Anguilla Arch 🇦🇮 EarthCache
Hidden : 7/17/2023
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:


Along the Western coast of Anguilla, you will find an amazing sea arch.

After completing this Earthcache you will have a better understanding of:

What is an Arch
How are sea arches formed
The lifecycle of an arch

What is a Arch


A Natural Arch or Natural Bridge is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, coastal cliffs, fins or stacks are subject to erosion from the sea, rivers or weathering.

How are Sea Arches Formed


At this location you will find a Sea Arch that formed on a discordant coastlines that runs at 90° to the coast. Wave refraction concentrates the wave energy on the headland creating a sea cave. Eventually an arch forms when caves break through the headland are formed by a combination of erosion and weathering processes.

Geology of Anguilla: Anguilla is a volcanic island overlain by reef limestone. Basalt and tuff can be found in a few locations on the island.

Life cycle of a Sea Arch: The birth of an arch takes place when a crack is formed along the cliffs. Hydraulic action and abrasion makes the crack larger and eventually forms into a sea cave. Over thousands of years the cave continues to grow until it breaks through to the other side of the headland forming the arch we see at this location. Eventually the sea arch will collapse due to continued erosion leaving a rock stack. The waves will continue to erode the stack making it shorter and shorter until it is a stump and eventually no longer visible above the water.

Bonus Arch Info: London Bridge (arch) in Australia GC1HNP1 collapsed on January 15, 1990 leaving 2 tourists stranded on the remaining stack until a helicopter rescued them. There is still a smaller sea arch at the location but you can see where the larger arch was before it collapsed. Bryce Canyon GC8B35H has several arches that are formed by water erosion, sand abrasion, and also freezing water causing the rock to crack.



To qualify for this Earthcache send me an email or message via my geocaching profile with the answers to the following questions. Please include the name of the cache along with your answers.
Do not post the answers in your log.
Photos are encouraged!
Also, let us know where you are from.

  1. In your own words describe the process of how the rock feature was formed.
  2. Observe the arch, do you notice any differences in the rock color? How could different kinds of rock form the arch?
  3. If you visited this location thousands of years ago, what do you think you would see?
  4. If visit this location thousands of years in the future, what do you think you would see? Would the arch still be there?
  5. Please post a photo of yourself or group with the arch in the background. If you don't want to be in the photo, please include something geocaching related like a trackable, GPSr, geocaching hat, or paper with your geocaching name. Also, if you are visiting the area, include where you are from.
Sources:
Wikipedia Natural Arch
Britannica Sea Arch
Teleskola Sea Arch Lifecycle

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Image created using AI

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Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Ernq gur Rnegupnpur cntr. 🌎 Ivfvg gur cbfgrq pbbeqvangrf. Tngure vasb naq bofreingvbaf. Fraq nafjref ivn zrffntr be rznvy.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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