Welcome to my Earthcache! An Earthcache is a special type of geocache where there is no container to find - instead you are looking for a unique geological feature of the area and need to answer questions, as well as posting a picture, in order to claim the find.At this location, you will be examining the base of a statue within a cemetery, looking for ancient criniods amongst the rocks.
As with all of my ECs, I am not looking for PhD thesis level responses, but I am hoping that you take some time to enjoy the area and learn something new. Please include a list of all cachers with your answer, if answering for more than one caching name.
To claim a 'find' for this Earthcache you must answer the following questions and send your answers in a message or email to the owner using the link at the top of the page. You can log your find with a photo at GZ. Send your answers to the tasks. I will be in contact if there is a problem, no need to wait for a response as long as the required photo is included in your log.
1. Other than the columnal section of the crinoid, did you observe any other sections? What is the most prevelant fossil specifimen here - cross section, columnal section or other sections? Please describe.
2. How many fragments or sections are in a 2.5cm x 2.5cm section of this stone? What does this indicate?
3. What are the average sizes of the crinoids fossils you see in the stone?
4. Mandatory: Post a picture of you, and/or your GPS with the statue at GZ. You do not need to show your face in the photo. Any logs without the accompanying photo and answers may be deleted without warning.
Crinoids are marine animals belonging to the phylum Echinodermata and the class Crinoidea. They are an ancient fossil group that first appeared in the seas of the mid Cambrian, about 300 million years before dinosaurs. They flourished in the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic eras and some survive to the present day.
Crinoids look like plants and are also called “sea lilies,” but crinoids are in fact invertebrate marine animals of the phylum Echinodermata. They are related to starfish and sea urchins. Direct ancestors of the fossilized crinoids survive today, but these simple creatures reached their peak in the Mississippian Period, which is sometimes known as the “Age of Crinoids.” Although there were many species of crinoids, they shared a basic morphology consisting of a stem by which it anchored to the sea floor, a calyx which enclosed soft body tissues, and arms which filtered food from the water. These were once abundant in ancient seas, but are still found in modern day in certain locales. They somewhat resemble a small underwater palm tree. There are only about 700 living species of crinoid.
The skeleton is made of the mineral calcite and consists of hundreds of individual plates of different shapes and sizes. Decay of the soft tissue that held many of these plates together means that complete specimens are rare, but parts of the stem are common fossils. It is the columnal section of the crinoids that are often found fossilised in this area. Crinoid fossils, and in particular disarticulated crinoid columnals, can be so abundant that they at times serve as the primary supporting clasts in sedimentary rocks. Rocks of this nature are called encrinites.
This Earthcache was placed by a Proud Platinum Earthcache Master.