Wisdom & knowledge or just rock/stone that is the question....
During my visit to Beijing I didn't see any earthcaches in the city itself, for this reason while I was caching I kept my eyes open for a good place to put one and this fit the bill perfectly.
You will find many types of stones and rocks with is native to China, this cache is a example of one which is used throught the country especially a symbol of power and strength.
Found this one to be quite interesting while visiting this temple, firstly a little earth lesson:
Jade is an ornamental mineral, mostly known for its green varieties, which feature prominently in ancient Asian art. The term jade is applied to two different minerals that are composed of different silicate compounds:
- Nephrite consists of a microcrystalline interlocking fibrous matrix of the calcium, magnesium-iron rich amphibole mineral series tremolite (calcium-magnesium)-ferroactinolite (calcium-magnesium-iron). The middle member of this series with an intermediate composition is called actinolite (the silky fibrous mineral form is one form of asbestos). The higher the iron content, the greener the colour.
- Jadeite is a sodium- and aluminium-rich pyroxene. The precious form of jadeite jade is a microcrystalline interlocking growth of jadeite crystals.
Nephrite and jadeite
Nephrite and jadeite were used from prehistoric periods for hardstone carving. Jadeite has about the same hardness as quartz. Nephrite is slightly softer but tougher (more resistant to breakage) than jadeite. It was not until the 19th century that a French mineralogist, Alexis Damour (1808-1902), determined that "jade" was in fact two different minerals.
Among the earliest known jade artifacts excavated from prehistoric sites are simple ornaments with bead, button, and tubular shapes. Additionally, jade was used for adze heads, knives, and other weapons, which can be delicately shaped. As metal-working technologies became available, the beauty of jade made it valuable for ornaments and decorative objects. Jadeite measures between 6.0 and 7.0 Mohs hardness, and nephrite between 6.0 and 6.5, so it can be worked with quartz or garnet sand, and polished with bamboo or even ground jade.
Unusual varieties
Nephrite can be found in a creamy white form (known in China as "mutton fat" jade) as well as in a variety of light green colours, whereas jadeite shows more colour variations, including blue, red, black, dark green, lavender and white. An example is Xiuyan jade is the most popular, lower in value and is tough wearing, it is rich in serpentine with it’s mineral content as follows: Mg0 42.1%, SiO 43.8% H20 13.1%, Ca0 0.13%. Of the two, jadeite is rarer, documented in fewer than 12 places worldwide. Translucent emerald-green jadeite is the most prized variety, both historically and today. As "quetzal" jade, bright green jadeite from Guatemala was treasured by Mesoamerican cultures, and as "kingfisher" jade, vivid green rocks from Burma became the preferred stone of post-1800 Chinese imperial scholars and rulers. Burma (Myanmar) and Guatemala are the principal sources of modern gem jadeite. In the area of Mogaung in the Myitkyina District of Upper Burma, jadeite formed a layer in the dark-green serpentine, and has been quarried and exported for well over a hundred years. Canada provides the major share of modern lapidary nephrite. Nephrite jade was used mostly in pre-1800 China as well as in New Zealand, the Pacific Coast and the Atlantic Coast of North America, Neolithic Europe, and Southeast Asia. In addition to Mesoamerica, jadeite was used by Neolithic Japanese and European cultures.
Answer the questions below to claim this earthcache as a find:
1. What is the name of the stone used for the caving on the plith?
2. What colour is it and is it light or dark?
3. Which element is stone most rich in?
4. How high do you estimate the carving to be? (I don't expect you to have a tape measure)
5. By reading the text provided behind the caving, what or who is the caving of?
6. OPTIONAL take a photo of yourself and/or GPS at one of the usual trees in the temple grounds without showing any spoilers of this cache.
Email or message me your answers via my profile.
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智慧與知識或只是搖滾/石頭這是問題....
在北京游玩期間，我看不到城裡有藏宝地，因為這個原因，當我在寻找的時候，我一直睜大眼睛找寻，使其能够完全符合我的要求。
你會發現很多類似中國本土的石頭和岩石，這個地方就是国家的象征，特別是權力和力量的象徵。
在參觀這個寺廟的時候發現這個很有意思，首先是一节小小的地球課：
翡翠是一種觀賞礦物，由于綠色品種而为人所知聞名，是古代亞洲藝術中的显著代表。術語玉被應用於由不同矽酸鹽化合物組成的兩種不同礦物：
•軟玉由鈣，富含鎂鐵的角閃石礦物系列透閃石（鈣 - 鎂） - 鐵鏽雲母（鈣 - 鎂 - 鐵）的微晶互鎖纖維基質組成。這個系列的中間成員中間組成被稱為陽起石（絲質纖維礦物形式是石棉的一種形式）。鐵含量越高，顏色越綠。
•翡翠是富含鈉和鋁的輝石。翡翠玉的寶貴形式是翡翠晶體的微晶互鎖生長。
軟玉和翡翠
軟玉和硬玉是從史前時期用於硬石雕刻。翡翠具有與石英大致相同的硬度。軟玉比硬玉稍軟但更堅硬（更耐斷裂）。直到19世紀，法國的礦物學家Alexis Damour（1808-1902）認定“玉”實際上是兩種不同的礦物。
從史前遺址中發掘出來的最早的玉器，就是珠子，鈕扣和管狀的簡單裝飾物。此外，翡翠用於装饰頭，刀，和其他武器，有很多微妙的形狀。隨著金屬加工技術的出現，玉石的美麗使其成為裝飾品和裝飾品的寶貴物品。翡翠的硬度在6.0-7.0莫氏硬度之間，軟玉在6.0-6.5之間，所以可以用石英砂或石榴石砂加工，用竹子甚至地面玉石打磨。
不尋常的品種
軟玉在有奶白色（在中國稱為“羊脂”玉）和各種淺綠色实品，而翡翠顯示出更多的顏色變化，包括藍色，紅色，黑色，深綠色，薰衣草和白色。岫岩玉是最受歡迎，價值較低，穿著堅韌的蛇紋石礦物，其含量如下：MgO 42.1％，SiO 43.8％H 2 O 13.1％，CaO 0.13％。在這兩种玉种中，翡翠是罕見的，在全球不到12個地方有馆存。半透明的祖母綠 - 綠色翡翠是歷史上和今天最珍貴的品種。作為“格查爾”玉，來自危地馬拉的亮綠色的翡翠被中美洲文化所珍藏，作為“翠鳥”的玉，來自緬甸的綠色生動的岩石成為1800年後的中國皇帝學者和統治者的首選。緬甸（緬甸）和危地馬拉是現代寶石翡翠的主要來源。在上緬甸密支那地區的莫高地區，翡翠形成了一層深綠色的蛇紋石，已經被開采出口了一百多年。加拿大提供現代寶石軟玉的主要份額。軟玉主要用於1800年以前的中國以及新西蘭，太平洋沿岸和北美的大西洋沿岸，新石器時代的歐洲和東南亞。除中美洲以外，新石器時代的日本和歐洲文化也使用翡翠。
回答下面的問題，作为藏宝地的一個發現：
1.用於放頂石的石头叫什么名字？
2.它是什麼顏色，它是亮還是暗？
3.石头最富含哪种成分？
4.你估計雕刻有多高？（我不指望你有捲尺）
5.通過閱讀岩洞後面提供的文字，究竟是什麼或誰的洞穴？
6.可選在寺廟地面的其中一個普通樹上拍攝自己和/或GPS的照片，而不會顯示任何這個藏宝地的破壞者。
通過電子郵件或通過我的個人資料向我發送您的答案