The White Rocks
Information About The White Rocks
The White Rocks were named generations ago by early wagon travelers who passed through the area on their way to and from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. These white quartz rocks were used by many travelers as a physical landmark and were known for the nearby springs.
The White Rocks are a very visible outcrop of natural quartz-bearing bedrock that occurs throughout the region. People have been visiting these rocks since before Europeans came to this region.
These bright white quartz rocks--and the nearby springs were a beacon for weary travelers and freighters making the difficult trek between Sacramento and the gold mines of El Dorado County in the mid-1800s.
This spring was known to be steady and cold; it eventually supplied water to the White Rock Springs Ranch.
Seeing an opportunity to cater to teamsters, or freight drivers, who drove along the wagon route to Shingle Springs and Placerville in the late 1840s, a man named Henry Jacobs first built a large canvas tent for shelter here. The white rocks soon became a popular rest stop along the wagon trail.
The arrival and extension of the Sacramento Valley Railroad, and later the construction of the Lincoln Highway, brought about the end of an era, when more efficient modes of travel gradually replaced the horse and wagon. As wagon travel declined, so did the community of White Rock.
The remaining structures at White Rock Springs Ranch were torn down in the 1940s, but its namesake the white rocks- remains and continues to serve as a reminder of those who came before us.
In April 1850, Daniel and Martha Jane Chapman purchased the property from Henry Jacobs and built a large barn, stable, active farm, and hotel. The location later became known as the White Rock Springs Ranch, which they advertised as "one of the largest and best country taverns in the State." At the time, the ranch was also the largest building complex in the developing community known as White Rock.
More About Quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical formula of SiO2. Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust, behind feldspar.[10]
Quartz exists in two forms, the normal α-quartz and the high-temperature β-quartz, both of which are chiral. The transformation from α-quartz to β-quartz takes place abruptly at 573 °C (846 K; 1,063 °F). Since the transformation is accompanied by a significant change in volume, it can easily induce microfracturing of ceramics or rocks passing through this temperature threshold.
There are many different varieties of quartz, several of which are classified as gemstones. Since antiquity, varieties of quartz have been the most commonly used minerals in the making of jewelry and hardstone carvings, especially in Eurasia.
Quartz is the mineral defining the value of 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness, a qualitative scratch method for determining the hardness of a material to abrasion.
Now time for the questions! ALL QUESTIONS ARE REQUIRED:
1. What catergory would quartz be in for minerials?
2. How big would you say the quartz are?
3. Would you say the quartz would be the normal α-quartz or the high-temperature β-quartz?
4. Would you classifiy the quartz as a gemstone?
5. On the information sign, what does it say the new hotel was called? (It is right under where it says rocks)
6. How many rocks/quartz do you think are out here?
7. Take a picture of the rocks/quartz or the information sign. Do not post a picture of information sign on your log. Just direct message it to me!
Good Luck! This is my first EarthCache ever!
Sites used:
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=bef768406873fdb8JmltdHM9MTcwMzYzNTIwMCZpZ3VpZD0wZGY0ZmRlNS0xODUxLTZjYzItM2ZmMC1lY2ZjMTlkNTZkYTImaW5zaWQ9NTIxOA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=3&fclid=0df4fde5-1851-6cc2-3ff0-ecfc19d56da2&psq=qaurtz&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnJpdGFubmljYS5jb20vc2NpZW5jZS9xdWFydHo&ntb=1
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=5007b7f32f29ed54JmltdHM9MTcwMzYzNTIwMCZpZ3VpZD0wZGY0ZmRlNS0xODUxLTZjYzItM2ZmMC1lY2ZjMTlkNTZkYTImaW5zaWQ9NTI2NA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=3&fclid=0df4fde5-1851-6cc2-3ff0-ecfc19d56da2&psq=qaurtz&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnL3dpa2kvUXVhcnR6&ntb=1
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=b13a23059f0e8835JmltdHM9MTcwMzYzNTIwMCZpZ3VpZD0wZGY0ZmRlNS0xODUxLTZjYzItM2ZmMC1lY2ZjMTlkNTZkYTImaW5zaWQ9NTMwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=3&fclid=0df4fde5-1851-6cc2-3ff0-ecfc19d56da2&psq=qaurtz&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9nZW9sb2d5LmNvbS9taW5lcmFscy9xdWFydHouc2h0bWw&ntb=1
Congratulations to Linda#1, rvls, Budzdunwerkin, and MyBetterHalf for being the FTF!
Congratulations to GB's for your special milestone of finding 1000 earthcaches! (Also thanks for the favortie point!)