EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. ... "Geocachers must complete the tasks before they log the EarthCache as found." (4.3. EarthCache logging tasks)
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:
NOTE: Answers via message -and- log signature picture is required to post a find for this cache.
Proceed along the walkway until you encounter the entrance to the paleontological excavation site. There is a $10 fee to enter the dig site. Ask for the self--guided tour booklet to enhance your learning adventure. This indoor dig site with Ice-Age Fossils is open year round.
1. MESSAGE …. STOP 1 / The Slippery Sinkhole - a. Why were fauna attracted to the sinkhole? / b. Why was it so dangerous?
2. MESSAGE …. STOP 2 / 25 Feet Underwater - a. What is the large butterfly-shaped bone? / b. What is the pair of oval-shaped objects?
3. MESSAGE …. STOP 3 / The Vertical Wall - a. Why is a plastic preservative solution soaked into the bones to preserve them? / b. What indicates the water was not turbulent or fast-flowing while the sediments were being deposited?
4. MESSAGE …. STOP 4 / Half a Skeleton - a. Why are shovels, picks, and hoes not used? / b. What happens to the sediments removed from around the mammoth bones?
5. MESSAGE …. STOP 5 / Inside the Western Edge - a. Based on the tusks, how many Columbian mammoths were excavated thus far? / b. How many different species of life have been identified at The Mammoth Site thus far?
6. MESSAGE …. STOP 6 / Size Up the Competition - The wall painting depicts the relative sizes of mammoths and elephants. Put the five animals in order from large to small.
7. MESSAGE …. STOP 7 / The Shallow End - Why was the name Marie Antoinette first used and then discarded? / b. What was recovered in 1983?
8. MESSAGE …. STOP 8 / On the Surface of the Pond - At one time, how deep was the water in this pond? / b. What do the swirled pattern of sediments indicate?
9. MESSAGE …. STOP 9 - Sinbad, The Columbian Mammoth - a. Scientists have determined the sinkhole is how old? / b. The skeletal remains studied in the Micr-Fauna Lab help scientists discover what?
10. MESSAGE …. At the time of your visit, how many were at working in the bone bed? If you talk with any of them, are they staff, interns, volunteers, students, or junior paleontologists
11. LOG …. Post a picture of you standing beside the mammoth bone. If you wish, you can crop so your face is not showing. 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 ... prose / story / poem / picture. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.
Journeys of Heart and Mind ...
Stories to Touch the Heart and Puzzles to Challenge the Mind / Rainbow Tree Story
THE SITE and THE FOSSILS
In June 1974, the ground was being leveled by heavy equipment operator George Hanson for a Hot Springs housing development planned by land owner Phil Anderson. While grading a small hill, his blade struck something that shone white in the sunlight. A closer look revealed it was a tusk sliced in half. He showed the bones to his son Dan, who in turn asked his former college professor Dr. Larry Agenbroad to take a look at the site. What was discovered was a mammoth graveyard. By the end of the 1975 summer excavation, Phil Anderson realized his 14 acres of land would be more valuable as a resource for scientific study rather than a housing development.
RESOURCES ... Website / Our History / Tour / Virtual Cache / Riddles / Quiz 1 / Quiz 2 / Size Comparison / Cartoon
MAMMOTH RIDDLES