Ausable Chasm EarthCache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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Ausable Chasm hours of admission:
| SPRING |
April-June |
09:00-16:00 |
| SUMMER |
July-August |
09:00-17:00 |
| AUTUMN |
September-December |
09:00-16:00 |
| WINTER |
January-March |
09:00-16:00 |
|
Cost: $9-18, depending on age and residency
There is only one safe way to access this cache, and that is on the trails within the paid attraction area. Attempting to access this cache by any other means can cause serious injury or death. Cachers must utilize Ausable Chasm's paid trail network to reach this Earthcache.
Ausable Chasm is a sandstone gorge shaped over the millennia by the Ausable River, which runs from the Adirondacks into Lake Champlain.
A gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs, usually formed by a watercourse flowing through the area, eroding the rocks. The cliffs form because they are usually formed of harder rock strata that are less resistant to erosion and weathering. Gorges usually form in wetter areas, as flowing water, as well as the freeze-thaw cycle, erode the rock. [1]
Gorges are frequently formed when water flows through areas of sandstone. As sandstone is formed of smaller particulate minerals, it is more porous and susceptible to erosion. Ausable Chasm is a sandstone gorge, and many of its unique rock formations are due to the way water has eroded the sandstone. [2] The name of the river and chasm reflects the type of rock found in it: the name Ausable comes from the French "Au Sable" which means "of sand."
One section of Ausable Chasm has an exposed area of Potsdam sandstone that is nearly 520 feet thick. Potsdam sandstone is nearly pure quartz and was used extensively in the 19th century for building construction in New York and Vermont. The sandstone is named after the community of Potsdam, New York. [3] The section of Potsdam sandstone in Ausable Chasm is particularly notable for the fossil of a mid-Cambrian jellyfish. [4]
To log this Earthcache, make your way to the rock formation in the chasm known as Elephant’s Head. E-mail the cache owner the answers to the following questions:
- Based on your knowledge of erosion and gorge formation, how do you think the Elephant’s Head was formed?
- Based on your surroundings at Elephant's Head, do you think the Ausable River will eventually make the gorge wider, deeper, or both? Why do you think this?
- (Optional) Post a photo of yourself imitating an elephant with Elephant’s Head visible in the photo.
You will only receive a response if your answers are incorrect. Enjoy the chasm!
References:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorge, accessed 23 August 2012.
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandstone, accessed 23 August 2012.
[3] Geologic Unit: Potsdam, U.S. Geological Survey Geolex Database, accessed 23 August 2012. http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Geolex/NewUnits/unit_3388.html
[4] James W. Hagadorn and Edward S. Belt (2008), Stranded in Upstate New York: Cambrian Scyphomedusae from the Potsdam Sandstone, Palaios, v. 23, p. 424–441, accessed 23 August 2012. http://palaios.sepmonline.org/content/23/7/424
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