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Anyone for a dip? EarthCache

Hidden : 10/13/2013
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

This earthcache provides an opportunity to learn about dip and strike measurements on a lovely anticlinal fold in Castlemaine. A compass, protractor, inclinometer or strike and dip smartphone app would be advantageous in completing the logging requirement. Parallel parking is available on both sides of the road just to the east of the anticlinal feature.


The logging requirement for this earthcache is to provide me your measurements for the dip and strike of the western arm of this anticlinal fold, via my geocaching.com contact details.

The following information about Dip and Strike has been sourced from wikipedia.com.

Strike and dip refer to the orientation or attitude of a geologic feature. The strike line of a bed, fault, or other planar feature is a line representing the intersection of that feature with a horizontal plane. On a geologic map, this is represented with a short straight line segment oriented parallel to the strike line. Strike (or strike angle) can be given as either a quadrant compass bearing of the strike line (N25°E for example) or in terms of east or west of true north or south, a single three digit number representing the azimuth, where the lower number is usually given (where the example of N25°E would simply be 025), or the azimuth number followed by the degree sign (example of N25°E would be 025°).

The dip gives the steepest angle of descent of a tilted bed or feature relative to a horizontal plane, and is given by the number (0°-90°) as well as a letter (N,S,E,W) with rough direction in which the bed is dipping. One technique is to always take the strike so the dip is 90° to the right of the strike, in which case the redundant letter following the dip angle is omitted. The map symbol is a short line attached and at right angles to the strike symbol pointing in the direction which the planar surface is dipping down. The angle of dip is generally included on a geologic map without the degree sign. Beds that are dipping vertically are shown with the dip symbol on both sides of the strike, and beds that are flat are shown like the vertical beds, but with a circle around them. Both vertical and flat beds do not have a number written with them.

Strike and dip are determined in the field with a compass and clinometer or a combination of the two, such as a Brunton compass named after D.W. Brunton a Colorado miner. Compass-clinometers which measure dip and dip direction in a single operation are often called "stratum" or "Klar" compasses after a German professor. There are also smartphone apps available that will assist in determining the dip and strike of planar features.

Any planar feature can be described by strike and dip. This includes sedimentary bedding, faults and fractures, cuestas, igneous dikes and sills, metamorphic foliation and any other planar feature in the Earth. Linear features are measured with very similar methods, where "plunge" is the dip angle and "trend" is analogous to the dip direction value.

Apparent dip is the name of any dip measured in a vertical plane that is not perpendicular to the strike line. True dip can be calculated from apparent dip using trigonometry if you know the strike. Geologic cross sections use apparent dip when they are drawn at some angle not perpendicular to strike.

 

It is interesting that this anticlinal fold was the subject of an April Fools Day prank as reported in the Castlemaine Independant newspaper. The gist of the prank was that the Anticlinal Fold was being considered as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. A web link to the article is included for general information and interest.

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