Allegany State Park – Thunder Rocks
NOTE … A permit is required to place this cache in Allegany State Park. Call to get the form.
Coordinates … N 42° 02.840 W 078° 42.240 / Parking … N 42° 02.542 W 078° 42.095
EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers to log a find. … “Geocachers must complete the tasks before they log the EarthCache as found.” (4.3. EarthCache logging tasks)
Enjoy the journey (learning adventure) as well as the destination (smiley earned). Remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints. To get credit for this Earthcache, complete the following tasks:
NOTE: NOTE: Unable to place EC coords at Thunder Rocks due to ASP requirements for cache proximity.
Answers via message -and- log signature pictures are required to post a find for this cache.
Explore Thunder Rocks. There are two earthcaches here, each with a different focus. Thunder Rocks II focuses on the formations. This EC focuses on sculpting by water causing the myriad of markings.
1. MESSAGE …. What are the ways water can sculpt rocks.
2. MESSAGE …. Find any four examples of water sculpting in Thunder Rocks. Describe the location (ex. direction/steps/coords/bearing) using the parking area as your reference point. Alternatively, you can use pics to verify your finds.
3. LOG … Post a picture of you or your signature item with your favorite feature -and- explain why you chose it. This picture is your log signature.
OPTIONAL – Please respect the time and effort involved in finding and creating this earthcache by adding A and B to your log.
A, JOURNEY OF THE MIND … Science explains what we observe. Relate (in your own words) something you found interesting in the reading. This adds to your learning adventure and your log.
B, JOURNEY OF THE HEART … Art shares our personal experience of what we see. Share something special you found on site, and why it is special to you … prose / story / poem / picture. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.
Journeys of Heart and Mind …
Stories to Touch the Heart and Puzzles to Challenge the Mind / Rainbow Tree Story
THANK YOU Allegany State Park (Permit ALLxxx) for permission to share this learning adventure.
THUNDER ROCKS
These rocks are all sedimentary deposited via rivers and streams. Mechanical weathering due to water and wind result in the various rock formations. The rocks here are Olean Conglomerate made up of sand, quartzite pebbles, and oxidized iron compounds. The oxidized iron gives the rocks the brown streaks and swirls. Water is a major factor responsible for sculpting rocks.
HISTORY OF THUNDER ROCKS by Allegany State Park Historical Society
One of the most frequently visited sites in Allegany State Park is THUNDER ROCKS. The site is made up of over twenty five large sedimentary rocks. Sedimentary rocks consist of sand, local mineral deposits and water, which had been compressed under extreme pressure over a long period of time. There are several different types of sedimentary rocks. Those found in the Thunder Rocks site are classified as Olean Conglomerate. This means that along with the core sand there are quartzite pebbles and oxidized iron compounds. The oxidized iron gives the rocks the brown streaks and swirls that can easily be seen when exploring the rocks. Over the years, climatic changes have carved several intriguing shapes on the rocks. Some people see different images when they quick glance at these rocks, such as a whale, a gorilla, a frog or maybe a turtle, upon the faces of the rock. One of the most common misgivings regarding thunder Rocks, is that they were left by the Glacier movement in North America. But in actuality, these Rocks became exposed after a long period of erosion. One of the beliefs on how Thunder Rocks, got their name, came from a local Seneca Indian belief that all things in nature have guardian spirits. Legend has it, that the guardian spirits of the rocks, decided to hold a competition. The challenge was to see which spirit could throw the biggest rock to the top of the mountain. Each time a boulder was thrown, a roaring, thunderous sound could be heard throughout the area. This clamor caused concern & distress amongst the tribe living nearest to the mountain. When dawn broke the next morning, members of the tribe set out to determine what caused this mighty uproar the previous night. To their surprise, they found these gigantic boulders strewn atop the mountain. Hence, they named this area, “THUNDER ROCKS” after the awful commotion that they heard the night before. The largest of the rocks is approximately the size of a two story house. At one time, a set of wooden stairs, with hand railings, were built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp), back in October of 1933. These stairs were built to give visitors access to the top of the larger rocks. Several of these rocks are covered with moss, which has enabled trees to grow upon them. – Bob Schmid
SCULPTING BY WATER
CROSS-BEDDING – Sedimentary rocks are deposited as horizontal layers. However, the action of flowing streams oftentimes causes tilting of the layers. Conflicting currents or a decrease in the slope of a stream result in these slanted deposits. Cross beds reveal the direction of flow of the ancient river.
ICE WEDGING – Water gets in the vertical cracks (joints) and horizontal cracks (bedding planes) of a rock and freezes. Water expands when it freezes. This cycle of freezing/melting causes the crack to become ever wider.
DRIPPING WATER – “Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.” Ovid
Trees find a foothold in and among the rocks. After rain, the water dripping from the leaves to the rock below can cause small depressions over time.
FALLING WATER – Water erodes the softer rock faster than the more-resistant rock. Long, vertical cracks are possibly a result of a waterfall.
FLOWING WATER – Pieces are broken off and rounded. A record of storms, dry spells, and changes in the depth and direction of the river is written in the rocks. Zones with many large pebbles indicate rapidly moving water. Finer sediments are deposited by slow-moving water. Alternating bands result from seasonal changes in stream volume.
STAINING – Limonite is iron ore consisting of a mixture of hydrated iron in varying composition. Water had to be present for these rusty brown swirls and streaks in the rocks to occur. Limonite is very resistant to weathering and stands out as veins on the surface of the rocks. Limonite is one of the minerals that cements sand grains together when rocks are formed.
RESOURCES
Allegany State Park Staff / ASP Rock Water Erosion
MY ANSWERS
1. Ice / Dripping-Falling-Flowing Water
2. See pics on cache page
REVIEWER NOTES
Thank you for your EarthCache submission. A few adjustments are required to bring the EarthCache into compliance with the EarthCache guidelines posted at http://www.geosociety.org/GSA/fieldexp/EarthCache/guidelines/home.aspx. Additional information may be found in the Groundspeak Knowledge Books at https://www.geocaching.com/help/index.php?pg=kb.chapter&id=51.
Logging task #2 is vague…wander around the park and pick rocks of interest. It would be better to bring the visiting cacher’s focus to specific examples of water sculpting that you wish to highlight with this EarthCache. Five types of sculpting plus staining are written about on the EarthCache page. Are all sculpting mechanisms visible at the location? Why or why not? Perhaps highlight the mechanisms that are present in the park and take the visiting cacher to those locations.