The Niagara Escarpment geology is the result of two opposing geological processes, deposition and erosion. Beginning 450 million years ago with an upheaval in the Earth's crust caused the formation of a great range of mountains along the eastern edge of North America. Over time fast flowing rivers carried eroded material westward from these mountains depositing the sediment in a large shallow sea centred in the state of Michigan called the Michigan Basin forming an immense river delta. The sediments hardened into the red shale and sandstone rocks that today form the base of the Escarpment. Then 425 million years ago the sea rose forming a warm, clear ocean. Coral reefs, plant and animal life flourished. In time they fell to the ocean floor and were compressed into many layers of limestone. Over the next 100 million years the seas withdrew, leaving an immense flat plain, which in its turn was reshaped by the forces of erosion. Rivers cut through the body of the plain carving out narrow valleys, and along its outer edge wind, ice and water slowly removed the weaker shale layers underlying the more resistant caprock. Large blocks broke off the top, creating the vertical face that characterizes the Escarpment. This mechanism, known as the sapping process, continues today. Along came the Ice Ages. Four times within the past two million years the Escarpment has been buried under 2 to 3 kilometres of ice. The erosive power of the moving ice scraped rock layers from the top, broadened valley floors and steepened their sides. Retreating glaciers deposited materials which they had scraped and pushed from areas to the north. Since the departure of the glaciers, the forces of erosion have continued to change the face of the Escarpment. Caves, headlands and sea stacks have been formed. The force of running water has carved the Niagara Gorge. As a reminder that erosion never ceases, when you walk along the exposed face of the Escarpment, patches of gleaming white will tell you that frost action has recently broken off another piece of rock, hurling it to the talus slope below. Thus the face of the Niagara Escarpment continues to change as it yields to the inexorable forces of geology.
Formal parking is at N43° 25.092' W79° 52.861'.
The well marked route to this cache is part of a major trail system (white paint markers) along with a side trail (blue paint markers). It will take you to the coordinates listed above and then continues on looping back to where you parked. Total distance is approximately 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) and requires no bushwhacking, climbing etc. Elevation change is very gradual but the main trail section is quite rocky.
The route should be done in a counter-clockwise direction and I would recommend bringing binoculars and camera. You young cachers should make sure the adults in your group stay on the trail with you and don’t run ahead out of your sight. PLEASE STAY BACK FROM THE CLIFFS !!!
Logging requirements
have been changed: Before logging a successful "find" to this earthcache you must collect certain information from the sign that can be found at the earthcache site. This information must be emailed to me via my profile page. I will then email a return message with the go ahead to log the find. Any find logs posted without this verification process being completed will be removed.
On a wooden bench at the cache site are seven words imprinted on one of it's sides and consists of 35 letters in total. Counting from the left determine the letters found in positions 17, 24, 29, 15, 6, and 10. The letters spell out a particular word that can be found in the educational text of the sign. The question that you must answer and email to me is: "what were the circumstances surrounding this word and it's significance to the Mt. Nemo area?
Please Enjoy!
