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Blue Sea Granite Virtual Cache

Hidden : 10/10/2001
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size:   not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

A virtual cache at an interesting rock cut by the side of a road.

This one is for the rockhounds out there...

This is a virtual cache (i.e. no marker or cache at the coordinates). Follow the coordinates and you'll get to an old quarry beside a gravel road. No hiking necessary.

We found this site on Octover 5th, led by my geologist mother-in-law. It was documented in a 30 year old book about interesting rock sites around Ottawa.

The rock here is called a "graphic granite". "Granite" because it's primarily quartz & feldspar, with a little mica (biotite) mixed in. "Graphic" because the quartz (a smokey variety) has filled in voids in the feldspar crystal matrix in such a way that if you take a slice of the rock, the smokey quartz looks like some sort of writing against the feldspar background.

Also, the feldspar is not the traditional pink that you get with most granites. It's a pastel green (we decided "sea foam green" was the best description).

Some of the feldspar is quite an intense irridescent turquoise blue-green, but after 30+ years the area has been picked over thoroughly, so the really intense colours are only found in small rocks (we collected a few for my wife's jewelry making).

I'm not sure if the road was there first or if the quarry came first. Looking at the current situation, I'd guess that the road was put in and in the process, the stone was discovered and the quarry put in.

Additional Hints (No hints available.)