This is an earthcache and will require you to visit the location, find a specific item and make observations to be able to answer the questions that make up the logging requirements. There is no physical container at this spot, but you will find something far more interesting.
Logging requirements
1. Please send your answers to either my email or the " Message the owner" tab Either will work.
2. If you are in a group, only one member needs to submit the answers however each person will need to post a photo showing they were on site. A group shot is acceptable. Please do not post spoiler photos.
Questions
1. Just off the trail you will observe some large sedimentary stone blocks that have some wonderful examples of Rugose or Horn Coral fossils. Find one fossil and describe its shape ( horn shaped, circular cross section). Do you see any smaller chambers in your example?
2. Based on the narrative, during the Ordovician period, there was an intense diversification of marine animal life. This period is also sometimes called the Ordovician radiation or GOBE. What is GOBE short for?
3. When did these fossils become extinct? What period?
4. Add photo to your found log with the large limestone blocks.
Ordovician Period
The Ordovician geological period, one of six periods during the Paleozoic Era, and spanned over 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period to the start of the Silurian Period, ending approximately 443.8 million years ago.
During this geological period, there was an intense diversification of marine animal life, sometimes called the Ordovician radiation or the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE). This period followed the Cambrian explosion and saw a tripling of marine diversity.
It was during the Ordovician radiation period that Rugose corals, large cephalopods, brachiopods, trilobites, gastropods, cystoids, jawless fish are among some of the animals and corals that evolved and thrived in the seas that dominated much of the earth.
Diorama showing examples of solitary rugosa corals ( Horn corals)
Rugose Corals (Rugosa)
Rugose Corals, sometimes called horn corals due to their horn like shape , can be found in fossilized sedimentary stone. They are an extinct group of Anthozoa that included Scleractinia, Rugosa, Tabulata and Octocorallia. These corals went extinct at the end of the Permian period.
Solitary rugosans include Caninia, Lophophyllidium, Streptelasma and Neozaphrentis
Side view showing horn shape, and cross side view showing circular shape
