Capertee Valley
This is an EarthCache, so there is no physical container to find.
To log this EarthCache, you will need to visit the location, read the information below and send me your answers to five simple questions about your observations and the geology of the valley.
**Caution: Pearson's Lookout can only be legally accessed by vehicles travelling south, towards Lithgow.
The Jewel - Capertee Valley
The beautiful Capertee Valley that you see laid out before you, is the second largest canyon in the world. The largest being the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon in Tibet. The Capertee Valley is one kilometre wider than the Grand Canyon in the USA, but not as deep.
The valley follows the Capertee River as it cuts through the Sydney Basin, a sedimentary basin consisting of Permian and Triassic sedimentary rock west of the Blue Mountains, which dates back millions of years.
Sedimentary rock is generally formed in oceans and lakes (but can also be formed on dry land). Bits of material wash down from the land and is deposited on the floor of a body of water. Sediments can also include material from dead plants and animals. Over long periods of time, the sediments are squeezed and compressed and become consolidated into layers of rock. Some examples of sedimentary rock are sandstone, siltstone, shale, limestone and coal.
The most striking feature of this valley is Pantoney’s Crown that is easily seen from this location. It is an Uluru-like sandstone monolith that dominates the western end of the valley. In the distance, you can also see the magnificent sandstone cliffs of the western escarpment of the Blue Mountains.
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock made basically from compacted sand. Sand is made up of small grains of rocks and minerals, such as quartz and feldspar which are the most common minerals in the Earth’s crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common are tan, brown, yellow, red, grey, pink, white, and black. Many of Sydney's early buildings were constructed from sandstone because of its durable quality.
If you travel down into the Capertee Valley, pay a visit to the old mining town of Glen Davis. From 1938, the town became the centre of an oil shale industry. Unfortunately, the township was abandoned in 1952 because shale oil was not viable in a non-war, non-government supported economic environment.
Oil shale is an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen (a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds) from which shale oil can be produced. Shale oil is a substitute for conventional crude oil, however, extracting shale oil from oil shale is more costly than the production of conventional crude oil.
To Claim This Earthcache:
Please answer the following questions by going to my public profile (click on my username above) and using either the "Send Message" or "Send Email" link. Please include the earthcache title in your correspondence. You can log your find immediately, however, I ask that answers to the questions be emailed to me as soon as you are able to. I read all emails to verify the answers and will send a confirmation email back to you. There is no need to email me photos. Just upload any photos with your log.
Questions:
1. In your own words, describe the scene in front of you from the lookout. Please use as much detail as you can in your description.
2. Looking at the height of Pantoney’s Crown from the valley floor, estimate the percentage that is bare sandstone rock.
3. How is sedimentary rock formed?
4. What are the two most common minerals found in the Earth's crust?
5. What is the name given to the solid mixture of organic chemical compounds found in oil shale?
6. Optional – Upload a photo of you and/or your navigation device and/or your geocaching name at GZ. Your geocaching name can be written on a piece of paper, your hand, a coffee cup, scratched in the dirt, using a skywriter, any way you like! How creative can you be? Brownie points if you have all three in the one photo!! LOL
I hope you really enjoy your visit to this spectacular location.
Cheers, Calypso62
FTF Honours
teamMerlin & Splitty Miller JJCC
Excellent Earthcachers
Did you know that NSW has a geocaching association? Geocaching NSW aims to enhance and improve the activity of geocaching and holds regular events where geocachers meet to enjoy their common interests. Visit the association website here.