🪨 Boulders by the Fisher Girl 🧜🏻♀️
Introduction / Welcome
🇬🇧
Welcome to Xianglu Bay!
Just a short walk from the famous Fisher Girl statue, the shoreline is lined with a cluster of large natural granite boulders. Most visitors focus on the landmark, but the rocks beside it quietly tell their own story about Zhuhai’s coast, waves, weather, minerals, and time.
This EarthCache brings you to these coastal boulders so you can observe how solid granite responds to constant wave action, salty sea air, and long-term weathering. What you see today is the result of thousands of years of natural shaping, cracking, smoothing, and erosion.
Please stay on the walkway and safe dry areas of the rocks. All tasks are simple observation-based. No climbing on wet surfaces, no entering wave zones, and no collecting materials.
🇨🇳
欢迎来到香炉湾！
从著名的珠海渔女像步行几分钟，海岸边分布着一组天然花岗岩巨石。大多数游客只注意雕像，但这些岩石也在默默讲述着属于珠海海岸的故事 - 海浪、气候、矿物，以及时间的力量。
这个地质宝（EarthCache）将带你走近这些海边巨石，观察坚硬的花岗岩如何在长期的海浪冲击、海风和盐分环境下逐渐开裂、磨圆、风化与侵蚀。你今天看到的外形，是经过数千年自然塑造而成的。
请务必停留在步道和干燥、安全的岩石区域。所有任务都以观察为主，请勿攀爬湿滑区域、勿进入海浪范围，也不要收集任何自然材料。
Site Description / 网站描述
🇬🇧 This image shows the natural granite boulders beside the Fisher Girl statue. It is only for orientation so visitors can identify the correct rocks.
🇨🇳 本照片为珠海渔女像旁的天然花岗岩巨石，仅用于帮助访客确认正确的位置。
🇬🇧
The Fisher Girl statue stands at the edge of Xianglu Bay, surrounded by calm water and a gently curved shoreline. Just beside the statue, a group of rounded granite boulders sits partly on the beach and partly in the shallow tidal zone. These rocks are easy to view from the walkway and offer a safe place to observe coastal geology up close.
The boulders vary in size, shape, and surface texture. Some appear smooth and rounded, while others show cracks, joints, and rough patches created by natural weathering. At high tide, waves wash around their bases; at low tide, more of the rock surface becomes visible. Their position at the boundary between land and sea makes them a good example of how coastal processes shape granite over long periods of time.
🇨🇳
珠海渔女像位于香炉湾的海边，周围海面平静，海岸线呈轻微的弧形。在雕像旁边，有一组圆润的花岗岩巨石，一部分位于沙滩上，一部分位于浅浅的潮间带。沿着步道即可轻松看到这些岩石，是近距离观察海岸地质的安全地点。
这些巨石在大小、形状和表面纹理上各不相同。有的外形圆滑，有的表面则出现裂隙、节理和粗糙纹理，这是长期自然风化所造成的。涨潮时，海浪会拍打岩石的底部；退潮时，更多岩面会显露出来。由于它们位于海陆交界处，非常适合展示海岸作用如何在漫长时间里改变花岗岩的外形。
Geological Background
🇬🇧
The boulders beside the Fisher Girl statue are part of Zhuhai’s coastal bedrock, which is mainly granite. Granite is an igneous rock that forms deep underground when molten magma cools slowly. Because it cools over a long period of time, its minerals have time to grow into visible crystals, usually quartz, feldspar, and mica. These give granite its typical speckled appearance.
Over millions of years, uplift and erosion exposed this granite at the surface. Natural cracks called joints formed inside the rock as it expanded and released pressure. Along the coastline, these joints weaken the rock and help the sea break the granite into rounded blocks and boulders.
At Xianglu Bay, the granite is constantly shaped by wave action, salt spray, temperature changes, and chemical weathering caused by humid coastal air. Waves smooth some surfaces, while wind and rain produce rough textures on others. Different minerals also weather at different rates, quartz is very hard, while feldspar and mica break down more easily, creating contrast in colour and texture.
Because the boulders sit right at the boundary between land and sea, they provide a clear example of how granite responds to coastal conditions over long periods of time. The features you see today, curves, cracks, rough patches, and colour differences, are all clues to the geological processes at work.
🇨🇳
渔女像旁的巨石属于珠海海岸线上的花岗岩基岩。花岗岩是一种火成岩，在地壳深处由岩浆缓慢冷却形成。由于冷却时间长，矿物晶体可以长大，因此花岗岩通常能看到清晰的矿物颗粒，主要包括石英、长石和云母，使其呈现典型的斑点状外观。
在漫长的地质时期里，地壳抬升和侵蚀使这些花岗岩暴露在地表。当压力释放时，岩体内部会形成天然裂隙，称为节理（joints）。在海岸环境中，这些节理容易被海浪和风化作用扩大，最终将岩石分割成圆润的块状和巨石。
在香炉湾，花岗岩持续受到海浪冲刷、海盐风、温度变化以及湿热气候带来的化学风化。海浪会磨平某些岩面，而风雨则在其他地方产生粗糙纹理。不同矿物的风化速度也不同, 石英非常坚硬，而长石和云母更容易分解, 因此岩石表面会出现颜色和质感的差异。
由于这些巨石位于海陆交界处，它们清楚展示了花岗岩在沿海环境中长期受到自然作用的变化特征。你今天看到的弧形表面、裂隙、粗糙区域和色差，都是地质过程留下的痕迹。
Logging Tasks / 记录任务
Please answer the following questions based on your observations at the site. All tasks can be completed from safe, dry areas near the walkway.
请根据您在现场的观察回答以下问题。所有任务都可以在人行道附近安全干燥的区域完成。
You may answer in your preferred language.
您可以使用您习惯的语言作答。
1. Rock Type Identification
Look closely at the boulder’s surface.
What visible minerals or grains help you identify this rock as granite?
(Describe at least two features such as grain size, colour, or mineral spots.)
2. Weathering Patterns
Observe one part of the boulder that looks smoother and another part that looks rougher.
Describe the difference between these two surfaces. What might have caused this difference?
(Examples include wave action, salt weathering, or exposure to wind/rain, use your own observation.)
3. Cracks and Joints
Find a natural crack or joint on the boulder.
Describe its shape or direction. Does it look straight, curved, wide, or narrow?
How do you think this feature affects how the rock breaks apart over time?
4. Coastal Influence
Look at the lower parts of the boulders (depending on tide level).
Do you notice any colour change, algae, smoother zones, or erosion marks near the waterline?
What does this tell you about the effect of the sea on the granite?
5. Photo Task (Optional but Appreciated):
You may include a photo showing your visit at the site with the Fisher Girl statue in the background.
This could include you, your GPS device, a signature item, or a trackable.
(Optional: you do not have to appear in the photo if you prefer.)
Feel free to share as many photos as you like, they will make a wonderful addition to your log!
Additional Information / Environmental Notes
🇬🇧
Please be careful around the coastal rocks. The tides in Xianglu Bay change quickly, and some surfaces may be slippery when wet. All required observations can be made from the walkway or from stable, dry parts of the boulders.
Please do not climb on rocks close to the water, and do not enter the tidal zone during strong waves.
As with all EarthCaches, nothing should be collected, removed, or disturbed.
Leave the site exactly as you found it so future visitors can enjoy the same geological features.
🇨🇳
请在观赏海边岩石时注意安全。香炉湾的潮水变化较快，部分岩面在潮湿时可能较滑。所有观察任务都可以在步道或干燥、稳定的巨石上完成。
请不要攀爬靠近海水的岩石，也不要在强浪时进入潮间带。
根据 EarthCache 规定，请勿采集、移动或破坏任何自然材料。
请保持现场原貌，让未来的访客也能看到同样的地质特征。
📌 Important Logging Note
Please do not include your answers in your online log.
Send them privately to the cache owner via message or email.
Once you’ve done that, feel free to log your find right away, no need to wait for a blessing from the Fisher Girl!
If any detail is unclear or missing, the CO may contact you for clarification.
You are very welcome to share as many photos of your visit as you like.
Your beautiful memories help bring this place to life for future visitors!
However, logs that reveal answers or do not meet the requirements may be deleted.
If you have any difficulty with the questions, just send me a message, I’m always happy to help.
Please take a moment to write a meaningful log and share your experience.
Your stories make this EarthCache more enjoyable for everyone.
If you enjoyed your visit, consider awarding a ❤️Favourite Point❤️, it truly makes my day! 🥰
P.S. An EarthCache is a special type of geocache that brings you to a location where you can learn about a unique geological feature or process.
The real treasure here is not a container, but the knowledge and experience you gain about our planet.
Note: As a contribution to the city of Zhuhai, I’m proud to introduce the very first EarthCache created here. I hope it brings both enjoyment and learning to the geocaching community.
Happy EarthCaching! 🌏
May your visit to the Fisher Girl statue and its timeless coastal stones bring you both discovery and joy. ✨🧜🏻♀️🪨🌿
Safe Travels, Happy Geocaching, and see you on the next adventure! 🚀😎
Spider Duck
🌏2025🇲🇾🇨🇳
GeoBorneo🕸️💫
Appreciation and Congratulation:
㊗️Congratulations🥳🎊 to Sofyya for the (FTF) 🥇
2025 Favourite Point TQ ❤️🥰: xXx,
