The Lickey Hills Country Park
Covering an area of 524 acres, the Lickey Hills have attracted thousands of visitors each year from both near and far. From walking to cycling, orienteering to geocaching, the hills offer something for everyone in the family.
Geology
Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals found in the Earth's crust. It has a crystalline structure made up of Silicon Dioxide (SiO2), more commonly known as silica.
Lickey Quartzite is a hard, brittle sedimentary rock composed almost entirely of sand-sized grains. It was formed during the geological period of time called the 'Ordovician'. During this time, England and Wales were located on the coast of a continent called Avalonia, and the layout of the oceans and landmasses were very different to how they are today.
Shallow seas on the edge of the continent contained the sediments that form the Lickey Quartzite. These sediments were separated out over time to form sand on the sea floor. During diagenesis (the process of turning loose sediment into a sedimentry rock), a 'quartz cement' filled in the spaces in between the sand grains, forming the Lickey Quartzite.
The cross-sectional layout of the rock types that make up the Lickey Hills can be seen in the image below.
The layers of rock were once arranged in horizontal lines one on top of the other, but due to folding and faulting (followed by erosion) the landscape now looks very different:
More information on the geology of the Lickey Hills can be found at the Lickey Hills Visitor Centre (see waypoint).
The Cache
The listing coordinates will take you to some boulders made up of Lickey Quartzite.
To claim this cache go to GZ and email me the answers to the following questions:
Research:
- The Lickey Quartzite rocks at GZ date from the geological period known as the 'Ordovician period'. How long is it since this period, and roughly how long did it last?
- Describe the location of England and Wales during the Ordovician period.
At GZ:
- What colour are the boulders?
- Estimate the diameter of the largest boulder.
- From studying the boulders, what evidence can you see that this rock type contains quartz?
- Feel free to upload photos of you and/or you GPS at the boulders. (Not required but desirable)
There is no need to wait for a reply to the email you send me. If you do not send me an email within 1 week of putting a 'Found' log on this page then it may be deleted.
Please Note: Previous visits to GZ DO NOT class as finds - you must have visited after 29th June 2015.
Free parking can be found nearby at the Lickey Hills visitor centre (see waypoint). See the Lickey Hills website for more information on car park and visitor centre opening times.