Gold Star Healing & Peace Memorial EarthCache

OVERVIEW:

Welcome to Veterans Memorial Gold Star Healing & Peace Garden, located in York City nestled in with a number of athletic facilities at the York Memorial Park Complex.  Gold Star Garden is a living memorial dedicated to all veterans that honors the US fallen in the Global War on Terror. The garden features a series of meditative spaces laid out along the "Walk of the Intrepid." These outdoor rooms reflect the core values and character traits common to members of the U.S. Armed Forces. The names of the Pennsylvania fallen are engraved in the granite walls along the Star Walk.

Please note that York City parks are open daily from 6AM until 10PM.  Please do not attempt to complete this cache when the park is closed.

OBJECTIVES:

1.    The cacher will be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of the geology of the monuments featured at this location.

2.    To compare and contrast “black granite” from geological granite.

BACKGROUND:

Information about the Monument

Veterans Memorial Gold Star Healing & Peace Garden is a living tribute to all veterans, a memorial arboretum particularly dedicated to our intrepid sons and daughters now fighting the war on terror. Gold Star Garden names the Pennsylvania Fallen in the WOT.

The Gold Star Garden started with the dream of  Cher Kondor, an American Gold Star Mother who lost her son, SPC Martin W. Kondor, in 2004. (“Gold Star” is a term derived from American Gold Star Mothers Inc., who were formed in 1928 as a family response to the many lives taken during the first World War. Now, Gold Star is applied to family members who have lost a loved one serving in the U.S. military.)

The dedication ceremony was held on June 9, 2012. Veterans Memorial Gold Star Healing and Peace Garden rapidly unfolded into a beautiful living monument to all who have served our country in the US Military. You will find here all the names of the Pennsylvania fallen in the war on terror. In addition all the York County fallen from the time of the founding of the American Gold Star Mothers are also inscribed on the black Pennsylvania granite Wall of Honor⁽¹⁾.

Pennsylvania Black Granite, also known as American Black Granite, is an exquisite natural stone renowned for its elegant appearance and remarkable durability. Quarried in St. Peters, Chester County, Pennsylvania, this granite showcases a striking contrast between its deep black base and pronounced white veining, giving it a sophisticated and timeless aesthetic(2).

Although given the misnomer of “granite” by the decorative stone industry, this rock is actually more accurately described as a Gabbro.  These are coarse-grained, dark-colored, intrusive igneous rocks composed largely of the minerals plagioclase and augite.  That mineral combination is what gives Gabbro the black to very dark green color with white flecks(3).

Classifications of Igneous Rocks

Igneous rocks are generally divided into four groups based upon their composition: ultramafic, mafic, intermediate, and felsic.  These groups refer to the amounts of silica, iron, and magnesium found in the minerals that make up the rocks(4).

As you can see in the chart above, Gabbro and Basalt are closely related having similar, Mafic compositions.  The primary difference between these two rock types is their grain size.  Basalts are extrusive igneous rocks and therefore have fine-grained crystals.  Gabbros are intrusive igneous rocks and therefore have course-grained crystals.  This difference occurs based upon how close the rock was to the surface as it cooled and hardened from liquid form.  Basalts occur at the surface whereas Gabbros occur more deeply and therefore cool more slowly.  This reduction in cooling rate allows time for the larger crystals to develop in Gabbros relative to basalts(3).

When compared to true granite, gabbro will weather at a slightly faster rate.  This is due to the higher concentration of minerals such as olivine and pyroxene which are more susceptible to chemical weathering compared to the quartz-rich minerals in granite(3).  

APPLICATION & DEMONSTRATION OF LEARNING:

To log this Earthcache: Read the geology lesson above. Answer all four questions posted below and send via messenger contacts on my Geocaching profile. Caches that do not have answers provided to the CO within 48 hours of logging will be deleted.

It is also required with your log you post a photo to clearly indicate that you were actually at the caching location.  

1. Examine the Wall of Honor or any of the similar monuments or benches at this memorial and answer the following:
   1. How would you describe the graining of this rock?  
   2. How many distinct mineral colors can you see in it?
   3. What types of minerals are you likely seeing?
2. What type of igneous rock is Gabbro?
   1. Ultramafic
   2. Mafic
   3. Intermediate
   4. Felsic
3. If you were designing a monument and resistance to chemical weathering was a key design attribute, would you be more likely to pick Granite or Gabbro as the rock for the monument?  Why?

REFERENCES:

1. “Veterans Memorial Gold Star Healing & Peace Garden | Dedicated to Those Who Serve in the War on Terror.” Goldstargarden.com, 2024, goldstargarden.com/. Accessed 15 Aug. 2024.
2. “Pennsylvania Black Granite - Black Granite - StoneContact.com.” Stonecontact, 2024, www.stonecontact.com/pennsylvania-black-granite/s12415. Accessed 15 Aug. 2024.
3. King, Hobart M. “Gabbro: Igneous Rock - Pictures, Definition & More.” Geology.com, 2019, geology.com/rocks/gabbro.shtml. Accessed 15 Aug. 2024.
4. Johnson, Chris. “4.3: Igneous Rocks.” Geosciences LibreTexts, 8 Feb. 2024, geo.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Geology/Introduction_to_Historical_Geology_(Johnson_et_al.)/04%3A_The_Rock_Cycle/4.03%3A_Igneous_Rocks. Accessed 15 Aug. 2024.

Congrats to dsquaredd2 on the F2F!