To understand the geology and the origin of the pools you should read the following description of rock types.
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite. It is partially soluble, especially in acid, and therefore forms many erosional landforms.
Limestone is less resistant than most igneous rocks, but more resistant than most other sedimentary rocks. Most limestone regions tend to have fewer visible groundwater sources as surface water easily drains downward through joints in the limestone. While draining, water and organic acid from the soil slowly over thousands or millions of years enlarges these cracks, dissolving the calcium carbonate and carrying.
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock.
Granite is an intrusive igneous rock made from visible mineral crystals, a result of cooling over a long period of time under the surface of the Earth. Alkali feldspar (rich in potassium) and quartz (SiO2) are two of the defining constituents of granite. Therefore the granite is acidic.
This type of rock is hard and tough, and therefore it has gained widespread use as a construction stone.
Basalt
Basalt is considered a mafic silicate rock. Among other characteristics, mafic minerals and rocks are generally dark in color. This is in large part due to the amount of iron and magnesium. Basalt is basic and contains a substantial amount of the mineral olivine. Basalt is one of the most common rock types in the world and typical of large igneous provinces. The largest occurrences of basalt are in the ocean floor that is almost completely made up by basalt. Above sea level basalt is common in hotspot islands and around volcanic arcs, specially those on thin crust.
Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve
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Mountain Pine Ridge is a Forest Reserve (146,000 acres) with undisturbed pine and gallery forest.
On the way you can find trees labelled with local and scientific names.
Previous Government initiatives have been made to boost private tourism in this reserve. |
Earthcache at the Pools:
The majority of the reserve is on the Maya Mountain Massif.
It is dated back to the age of Pennsylvanian and Permian eras 280-300 million years ago.
In the Triassic periode 230 million years ago the robust rocks for the pools were generated.
At the Cretaceous period 100 million years ago warm sea water covered the area and permitted the deposition of sediment layers.
Now nature worked here and you today you can see the result.
Reachability:
The Reserve is located southeast of San Ignacio. Just off the main road in the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve, before reaching Augustine Village, you will find the earthcache. The location is inside the natural preserve. Public entrance is allowed with a small fee (conserving the nature) or signing a guest book. Special permission is not needed.
There is also no public transport, best is to go to San Ignacio and hire a tourist guide.
(Source tourist information, wikipedia)
Questions
Now reflect the text and get an idea how this area could have been looked like some million years ago and think what nature has done with rain and water.
Understanding the type of rocks at the top and the work of nature you can answer these questions:
- 1. Are the pools made of granit, limestone or basalt? You should explain your answer!
- 2. What kind of surface do the pool basins have (feel for yourself) and how were these pools formed?
- 3. What is the rivername creating these pools? Do you know the estuary?
As the rules for EC do not require photos or identifying signs the next steps are not really required but as a nice add-on perhaps you can do the following (prooving not searched on the internet):
- What is the colour on the sign at the parking place?
- Take a photo from you at the pools taking a fresh bath or you and your GPS in front of the pools.
Please mail me the answers via the GC profile. Logging is immediately alowed; if the answers are wrong I will contact you.
