The Outdoor Museum EarthCache
terman8or: This one has been here a while, Archiving to make room for new geocaches
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The Geology Museum, which is open to the public, is in the south end of the historic geology building. Our Geology Museum contains large and scientifically important collections of rocks, minerals and fossils - the largest such collection in the South Island. There are displays in the Museum itself and in the adjacent foyer.
The Museum is open to the public five days a week, from 8.30 am to 5 pm.
The Geology Museum holds major collections of Permian, Triassic and Jurassic invertebrates. Plant include specimens from the Jurassic, Cretaceous and Cenozoic, and there are many Cretaceous and Cenozoic invertebrates. We hold significant specimens of fossil vertebrates, mainly late Cretaceous and Cenozoic marine groups. Of note are a few highly informative plesiosaurs and mosasaurs, and Eocene-Oligocene-Miocene whales and dolphins, penguins, sea turtles, bony fish, and sharks.
But in order to qualify to log this earth cache you do not have to enter the museum.
Along the walkway where the given co ordinates are, there are many permanent outdoor exhibitions containing samples of different fossils, rocks and minerals each with their own plaques.
The geological sights here are as follows:
Marine Limestone With Dolphin Bones:
contains vertebrate fossils, formed from deposits on the bed o a shallow sea shelf.
Diorite Pegmatite:
Intrusions of Diorite magma into a white host in the deep levels of a volcanic arc.
Granite Pegmatite:
Crystallised at depth from granite magma intruded into a finer grained metamorphic rock.
Marine Sandstone With Fossils:
Sandstone embedded with marine fossils, fossils preserved after not being further broken down to be compacting and cemented into their sedimentary rock state.
Basalt Columns:
Formed due to contraction during the cooling process. forming 5-6 sided column like rocks.
Chlorite-Zone Schist With Folds And Quartz Veins:
Sandstone that has metamorphosed and deformed at mid-crustal levels.
al you just have to answer a few simple questions about the information on these plaques to log this cache.
(All plaques are along this short walkway and not difficult to find)
1. Diorite Pegmatite :
Water-rich conditions promoted growth of up to how many cm crystals of black hornblende?
2.Marine Limestone With Dolphin Bones:
In addition to vertebrate fossils, bedding surfaces contain remains of... what other four marine creatures?
3.Granite Pegmatite:
How many million years old?
4.Marine Sandstone With Fossils:
What is the upper bed rich in?
( You do not have to send me the answers in order to log the cache I trust cachers enough that they will fulfill all the requirements and enjoy the cache site without having to email me.)
Finally in order to complete this cache you must take a picture of your GPSr with one of the found exhibits present. please do not include the plaque in your picture!
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)