Creating Earthcaches

[+Weber_and_Sons]

Today I found a great place for an earthcache! there are some cool geological feature that are not that common, tell a lot about what the origin of the land was like and has one cool thing that makes it stand out. the question I have is, when researching this geological feature should I include my sources in the description or is there copyright issues? 

Edited June 20 by Weber_and_Sons

[Keystone]

I moved this thread from the General Geocaching Topics forum section.

[Neos2]

Welcome to the EarthCaches forum. Hopefully lots of folks will chime in with tips for you. 

The EarthCache Guidelines may be helpful to you as you design your page. Absolutely, it is expected that we'll provide our sources and be sure to put the information in our own words. I always go to the source pages if I become fascinated by something I learn at an EarthCache and want to know more. 

There is a recent thread here that talks about checking to see who owns a particular property. It has lots of great ideas. Ask there if you have additional questions. 

[geoawareUSA9]

On 6/19/2025 at 9:53 PM, Weber_and_Sons said:

when researching this geological feature should I include my sources in the description or is there copyright issues?

 

As an attorney and earthcache reviewer, I can assure you that there is no copyright issue in merely listing your sources. In fact, providing your sources fully complies with the GSA earthcache guidelines and is highly encouraged. See GSA guideline 8:

 

Quote

8. Respect trademarks and copyright information and only use text, images, or logos if you have permission. EarthCaches with information that is copied from other sources, plagiarized, or used without proper attribution will not be published. Limited amounts of text may be quoted, but must be properly attributed. Visit the Help Center for more information.

 

Copyright is an issue in situations such as when one uses copyright-protected images without permission or copies from a source without proper attribution.

 

I typically list my sources at the bottom of our earthcaches. I typically rephrase the text of my sources (which can get technical) and reword them into language that's easier to digest, as per the Help Center article on creating earthcaches, ECs should "assume no prior knowledge of geology" and be written at an "age 14 reading level."

 

If I was quoting from a section of text, I'd maybe include a link to the source, like I did above, or I'd add a short parenthetical cite like, "Don’t use graphs and photographs that are copyright protected." (EC help center)

Edited June 21 by geoawareUSA9

[+Weber_and_Sons]

Thank you that is very helpful!