Experience this EarthCache
Welcome to downtown Cincinnati! Fountain Square is one of the most iconic locations in Cincinnati and is home to the Tyler Davidson Fountain.
We have brought you here to have a look at the variety of stones used to construct this plaza, which look very different from the local grey limestone bedrock (which is a sedimentary rock). To answer the questions below, examine the rocks that make up the fountain and the paving stones around the square. Finally, look up at the fountain itself to answer the final passport question.
All of these rocks are igneous rocks that originate in very different places! Igneous rocks form when magma cools and crystallizes. Even though the rocks was used in constructing Fountain Square are all igneous, they may look very different from one another because of their chemical composition. Did you know: Not all magma comes from volcanoes.
* Source research and text by LtStabos.
Logging Requirement:
Once you log this Earthcache as "FOUND" please message us the answer to the following question within 1 hour.
- Examine the rim of the fountain’s basin and the base of the fountain. This rock is called Bavarian Porphyry, an igneous rock that has large crystals and was quarried and polished in Bavaria, Germany. What color is this rock? What is the biggest crystal you can find, and how large is it?
- Examine one of the stone stairs in the square. These are made from Rockville granite, a quartz monzonite quarred in Rockville, Minnesota. What color is this rock? What is the average size of the crystals?
- Examine the large paving stones directly surrounding the fountain. This granite was quarried at Alma, Quebec. What color is this rock? What is the average size of the crystals?
GeoTour Question:
For your GeoTrail Passport you will need to collect the following answer.
- Look up at the Genius of Water at the top of the Fountain. Just below her feet is a plaque. What is the third word on that plaque? “To the _______......”.
To access the Earthcaching 101 GeoTour Digitial Passport: CLICK HERE.
EarthCaching 101 GeoTour Locations:
- ECGT A Walk Through Time (GC7P5RE)
- ECGT Rocks of Fountain Square (GC7P5RG)
- ECGT Ohio River Flood Gauge (GC7P5RJ)
- ECGT Very Old Logs (GC7P5RM)
- ECGT Mount Adams Landslide Hazard (GC7P5RN)
- ECGT Cincinnati River Valleys (GC7P5RQ)
- ECGT "Glacial Erratic" (GC7P5RT)
- ECGT Pervious Pavement (GC7P5RW)
- ECGT Forest Avenue Wetland (GC7P5RZ)
- ECGT Cincinnati Fossils and Stratigraphy (GC7P5T1)
