Lake Superior Earthcache- Brockway Mountain
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This cache can be found atop brockway mountain where a spectacular view of Lake Superior can be seen. The information needed can be obtained from the parking lot.
Lake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by Ontario, Canada and Minnesota, United States, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and is the world's third-largest freshwater lake by volume. The lake's average surface elevation is 600 feet above sea level. Until approximately 1887, the natural hydraulic conveyance through the St. Marys River rapids determined outflow from Lake Superior. By 1921, development in support of transportation and hydropower resulted in gates, locks, power canals, and other control structures completely spanning St. Marys rapids. The regulating structure is known as the Compensating Works and is operated according to a regulation plan known as Plan 1977-A. The current water levels, including diversions of water from the Hudson Bay watershed, are governed by the International Lake Superior Board of Control which was established in 1914 by the International Joint Commission.
Superior's water levels temporarily reached a new low in September 2007, slightly less than the previous record low in 1926. Lake Superior has a surface area of 31,820 square miles- which is larger than South Carolina. It has a maximum length of 350 miles and maximum breadth of 160 miles Its average depth is 482 feet with a maximum depth of 1,332 feet. Lake Superior contains 2,900 cubic miles of water. There is enough water in Lake Superior to cover the entire land mass of North and South America with 1 foot of water. The shoreline of the lake stretches 2,726 miles. American limnologist J. Val Klump was the first person to reach the lowest depth of Lake Superior on July 30, 1985, as part of a scientific expedition, which, at 733 feet (223 m) below sea level, is the lowest spot on the continental interior of the United States and the second lowest spot on the interior of the North American continent after the much deeper Great Slave Lake in Canada 1,500 ft below sea level). Crater Lake, not Lake Superior, is the deepest lake in the United States, Crater Lake's surface elevation is much higher and its deepest point is 4,229 feet above sea level. The average temperature of the lake during the summer is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Lake Superior is the largest, deepest, and coldest of the Great Lakes. Superior could contain the volume of all the other Great Lakes and three more Lake Eries.
The rocks of Lake Superior's North Shore date back to the early history of the earth. During the Precambrian (between 4.5 billion and 540 million years ago), magma forcing its way to the surface created the intrusive granites of the Canadian Shield. These ancient granites can be seen on the North Shore today. It was during the Penokean orogeny, that many valuable metals were deposited. The region surrounding the lake has proved to be rich in minerals. Copper, iron, silver, gold and nickel ore were the most frequently mined. Examples include the Hemlo gold mine near Marathon, copper at Point Mamainse, silver at Silver Islet, and uranium at Theano Point.
To claim this cache
1. Post a picture of the GPS and lake superior in the background.
2. How high above sea level lake superior is at this point (according to information and some simple math found on the sign).
3. What is the predominate ore found in this area, and In 1844 how many pounds of this ore were produced in this conglomerate area.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Purpx bhg gur fvta jvgu gur zrnfherzragf sbe oebpxjnl zbhagnva nobir frn yriry naq nobir ynxr yriry. Qb fbzr fvzcyr zngu sbe ubj uvtu nobir frn yriry ynxr fhcrevbe vf va guvf nern.