This War Memorial commemorates the 110 soldiers of the First World War and the 37 soldiers of the Second World War who made the ultimate sacrifice. It is located in Coronation Park Close to the Dinnington Main Colliery Memorial and a small Rose garden, and was unveiled on Sunday 12 November 1922. It has a base surmounted by a hexagonal plinth with a tapered shaft and cross. An Octagonal post and chain fence surrounds the monument with a small inscribed marble tablet. From a distance the memorial looks like it has been carved from a pale coloured Sandstone or even Limestone, but it is in fact Granite, an Igneous rock quarried in Scotland.
Igneous Rocks.
These are formed through the cooling and solidification of Magma or Lava. Upon cooling, crystallisation occurs, the size of which is dependent upon the rate at which they cool down. A slower rate allows crystals to grow larger. Rocks formed below the surface are called Intrusive ( Plutonic). Those formed on the Earths surface such as Lava which cools rapidly to form, say Basalt, are called Extrusive ( Volcanic) rock. Individual crystals can be less than 1mm and require a Microscope to see them, whereas others can be many centimetres in size.
A nice example of Granite with large Feldspar crystals ( Phenocrysts) which have been allowed to grow to approximately 25mm in length (longest). Penrith, England.
Granite.
Generally speaking, Granite is composed of varying amounts of Alkali Feldspar ( generally White or Pink), Quartz ( generally Grey or White) and Plagioclase ( Grey or White). Other minerals which may be present include Mica, which can be translucent and Biotite/Hornblende which are usually dark coloured. Due to the slow cooling rate when forming, the crystals are usually large, interlocking and very visible. It is a very hard rock which can be cut, shaped and polished to a very high standard.
All photographs used in the creation of this EarthCache are from my own collection taken in the field.
In order to log a find against this EarthCache, you will need to visit the location, carry out some observations, answer the questions and send them to us via the email or message facility. Please note, there is no physical container here. Photos are welcome as proof of visit, but please, no spoilers, I will delete them. Enjoy your visit to this location.
Logging requirements.
Q1, Examine the memorial closely, are all the crystals the same size, explain your findings.
Q2, Are all the crystals the same colour, explain your findings.
Q3, Please try to identify any crystals from the information above.
A photo as proof of your visit would be appreciated, but if you feel uncomfortable, something with your caching name on will be welcome.
If anybody would like to expand the War Memorial Series, please do. I would ask that you let Just-us-Two know first by filling in the contact form on the War Memorial Series website warmemorialseries.co.uk https://warmemorialseries.co.uk/ so they can keep track of the War Memorial numbers and names to avoid duplication.