To claim a find on this EarthCache you will need to visit the location given, gather some information, perhaps by reading the listing below or looking around.
Then you need to ether email or message the answers to me, I tend to reply to emails quicker.
Please feel free to send your answers and claim your find at the same time.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO LEAVE THE FOOTPATH, in fact it would be dangerous to do so.
The footpath from Skipton is clear and well maintained, this cache is accessible to wheeled personal transport such as prams, wheelchairs and bicycles.
The focus of this cache is in the canal to the right of the path (with Skipton behind you), where a rockfall has blocked the waterway and the rock wall which is underneath Skipton Castle, on the same side as the canal.
Weathering and erosion
These are two processes that can be natural or cause by animal action. They often happen together but below you will find some geographical definitions and explanations of what they are and how they occur.
Weathering is usually a natural process which causes the breakdown of rocks minerals or even metals by one of three basic processes. These processes can be chemical, biological or physical.
Biological weathering is caused by the movement of animals or plants, this could also include humans. An example of biological weathering can be seen at a regularly used footpath or animal track. A path traversing soft land for example will be indented in the terrain. Another example could be roots growing down through cracks in a rock face causing the crack to widen resulting in a peel away and rock fall. If you can see biological weathering here you'd expect to see rock falls and plants such as large trees embedded in the rock face above. The fall material would be rough and uneven, probably large in size and would include plant material in the fall too.
Chemical weathering is the process of dissolving minerals in the rock, usually from rainwater, which flow away leaving cavities in the remaining structure. Rainwater falling through the air can dissolve carbon dioxide which makes it very weakly acidic. This acid will in turn dissolve minerals in the rock. If this type of weathering is occurring here you will see the deposits that have been dissolved at the base of the rock face, it could be coloured if the mineral was iron or copper for example.
Physical weathering is the process of fracturing the rock, sometimes due to changes in temperature, such as extreme heat or extreme cold (ice). Wind and the action of constant or continual water flowing over a structure will be classified as physical weathering. Wind action can be gentle but if particles such as sand as carried it is like a sand paper effect causing the surfaces effected to be smoothed. Water action such as rain, river or waves will cause weathering in the same way and will also result in a smoothed surface. Extreme heat or cold can have a similar effect causing the rock face to fracture, this can cause small flakes to break off but in extreme cases ice can expand and can cause large fractures to occur resulting in huge chunks to fall away. The results of physical weathering can be varied giving tiny grains to huge rock but for the purposes of this EarthCache you would see large pieces of rock below, with clean and clear fractures.
Erosion is a simpler process and is simply the moving of material which has been weathered. This normally occurs when wind, rain or some moving force carries the particles of weathered material to another location, this is not the focus of this EarthCache.
So having explained what you might be looking for in the canal bed and rock face,please answer the questions below.
Please look over the walkway on your right (Skipton behind you) to the canal, here you will find a rock fall has blocked the waterway. Describe the material in this fall, using some of the information above.
Now look at the rock face about 10 to 20m above the waterline and describe the weathering effects you can see.
Finally please tell me what type of weathering effects have occurred here and give a reason for your answer.
You may email or message answers to me, I tend to respond to emails faster and you are invited to log your find and send answers at the same time, I will read you answer. I may delete 'finds' with no answers submitted within 7 days.
Thanks for attempting this cache.
treboR