Smearsett is a hill with lots of interest geologically. It is a hill shaped by a millenia of geological ages. We are here to examine the slopes of the hill. Be careful as it is rough terrain. So, the hill is composed of a rock called limestone, but there is plenty of other EarthCaches which describe this type of rock. We are here to look at the scree.
So, what is scree?
You, will notice at the listed co-ordinates, that the slope is covered by loose rock, this is known as scree. It has accumulated over many years, due to a variety of processes, namely weathering and erosion. As the rock forming the hill is exposed to the elements such as rain, wind and frost, the limestone is weathered, with small cracks forming, these are further enlarged by the action of rain, as limestone is a permeable rock. During cold weather when it is icy, the water in any cracks forms ice, which then expands, weakening the rock, and a repeated freeze thaw process, then causes larger cracks to form, and eventually pieces fall off, causing the rock face to be eroded, and the rock fragments fall downwards, snd then settle on the slopes as we see here. Over time, fragments of rock accumulated, and scree is formed. Basically, scree is formed by rockfall. The scree here, can be further described as calcarous, as it is composed of limestone. Scree can be described as an accumulation of loose mobile rock, and it has been suggested that scree forms on what is known as an angle of repose. Basically this a point on a slope or hillside, where material becomes unstable, and thus it moves. However, scree that is said to be related to the angle of repose, is only relevant if there is rapid accumulation of new material, or rapid removal of material. By material, we mean rocks. Some, also say that scree forms on concave slopes, with larger material at the top, and smaller material at the bottom.
This being an EarthCache, in order to log it, I ask that you answer some 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 stones forming the scree. Are they all the same shape and size? Is there anything that particularly stands out here about the size?
2. How was the scree slope formed?
3. Are we near the Angle of Repose?
4. Please take your photograph, or that of your device in the locality.