So, as you walk along the side of Glasgow Queen Street station, you will notice that the building is clad in a lightly coloured stone. This is limestone, more specifically jura limestone.
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate. Many,but not all limestones are composed of skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral, crinoids and molluscs.
This type of limestone is known as Jura Limestone, and it comes from Bavaria in Germany.
This type of limestone was formed during the Jurrasic period, which is also known as the age of reptiles, during this time, a shallow tropical sea covered the area now known as Bavaria. In the limestone was can see evidence of some of the creatures that once lived in this sea, and we are here to look for a specific type of fossil - belemnites.
A fossil is trace or remains of a plant, animal or other organisms. However, there is more to fossilization than just bones, or remains of a T Rex.
There are many EarthCaches which can teach you about the whole process of fossilization, what we are concerned with is this certain type of fossil.
Belemnites, which are now extinct, are related to the squid family, but unlike their modern day relative, they had an internal skeleton, which is what is often preserved, in the form of a rostrum, or 'bullet'. It is shaped like a bullet, and this was part of the rear of the animal possibly as a form of a counter balance. Some belemnite fossils can be seen with continuation at the end of the rostrum, this is evidence of a chambered conical shell known as a phragmocone. The end of the phragmacone appears like a V, which is known as the pro-ostracum.
At the EarthCache location are some Belemnite fossils.
This being an EarthCache, in order to log it, I ask that you answer the above questions. Please send them to me, and do not include them in your log. You can send them to me by using the message facility or email, both of which can be found by looking at my profile.
(1) Please describe the jura limestone panelling, in terms of colours you can see.
(2) Please describe the longest belemnite fossil. In your description please specify what aspects you can see, the colours and length of the fossil, including the length of any specific features making up the fossil.