The Pinnacle EarthCache
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Cache is located just off Highway U.S. 50 just outside of Shoals,
Indiana. The formation is visible from the road but the trail down
to the base of the rock, while well traveled is steep in parts and
can be muddy. There is room to park several cars on the westbound
side of U.S. 50 which is the side nearest the cache. Terrain rating
was done using Clayjar’s system.
A natural geological formation, Jug Rock as it’s known by the
locals or Pinnacle Rock as it is formally known, is the largest
free standing table rock formation (also known as a tea table) in
the United States east of the Mississippi River. It lies in the
valley of the east fork of the White River and stands 170 feet
above the level of the stream. It is part of the Mansfield
formation from the Pennsylvanian geological epoch which is roughly
dated some 385 to 286 million years ago. Made of conglomerate
sandstone, the formation came to be when erosion along fracture
lines in the rock separated it from a nearby cliff. Rocks form in
layers. The oldest are on the bottom with the newest on the top. As
you pull up to the cache or as you are walking back to your
vehicle, notice the rocks across the highway from the parking area.
You will see several layers of rock exposed. At least 1 layer is
the same as part of Jug Rock. To claim a find you must e-mail me
and tell me how the stopper compares to the exposed road cut. Are
the layers level with one another? Is the stopper higher or lower?
Has Jug Rock slid down the hill or does it seem to be level with
the exposed rock across the road? If that requires too much
thinking, using either a magnetic compass or your GPS, tell me
which way the stopper is aligned. Is it east-west or north south?
Special thanks to 2Jos' Waypoint for making this possible
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)
Treasures
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