Sturgeon Point Cliff Earthcache EarthCache
Sturgeon Point Cliff Earthcache
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YOU MUST STAY ON THE BEACH! The property owner, the Erie County Water Authority will only allow this Earthcache, if people stay on the beach. DO NOT CLIMB UP THE CLIFF! IF YOU DO THEY WILL CALL THE POLICE! Area on top monitored by cameras 24/7!
Sturgeon Point Marina is located approximately 29 miles southwest of Buffalo, NY in the Town of Evans on the shore of Lake Erie. The marina is a great place to come for boating, fishing, picnicking and to watch the sun set. At the northeast end of the marina there is a shale cliff, which is the focus of this Earthcache. The two different shales at the Sturgeon Point cliff are Cashaqua (Gray Naples) shale and Gardeau (Black Naples) shale. Both of these shales date back to the Middle Devonian period, some 390,000,000 years ago. In the late 1800’s Amadeus W. Grabau performed extensive research of the geology of Eighteen Mile Creek and the nearby shores of Lake Erie. His findings were published by the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences in 1899.
Gardeau (Black Naples) Shale is dark brown or black in color that sometimes has chocolate colored streaks or stains in it. It is a type of sedimentary rock composed of multiple layers of compressed clay, minerals and mud. The Gardeau shale is also considered by geologists to be bituminous due to its concentration of organic materials, particularly fish and plant matter within it. During his research of the geology of Sturgeon Point, Amadeus W. Grabau noted that the Gardeau shale would, “emit a strong petroleum odor” when struck or broken. Additionally, the Gardeau shale is fissile, which means that it breaks into flat parallel sheets. When broken, the thin sheets of have an iridescent surface. The fissility of the shale combined with the fissure lines give the cliffs their smooth walled and carved appearance.
Cashaqua (Gray Naples) Shale is also a type of sedimentary rock composed of multiple layers of compressed clay, minerals and mud. Cashaqua shale is grey in color because it is not bituminous like Gardeau and also contains abundant amounts of calcareous material (crushed animal shells and crystalline calcite). Cashaqua more closely resembles the properties of limestone (another type of sedimentary rock), and is more susceptible to concretion than Gardeau. Concretions form as minerals within a rock segregate and begin to precipitate within cracks and cavities, or as sediment builds up in successive layers around a nucleus such as a shell or pebble. Through the process of lithification the concretions form. These concretions are spherical to oval-shaped, smooth in texture and are flattened parallel to the bedding planes. They are sometimes referred to as, “dinosaur eggs.”
PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB, SCALE OR RAPPEL THE FACE OF THE CLIFF! IT IS DANGEROUS AND WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO CLIFFS!
STAY ON THE BEACH! THERE IS NO NEED TO GO TO THE TOP OF THE CLIFF TO COMPLETE THIS EARTHCACHE! THE ERIE COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY OWNS THE PROPERTY AND ONLY ALLOWS PEOPLE TO BE ON THE BEACH! IF YOU GO TO THE TOP OF THE CLIFF YOU WILL BE ON CAMERA, AND THE POLICE WILL BE CALLED! PLEASE DO NOT RUIN THIS FOR EVERYONE ELSE OR GIVE CACHING A BAD NAME!
In order to complete this Earthcache, you will need to do the following:
1. Take photos of the following:
A. The cliff at Sturgeon Point (pictures of surrounding scenery are also welcome!)
B. A concretion/”dinosaur egg” embedded in the Cashaqua shale. (Please DO NOT try to remove them from the side of the cliff!)
2. E-mail the answers to the following questions:
A. Estimate the total height of the cliff.
B. How tall is the Cashaqua section of the cliff?
C. What happens to the height of the cliff as you walk from the cache site back toward the parking lot/break wall? What does the cliff turn into?
BONUS QUESTION:
Can concretions happen in Gardeau shale? If so what are they called?
Any comments or suggestions to improve this Earthcache are always welcome.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)