Possible EC's in East TN

[+Life-Long-Ridger]

I really like the Earthcache concept. I have found about 7 so far and would really like to set one up. The problem is, we have a lot of active cachers in East TN and most of all of the good geological spots were scooped up way before I knew what geocaching was. I know that there are spots all over the place that I am overlooking. What are some more unique things that I may find in my area, the valley of East Tn? I am having a hard time getting started.

 

Thank in advance for any help on this matter,

 

LLR

[BlueRajah]

Roadside atlas books, local university geology departments, local clubs or organizations. They can point you to some special, or interesting locations.

[+Life-Long-Ridger]

Roadside atlas books, local university geology departments, local clubs or organizations. They can point you to some special, or interesting locations.

Hey thanks for the info. I had planned on contacting the geology dept at the University of Tennessee and see if they could offer some guidance. I will look into that. I have noticed that several types of earthcaches are kinda off limits now. Are waterfalls totally off limits or do you have to submit one with just different logging question requirements other than what type of waterfall it is?

[+GEO WALKER]

Don't forget to check your State Geological Survey, or surrounding states for that matter. Many will have on line publications and/or educational information. Also, you may want to look at geology from a more simplistic viewpoint say from a basic concept perspective.

 

I think waterfalls are pretty much off limits. Now you might want to go downstream and develop one dealing w/the effects of erosion say size and shape of the rocks in the stream...

Edited January 17, 2013 by GEO WALKER

[+hzoi]

Waterfalls and springs are not totally off limits, but they are much more closely scrutinized than they used to be. You're going to have to be more creative than "what type of waterfall is this" or "what magnitude is this spring."

 

I managed to get a waterfall earthcache and a spring earthcache published well after the restrictions came down on these two features. For the waterfall, I focused on the unique properties of that fall -- it flows from a hot spring, and the falls have travertine features that are pretty unusual for Virginia. For the spring, I focused on the mineral content of the water -- I found an old mineral assay from the 1800s that uses archaic chemical terms, updated them, and have the visitors identify which minerals they can detect.

[+GeoawareGSA1]

Here's some info I provided another cacher that may apply to your situation (different state, but similar idea) -

 

The Roadside Geology series is good. Local universities are a great resource, many have earth science (geoscience, geology, etc.) departments. A very underutilized resource is the state geological survey, some of which are based at universities. http://www.tn.gov/environment/tdg/

 

Another underutilized resource in EarthCaching is the local Geological Society, such as this one: http://www.memphisgeology.org/

 

I also like to recommend just stopping by a well-equipped local library, and checking out the science section, you never know what you might find on the area's geology, such as a local "geology hiking" guide, or some hard-to-find local geo publications.

 

A geologic map may be a good place to start, and that could be provided by the local geo surveys.

 

Personally, I wouldn't recommend trying a waterfall or spring for your first EarthCache creation. Those are doable, but difficult, so I'd recommend starting with something more unique, which will provide a higher chance of success (and lower chance of frustration).

 

--Matt

[+Manville Possum]

There are quite a few active geocachers in NE Tennessee, but few that are active in creating EarthCache listings. My son and I created a few, but I think it's safe to say that we are finished with submitting any new ones, but I have had my eye on a location for some time now. It's a land slide that left several layers of different colored slate exposed. I researched the subject, and there is evidence that this was not the first slide at that location. I remember when the last slide happened, it pushed up the highway and damed up the creek. Everything was normal that day until the creek turned real muddy downstream, first we thought it was a thunder storm that caused it, but the creek did not rise, it seemed lower than normal.

So there are still good locations, and good EarthCachers. I just don't think I'm one of them.

Edit to add: When viewed in google earth you can see how the course of the creek was changed. Coordinates: N 36° 40.745 W 082° 33.648

Edited January 19, 2013 by Manville Possum Hunters