There is Sand in them der Hills
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To ~CLAIM~ this EARTHCACHE you must email me the answers to the questions. Failure to do so will cause your entry to be deleted and loss of a Find in your count.
Thank you ~Stormie~ aka DSS (DustySandStorm)
Come experience the wonders of sand at the Monahans Sandhills State Park. Enjoy the unique sport of sandsurfing. Visit the hands on exhibits in the Dunagan Visitor Center.
There are features to distinguish the Permian Basin as a geological feature other then rocks. The Permian Basin extends across a deeply buried prehistoric sea and is one of the two richest oil fields in the world. The Permian Basin includes part or all of the counties of Andrews, Crane, Ector, Glasscock, Howard, Lea, Loving, Martin, Midland, Reagan, Ward, Winkler, and Upton.
More than 400 years ago, Spanish explorers were the first Europeans to report the vast hills of sand. Man was present in this area as far back as 12,000 years ago. Later, various Indian tribes used the area for temporary campgrounds and a meeting place, finding game, abundant fresh water beneath the sands, acorns, and mesquite beans available for grinding into paste with their stone tools. The area remained a favorable environment for Indians until the 1880s, when the Texas and Pacific Railroad selected Monahans as a water stop between the Pecos River and the town of Big Spring. In the late 1920s, oil production began in the area, now commonly known as the Permian Basin, and today Monahans is a marketing center for more than 800 square miles of oil and cattle country. There is only a small portion of a dune field that extends about 200 miles from south of Monahans westward and north into New Mexico.
Most of these dunes are stabilized by vegetation, but in the Monahans Sand Hills State park area there are still many dunes that are active. Active dunes grow and change shape in response to seasonal, prevailing winds, so the visitor may experience a dynamic landscape with dunes ranging between 35 to 80 feet. Desert environments have fascinated humans throughout the ages. Covering approximately one-third of Earth's land surface, these arid (dry) landscapes receive less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain per year and support only limited plant and animal life. Deserts may be hot, located primarily between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn, two parallel lines of latitude lying one-quarter of the way from the equator to the North and South Poles, respectively. Deserts may also be cold, located in polar regions, where the mean temperature during the warmest month is less than 50°F (10°C). Most deserts on the planet lie within the Tropics (also called the Torrid Zone). What differentiates deserts from other ecosystems (communities of plants and animals interacting with their environment) around the world is not only extreme climate but the landforms scattered across their surfaces. Alluvial fans, arroyos, blowouts, desert pavement, oases, playas, yardangs. These are but a few of the many features that combine to create the spare desert landscape. For many people, the most fantastic forms defining the desert landscape are miles upon miles of rolling dunes, like waves on a sea suddenly stopped. This dominate popular image of the deserts can be found in books and motion pictures. Yet, only one-fifth of all desert surfaces are covered with sand.
Dunes occur in many shapes, but common to all dunes is the contrast between the gentle slope of the windward side (the side facing into the wind) and the steep slope of the leeward side (the side facing away from the wind). The leeward side is known as the slip face of the dune. Geologists, scientists who study the origin, history, and structure of Earth, have classified the most common dune forms into five types: barchan, parabolic, linear, transverse, and star. All the five major dunes can be further categorized into simple, compound, and complex types. When they occur in their original states, all dunes are simple. When a smaller dune forms on top of a larger dune of a similar type and orientation to the wind, the entire structure is known as a compound dune. When a smaller dune forms on top of a larger dune of a different type, it is known as a complex dune.
Email the answers to these questions
1Q: Monahans Sand Hills State Park consists of how many acres of sand dunes today?
2Q: How tall can a sand dune get in this park?
3Q: Which two counties do the Monahans Sand Hills State Park include in its boundaries?
NOTE: This is addressed to the cachers who are not pleased because I have deleted their logs. I am not being difficult but I am following the guidelines and rules placed by geocaching.com for earthcaches. I can not stress enough that 2 out of the 3 questions must be answered correctly.
This earthcache was created for fun and based on honesty and the fairness of the people who play the GAME (it is only a game).
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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