This is an Earthcache – as such, there is no physical cache. Instead after reading the lesson and examining granites at two waypoints, you will then answer 4 earth science questions about the difference between these pink granites and then message me the answers.

Duckie is obsessed with pink again, but this time it is about what granite he wants to choose for his new kitchen countertops. He has set his mind on two different pink granites, and luckily for him there are samples of his final 2 choices on display on Connecticut avenue where both pink granite monuments are in throwing distance of each other (less than 500 feet apart).

PRETTY PINK GRANITE

Granite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock that forms from magma slowly cools deep below the Earth's surface. The mineral make up of these granites are of milky white quartz (which is the primary mineral responsible for granites strength), black mica, and their large abundance of pink potassium feldspar minerals.

Feldspar is the most abundant group of rock-forming minerals in the Earth's crust, making up about 60% of exposed rocks. It is commonly found in igneous rocks like granite. Potassium Feldspar is pink due to the presence of ultra-fine particles of iron oxide dispersed throughout the crystals. These iron impurities create a salmon-pink to reddish hue. Looking at the chart above you can see that the higher the temperature that the stone formed at, the less volume of potassium feldspar is in the stone. Basically, the lower the temperature granite forms at, the redder the stone will appear.

Take a minute to observe the texture of both pink granites. The texture of a granite rock refers to the size of its crystals. You see, the slower the granite cools, the larger the mineral crystals will be. The three common textures of granite are:

The red granite at the posted coordinates has a Phaneritic texture, as the crystals are large enough to see, but not larger than an inch.

STOP 1: THE LONGFELLOW MONUMENT

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a famous American poet and educator. One of his more popular poems you may have heard, “Paul Revere’s Ride,” starts out “LISTEN, my children, and you shall hear, Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five.” This monument was built in 1909 and funded in small contributions from many admirers of the poet. The pedestal that they chose to display the statue is composed of a bonny large block of highly polished Scotch Granite.

The red granites of Scotland formed around 400 to 420 million-year-ago in the Devonian Period. It was during the Caledonian Orogeny that a collision between continents caused the crust to partially melt which formed these igneous rocks.

STOP 2: THE BATTLEFIELD NUNS MONUMENT

Now let's go on a "ride" like Paul Revere and walk across the street to the Nuns of the Battlefield Monument, which honors the dedication and compassion of the women of various religious orders who served as nurses for both North and South during the American Civil War.

This monument was installed in 1919, with the shaft being of Stony Creek Pink Granite from Branford, Connecticut. This igneous rock was formed 600 million years ago in the late‑Neoproterozoic.

LOGGING REQUIREMENTS:

To log this Earthcache: Read the geology lesson above, observe both monuments, answer all four questions below, and take a photo at the one of the site. Easy, peasy. Answers can be sent via e-mail or messenger contacts on my Geocaching profile, just do it within a reasonable time. Group answers are fine. I just ask that whoever sends those answers should pretty please include all the members of the group AND it would be super nice if each person logging could reference the geocacher who sent the answers in their log.

QUESTION 1. Regarding texture... Which granite has bigger crystal makeup?
A) Scotch Granite
B) Connecticut Granite

QUESTION 2. Regarding minerals.... Which of the two granites have a higher range of Plagioclase Feldspar by volume?
A) Scotch Granite
B) Connecticut Granite

QUESTION 3. Which of these stones formed with a higher temperature of crystallization?
A) Scotch Granite
B) Connecticut Granite

QUESTION 4. Duckie tends to break out in a dance when he hears “Try a Little Tenderness.” This dance has him bouncing around the room, grabbing, and climbing on furniture. For that reason, he needs a strong granite. The more quartz that a granite has, the stronger it is. Which of the two granites would be stronger?
A) Scotch Granite
B) Connecticut Granite

POST PHOTO IN YOUR LOG: Posting a photo in your log readily indicates that you (and anyone else logging the find) are at location. You do not have to show your face, but the photo should be personalized by you, your hand, or a personal item with the either monument. NOTE: Per newly published Earthcache guidelines, this requirement is REQUIRED to claim the find. I will also accept photos sent to me in the message center for those of you who prefer privacy.

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