SAMUELS STONE EarthCache
Hidden : 3/3/2012
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

As an EarthCache, there is no “box.” You discover something about the geology of the area. For more info about EarthCache's take a look at www.earthcache.org

SAMUEL'S STONE LOCAL INFORMATION

Glen Nevis is one of the most beautiful and spectacular glens in Scotland. It nestles at the foot of Ben Nevis and is easily accessible from Fort William on foot, by bike, car or bus. From the floor of Glen Nevis you can see some of the different rocks that make up the Highlands of Scotland, as well as dramatic evidence of sculpting by the huge Ice Age glaciers which once filled the glen.
All of Ben Nevis Estate lies within the Ben Nevis SSSI. It is of particular importance on account of its wide range of geological conditions, altitude and topography giving rise to a diversity of semi-natural and natural habitats from lowland woods to mountain cliffs and semi-permanent snow beds.

The site is of international and national importance for a range of upland habitats and nationally important for upland birds, insects, vascular plants, mosses, liverworts and lichens. It is also of national importance for geology; and for its woodlands with their associated mosses and liverworts.




Samuel's Stone

A large stone located by the roadside in Glen Nevis, Samuel's Stone (also known as the Stone of Council (Gael: Clach Chomhairle) or the Wishing Stone) lies 1¼ miles (2 km) east of Fort William.

The stone is natural, an erratic deposited by a glacier during an ice age, but is said to mark the spot where a victory was won over a rival clan by Samuel (Sliochd Shomhairle Ruaidh), the chief of the Camerons of Glen Nevis. It is traditionally believed that, at certain times of the year, this great stone turns three times and that anyone who finds it in motion will receive answers to any questions they ask.

GEOLOGY
Samuel's Stone is in fact a glacial erratic is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests.
"Erratics" take their name from the Latin word errare, and can be carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometers. Erratics can range in size from pebbles to large boulders such as Big Rock (15,000 metric tons / 17,000 short tons) in Alberta Canada.

Two characteristics largely define a glacial erratic. First is that it must be transported a significant distance by a glacier or iceberg.
And second, the erratic is typically a different rock than the surrounding rock that it is deposited on. Size does not define an erratic. While shape does not define an erratic, they are often very round because the rough edges are eroded off while the erratic is being transported within the ice.

A glacier erodes large rocks and boulders and incorporates them into ice. As the glacier moves, the rocks and boulders move with it. When the glacier retreats, the ice melts leaving the boulder behind, a glacial erratic.

One of the last events in Britain’s Ice Age 15,000 years ago, was the re-advance of thin ice sheets across the Highlands of Scotland.(No1 below) In many places the ice wasn’t thick enough to smother the mountain range that runs like a barrier through the North West of the country.(No2 below) In some locations a tongue,(No3below) did break through. When the ice retreated 10,000 years ago was the usual ‘U’ shaped glacial trough. (No4 below) There are lots of them in Scotland and they have proved absolutely ideal as a nice flat route through the mountains for transport.



There are large erratics scattered across the Highlands. While the erratics may look like the same granite that makes up the rock layer they sit on, so violating the second characteristic of erratics, they are actually a different type of granite.

Geologists have identified a variety of granites throughout Scotland based on the composition of the individual minerals, size of the crystals, and age of the rock.

AVERAGE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF VARIOUS ROCK TYPES

Most rocks have a specific gravity of between 2.5 and 2.9. Therefore a cubic meter of rock would weigh 2,500 to 2,900 kg.

Of course there are exceptions, but 90% of the rocks found on the earth's surface would be in that SG range.

Sandstone: 2.5
Granite: 2.75
Limestone:2.65
Slate: 2.8
Rhyolite: 2.7
Basalt: 3.0

TASKS

Your Earthcaching tasks are as follows:

1) The 'Boulder' is roughly rectangular is shape. Estimate the mass of the boulder in tons. You will have to work out the volume of the boulder in cubic metres first, by "measuring" it on site. Find the length, breadth and height and multiply these three numbers together e.g. 2x2x2=8cubic metres. For each cubic metre of rock, the mass is about 2.75 tonnes. 8x2.75=22tons

2) Upon close observation of this erratic boulder you will see many different types of Lichen growing upon it. Explain in one or two short sentences how this may be of use in dating glacial deposition geologically.

3)What is the other name given for a 'U' shaped valley?

Send the answer to 1-2 and 3 in an email to the cache owner via his profile with the heading Samuels Stone.

Do not post the answers in your log.

Cachers can log the cache before receiving my confirmation email as any logs from cachers who haven't sent the answers will be quietly deleted!

Optional task:

We all like to prove the integrity of our claim so a photo of you or your GPS on sight would be great.

I would really like it if you could do this to prove that you have actually visited and I enjoy seeing caching photos in my listings.

You must carry out these educational tasks as required by the Earthcaching organisation as a condition of logging the cache. Logs that do not adhere to these guidelines will be deleted without notification. See www.earthcache.org

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Tbbtyr

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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