sands of LAKE ERIE EarthCache EarthCache
sands of LAKE ERIE EarthCache
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As an earthcache, there is no 'container' to discover. Rather with this cache, you discover something about the geology of the area. For more information go to www.earthcache.org
YOU WILL NEED A SMALL MAGNET AND SOME VINEGAR for the logging requirements. A magnifying glass may be helpful too.
LOGGING REQUIREMENTS:
Send the answers to me through my geocachinig profile. DO NOT post the answers to any logging requirements on this site.
PLEASE send your answers SOON after you log your find or I may need to delete it!
1- Based on the information below and the sand particles in your hand, do you think that this sand traveled a long distance or a short distance, is the sand smooth or rough, small or big?
2- Do you think this sand was primarly eroded by water or wind? (see information below)
3- To see how much (if any) magnetite there is in the sand, drop a magnet into the sand and remove it. Did any dark specks of rock stick to tne magnet?
4- To discover if there are any shells or micro-skeletical remains in the sand, pour a very small amount of vinagar into the sand. If it bubbles - shells and micro - skeletical remains are present. Does it bubble?
(1/2 tablespoon of sand mixed with 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar gives the most accurate results.)
5- Post a picture of your GPSr and/or yourself with your log that shows the lake in the background. If you have a problem with a picture identify the man made features nearby.
You may want to take a sample of sand home for the above experiments.
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Lake Erie is one of the five Great Lakes and next to the smallest even though it is the 12th largest lake in the world.The largest river nearby, that deposits large amounts of sediment, is the Maumee River. But the largest volumn of water, 80%, comes from the Detroit River. It is also the shallowest and warmest of the Great Lakes and the only one that the bottom of the lake is above sea leavel.
When the Great Lakes were gorged out by glacial ice, Lake Erie was the first to be uncovered during the last retreat of glacial ice. The underlying basin of this portion of Lake Erie is composed of a hard, resistant limestone, that is why this end of the lake is shallower for glacial forces could not carve as deeply as the eastern end which is composed of softer shale.
Lake Erie and its shoreline are a major source of many minerals. The largest sandstone quarry in the world is on its southern shores. Gypsum and limstone are plentiful too.
GEOLOGY:
Sand is a naturally occuring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles. As the term is used by geologists - sand particles range in diameter from 62.5 micrometers to 2 millimeters. Sand feel gritty when rubbed between your fiingers!
Sand consists of rocks, crystals, shells and skeletical remains of organisms, eroded over time by the wind and water. Sand compositions can vary greatly from one area of the world to another.
The most common constituent of sand is silica, also called silicon dioxide, usually in the form of quartz. The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions. Sands in the area contain varying amounts of many of the following: quartz, feldspar, chlorite, gypsum, and possibly magnetite (see logging requirement).
SAND DEPOSITION & COMPOSITION:
Sand is transported by wind or water and deposited in the form of beaches, as is the case here, or dunes and sand bars.
The study of individual grains can reveal much historical and geological information as to the orgin and kind of transport of the grain. Sand that is RECENTLY weathered from larger rocks will be angular and be of drastically different sizes. It will feel rough to the touch. By contrast, sand that is transported long distances by water or wind will be rounded.
Of course, in most cases, there are not simply rock grains in the sand on a beach. Most beaches are part of a complex ecosystem with a large variety of mono-cellular to multi-cellular microscopic 'shell-like' creatures as well as monopod and gastropods (shells in the typical sense of the word). All of these living organisms have a calcium-based bone structure, which can be absorbed/broken down with vinegar (see logging requirement to see if this beach has these creatures in significant numbers sufficient to set off a vinegar 'reaction.')
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you think that you may ever be in the Mackinaw City, MI area and do the EarthCache GC23FX6 'sands of MACKINAW STRAITS' - please keep a sample of this sand to compare the results of the 'experiments' -- GEOWARE has asked for this extra requirement. THANKS!
(all sand is NOT the same)
Great USA weather temp/map: (visit link)
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