The Laurentian Divide EarthCache
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The Laurentian Divide, also known as the Northern Divide, separates the watersheds that flow north to the Artic Ocean from watersheds that flow either east to the Atlantic Ocean or south to the Gulf of Mexico.
It runs from Cape Chidley on the Labrador Sea in Canada to the Rocky Mountains. It is intersected near Hibbing, Minnesota at N47 28.186 W092 57.558 by the St. Lawrence Divide. Watersheds east of this point, including where you are standing, flow east to the Atlantic Ocean. Watersheds west of this point flow to the Gulf of Mexico. In Minnesota, the Laurentian Divide follows an array of hills known as the Giants Range. This ridge has been a highland for over two billion years. It is composed of several types of granite formed severl kilometers deep in the earth's crust about 2.7 billion years ago. Uplift and erosion brough the granites to the surface where they have remained a highland due to their resistant to erosion. About two billion years ago, the ground south of the highlands was covered by an ocean in which sediments were desposited. These sediments formed the rocks that include the world-famous Biwabik Iron Formation of the Mesabi Range. To log this cache, email me the following information. Do not list the answer in your log or the log will be deleted. Logs without an email answer will be deleted. The email should be sent prior to logging this cache. List 3 minerals occurring in the local outcrops of rock in the Giant's Range and what colors they are. I'm told the sign with the information is now at the top of the hill behind the Superior National Forest sign. Alternatively, provide proof that you actually visited the site. Photographs are appreciated but not required.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur fvtaf tvir jung lbh arrq