If EarthCaches are an outdoor classroom for geology, consider
this one a fun field trip with a little learning slipped in just
for good measure.
Nature vs. Detroit (Nature Wins)
The automobile has been around for some time now, but only a
blink in the life of our world. Autos were for some time a novelty,
to be enjoyed by those who created them, or could afford the
luxury. When Henry Ford perfected the assembly line the cost went
down dramatically, allowing most Americans to travel over the often
rough roads and get out and enjoy the world around them.
In 1969 America was the undisputed world champion of the
automobile industry. By now the car had become as much of our lives
as the family pet and an important part of where we could live in
relation to where we worked. The automobile meant that we could
live several miles from our place of employment because distances
could be traveled in a relatively short amount of time.
The Contender
This car was a result of the “Dreamers of Detroit”, built from
iron mined in the United States and refined into steel, perhaps in
Pittsburg or maybe nearby Portsmouth, Ohio. Various companies
created various parts and shipped them by rail or trucks to the
factory that assembled them all into a functioning unit: an
automobile.
The Champion
Photo courtesy of NASA/JPL
The Earth has been occupying a small section of the Universe for
about 5 billion years. It is made of various substances such as
iron (like the car), nickel, and other elements. It also has a
relatively thin layer of hard material that forms the crust, on or
very near the surface of which all life on the planet exists. This
hard material consists mostly of rocks that fall into one of three
categories: igneous, which is volcanic, metamorphic,
one type of rock forced to become a different type by heat and
pressure, or sedimentary which is formed as tiny sediments
usually in water settle to the bottom and are compressed over time
into a solid mass.
Here at this location as almost everywhere else in the
state we find sedimentary rock. This very rock is composed of
sandstone which is a part of the Mauzy Formation, and formed as
mentioned above in water. This particular formation consists of
shale, siltstone, limestone, and the sandstone which crushed this
car. In fact over the history of this part of the country, this
entire region was in the past under water. During the Mississippian
and Pennsylvanian times, when the rocks in this area formed, a
shallow sea kept all land under its surface. During the
Pennsylvanian, (which resulted in the coal found in this area)
swamps were the prevalent feature of the area. Over the millennia,
erosion has worn the once smooth sea and swamp floors into the
valleys and hills we see today.
As the land has eroded away faster in some places and slower in
others, rock has been left exposed on the tops and sides of the
hills. Sometimes the softer material underneath a layer of rock
erodes away leaving a rock shelter, an area underneath an
overhanging rock. From time to time these rocks break away and
tumble down hill. Some of these are small with little potential for
causing problems to the land, while others can have much different
results.
The Event
For whatever reason, this icon of the American automobile
industry was left at this location, it’s final resting place if you
will. Think of all the circumstances that had to come together for
this event to cause the demise of what at one time, must have
brought a smile to the face of the original owner as they gazed at
it in the dealer’s showroom. First of all, the Earth had to be
formed about five billion years ago. Seas had to produce the
conditions for sedimentary rock to begin forming, and erosion had
to wear away selective parts of the surrounding countryside. The
auto had to be invented by an unlikely group of somewhat recently
evolved mammals. The car was parked at this location and the
overhanging rock had to crack and give way at the right time. Human
history and geology sometimes cross paths.
Most times when we see large rocks that have tumbled down from
above we can only guess as to how long ago the event occurred. This
one rock, we can say with certainty came to rest at this location
in the years since the production of this automobile, 1969 if I am
not mistaken.
The Aftermath
In fact, there are not one but two cars at this location. The
one we see here is what you might say, half salvageable (yeah,
right). The other is barely visible and you must get close to the
big rock to see it. In fact, we had to scrape away some leaves to
see it, but it is there. Both cars belonged to the daughter of the
landowner. In one brief instance the surface of the Earth changed a
little, not one but two automobiles have returned to the earth from
whence their materials came. The steel will oxidize to rust and the
rubber will eventually rot. Millions of years from now it is almost
certain the champion will remain, as the contender will have faded
into oblivion.
Qualifications for credit:
To get credit for the EarthCache, email the answers to the
following questions and then post a picture of you holding your
GPSr and with the rock and car in the background when you log your
find. Posts with no pictures or without emailing the answers will
be deleted. If no picture is possible, for instance you dropped
your camera in the gas tank of the car and it broke or the
batteries died, let us know first and we will work something
out.
Questions:
1. What is the color of the other car (it is to the left of this
one, if viewed from the road)?
2. What is the texture of the boulder on top of the car, smooth,
rough, etc.?
3. How do we know this rock fell in recent years?
Credits and Ammosuperman EarthCaches:
This EarthCache was created by a team of two Platinum EarthCache
Masters, Ammosuperman EarthCaches are a collaborative effort. We
have used resources such as the Internet and magazine articles as
well as personal experience in visiting the sites, as research
tools in its construction. Our goal is to learn more about our
planet and to pass along what we have learned to others having
similar interests. We hope you enjoy the experience.
Special thanks to Mrs. Prater, who owns the land and has
given permission for us to place this EarthCache at this location.
Also a special thanks to SpongeBob CachePants who has the
traditional cache GC13MNO near these coordinates. So be sure
to check out that one as well.
