, as well as how it changes over time.

Headstones

Most cemeteries are filled with markers to show where people have been laid to rest.  The earliest markers in South Jersey would have been wooden or of field stone (although there is not a ton a field stone around to choose from).  According to author Janice Sarapin, later markers in New Jersey were usually made of either marble, sandstone, slate, or granite (although in South Jersey you may find markers made of "white bronze" [which are actually made of zinc] or even bog iron.  Some modern ones are made of other metals, and usually lie flat to the ground).  

More common types:

sandstone - can go from reddish brown to white in color.  Ofter very course grain.  Widely found across the state (although more often in North Jersey). Easy to carve as it's soft.  Sometimes flakes as it weathers.

marble - usually white or pink, medium grained, and often smooth to the touch after being created into a stone.  This was largely used after 1850 and used for large, important graves, as it can be carved in intricate patterns and has associations with the ancient Romans and Greeks.  It was harder to get (none is naturally found in NJ) and harder to carve than sandstone, but is susceptible to acid rain.

shale - usually a dark stone, very hard.  This kind of stone keeps designs and words looking very sharp for a long time.  However, this stone is layered, and often fractures along those layers.  Pieces of the gravestone that fall off often still have distinct lettering on them.

granite - This stone is not native to New Jersey.  It comes in a vast array of colors, most often gray, black, or pink, but can also be green, blue, or red.  This stone is very hard.  It's usually a rough stone, but is often highly polished and smoothed when used for gravestones.

LOGGING REQUIREMENTS

As this is an Earthcache, there is no container to find or log to sign.  To get credit for this find, you'll need to do the following to gather information at the cemetery.  You'll then have a question to answer, which you'll send me the answer to via either the Geocaching messenger or through an email:

Step 1 - Visit the coordinates for each of the six stops.  The title of the stages will let you know which particular stone you should be looking at. Please note that the coordinates will get you in the right general area, but may be up to 15 feet off, so you may need to search in the area before finding the stone you need.

Step 2 - At each stop, you’ll examine the particular headstone listed and, using what you’ve learned about the indicators of weathering class explained above, rate it 1-6.  Use your best educated guess on these!

Step 3 - Before logging, use Geocaching messenger or email to send me the answers to the following questions:

1) Evaluate each stone and tell me how you would rate these in order starting with Class 1.  What about each headstone made you choose the particular rating for it?  There should be one headstone for each of the six levels.

2) Of the six headstones that you examined, identify the type of stone used for each - sandstone, shale, marble, or granite?  Not all types are present in this cemetery.

3) Of the stones you examined, which type of stone seems to be best resistant to weathering?  Which type of stone seems to be least resistent to weathering?

4) Choose a gravestone from Berlin Cemetery that is NOT part of this cache and would rate between a 2 or a 5 on the visual weathering scale (no 1s or 6s please, too easy!).  Which number on the visual weathering class would you use to rate it and why?  Please include a photo of the stone that you choose in either your message or your log.  

Once you have sent me the answers, you may log this as a find.  I will let you know if there are any issues.  Feel free to post any pictures of the cemetery that you would like to with your log, as long as they are not of any of the six headstones used for this cache.  Thanks for visiting!

Sources:
Sarapin, Janice Kohl.  Old Burial Grounds of New Jersey: A Guide.  Rutgers University Press: New Brunswick, NJ. 1994.

Fun fact - this seems to be the first Earthcache ever placed in Camden County, NJ!