Church Micro 10581 Croik EarthCache
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Croick church, dating from 1827, is a Thomas Telford-designed church; its place in history was cemented in 1845 as the scene of an infamous episode of the Highland clearances. In 1842, James Gillanders, factor to an absent landlord, attempted to evict the Glencalvie tenants for sheep. His efforts finally succeeded on 24 May 1845 when eighteen families were cleared from their homes. 92 people made a common shelter in Croick churchyard, the roof formed of tarpauling stretched over poles, the sides closed in with horsecloths, rugs, blankets, and plaids, and a fire was kindled in the churchyard, this was the refuge of the Glencalvie people. Messages scratched on the church windows include: “Glencalvie people was in the churchyard here May 24 1845” and “The Glencalvie tenants resided here May 24 1845”
There is parking opposite for several cars and In May, June, July, August and September at 3pm in the Church on the second Sunday of each of those months there is a service held.
Go through the churchyard to the left of the church to the bottom corner, and behind the tree you are looking for a rock which stands out strikingly from its surroundings due to it being a bright white colour against the drab grey rock of the wall that flanks it, the rock is white quartz.
The white colour you see is usually caused by minute fluid inclusions of gas and/or liquid trapped during the crystal formation. The cloudiness or 'mistyness' evident here is caused by the inclusions, for this reason although it is effectively crystal, its appearance prevents its use as a gemstone unlike pure or 'clear' quartz,
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust, chemically quartz is silica, or silicon dioxide, SiO2. It is found in most types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary.
Quartz is rather hard, 7 on the Moh’s hardness scale, (diamond is 10 ) and has a glassy (vitreous) lustre. When a crystal is broken, the fracture surface is curved, like a shell. This is referred to as conchoidal fracture; glass fractures in the same way.
When crystallized in an open cavity in rocks, quartz forms easily-identifiable 6-sided (hexagonal) prismatic crystals. When formed without open spaces, deep within the earth, quartz crystallizes in small, roundish masses.
Quartz is physically and chemically resistant to weathering. When quartz-bearing rocks become weathered and eroded, the grains of resistant quartz are concentrated in the soil, in rivers, and on beaches. The white sands typically found in river beds and on beaches are usually composed mainly of quartz, with some white or pink feldspar as well.
When water-clear, quartz is known as rock crystal or mountain crystal. However, quartz can contain a number of different impurities, which create different colour varieties. Trace iron colours the quartz pink to create rose quartz. Copper colours quartz green to form beryl. Hydrocarbon "seeps" colour quartz violet to create amethysts. Rose quartz, beryl and amethyst are semiprecious stones. Purple quartz is known as amethyst; white is milky quartz; black is smoky quartz; pink is rose quartz, and yellow or orange is citrine.
White Quartz, often referred to as “Frozen Light,” or “Ice of Eternity,” is perhaps one of the most powerful stones used by healers and other Magical practitioners. It comes in a range of shapes, and ranges from crystal clear to translucent. The clearest stones have a masculine, projective energy, while the milkier and translucent stones have a feminine or receptive energy. (Not wanting to sound sexist, but these terms have been used for thousands of years, and it may be too late to change now.) The frosty white version of this stone, almost milky in its whiteness, is sometimes called “Snow Quartz.” The cloudiness of milky quartz comes from microscopic inclusions of fluids that have been encased in the crystal from the time the crystal first grew.
Quartz is one of the most useful natural materials. Its usefulness can be linked to its physical and chemical properties. It has a hardness of 7 on the Moh’s hardness scale which makes it very durable. It is chemically inert in contact with most substances. It has electrical properties and heat resistance that make it valuable in electronic products. Many solid-state devices, including transistors and microchips owe much to the physical properties of silicon, the primary ingredient in Quartz. It is no coincidence that the centre of computer development in the United States has been nicknamed “Silicon Valley.” Its lustre, colour and diaphaneity make it useful as a gemstone. Other uses include glass making, abrasive, foundry sand, hydraulic fracturing proppant. And Quartz sand is used as filler in the manufacture of rubber, paint and putty. Screened and washed, carefully sized quartz grains are used as filter media and roofing granules. Quartz sands are used for traction in the railroad and mining industries. These sands are also used in recreation on golf courses, volleyball courts.
To claim this earthcache, please send the answers to the questions below to the cache setter by email or messenger- do not post in your online log. Your log may be deleted if this criteria is not met. Educational guidelines for Earthcaches are set by Geocaching.com and GeoSociety.org (Earthcache) and have to be adhered to.
While not compulsory, it is always nice to see photos of your visit
1 While Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust, what is the most common? Google may help
2 Describe the rock, a) how big is it, is it angular or rounded? b) What type of white colour would you best describe this as, frozen light, snow or milky?
3 Looking very closely, can you see any of the crystals? How big are they and what size and shape are they?
4 Rub your fingers along the rock, how does it feel? Is it smooth like glass or can you feel the "joints" of the crystals? Does it leave any residue on your fingers?
5 On your journey up here (or on your way back down) did you notice any more white quartz rocks /boulders? Look over the wall into the field are there any there? If your answer is no where do you think this one came from and how do you think it arrived here?
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