GC6TP4K BRP 236.9 Air Bellows Gap Overlook (Earthcache) in North Carolina, United States created by rainbowtree

This cache has been archived.

rainbowtree: DO NOT post a log to this cache, even backdated. Your log will be immediately deleted.
Location and content gifted to a special cacher for development of a new earthcache,

GC6TP4K ▼

A cache by rainbowtree Message this owner

Hidden : 6/1/2017

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY OVERLOOKS GEOLOGY TOUR
There are countless wonders to behold along your journey.
Posted coordinates are for parking. - Outcrops are within 100 feet.

EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. Enjoy the journey (learning adventure) as well as the destination (smiley earned). Remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints. To get credit for this Earthcache, complete the following tasks:

1. MESSAGE …. Which of the three interlayered sequence of rocks is cross-cut by the veins of quartz?

2. MESSAGE …. Observe the quartz veins. Describe where they cut across (vertical / horizontal / angled) the rock.

3. MESSAGE …. Scientists name this the Alligator Back Formation. Describe what you see here that leads you to agree or disagree with this nomenclature.

4. LOG …. Post a picture at or near the coordinates. This picture is your log signature.

OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in finding and creating this earthcache by adding A and B to your log.

A. JOURNEY OF THE MIND ... Science explains what we observe. Relate (in your own words) something you found interesting in the reading. This adds to your learning adventure and your log.

B. JOURNEY OF THE HEART ... Art shares our personal experience of what we see. Share something special you found on site, and why it is special to you. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.

THANK YOU Mark W. Carter for permission to use your book for this earthcache.
THANK YOU Lillian for permission to place this earthcache along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

OUTCROP
The road cut exposed an interlayered sequence of rocks of the Alligator Back Formation. The layers include mica schist, dark gray to black amphibolite, and gneiss. The __________ is especially interesting because it is cross-cut by highly folded veins of white quartz. Law of Cross-Cutting states a rock mass that intrudes or cuts across another must be the younger of the two. Thus, the quartz you are seeing is younger than the rocks it is embedded within.

ALLIGATOR BACK FORMATION
These are metamorphosed sediments which form the backbone of the Appalachian range because they are the most resistant to erosion." This formation was named because the elongated rocks resemble an alligator back.

Back of an Alligator

IGNEOUS ROCKS (formed from fiery molten magma)
Igneous rocks are formed from magma, the molten form of the earth’s mantle layer. Igneous rocks can form above ground as lava spewing from volcanoes. Igneous rocks can also form below the surface. Pockets of magma get stuck in layers of the earth. As they get closer and closer to the surface, the magma slowly cools.
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS (formed by weathering)
Sedimentary rocks form from small weathered particles of other rocks or the weathered shells of sea animals. Wind and rain beating on the faces of exposed rock wear off particles that are blown or washed to a new location. When sea creatures die, the shells settle on the bottom of the ocean. As the sediments pile up, they press together to form sedimentary rock.
METAMORPHIC ROCKS (formed under intense heat and pressure)
Metamorphic rocks form under intense heat and pressure. Metamorphic rocks start out as igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks or other types of metamorphic rocks. Through heat and/or pressure, the rocks change characteristics such as sheen, tightness of grain and hardness.

RESOURCE
A Geologic Adventure Along The Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina by Carter/Merschat/Wilson ... 2001

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