EarthCaches are Everywhere!

Activity Source: The Geological Society of America

 

Background

EarthCaches are part of the global adventure game of “geocaching” and represent an educational collaboration between the Geological Society of America (GSA) and Geocaching HQ. Unlike traditional geocaches, which involve finding hidden containers using GPS-enabled devices (GPSr), EarthCaches do not have physical containers. Instead, visitors engage in educational tasks related to the site’s geoscience. This blend of education and outdoor adventure makes visiting an EarthCache an enriching experience suitable for students of any age. With over 70,000 EarthCache sites developed around the world, appearing on every continent, EarthCaches are a terrific embodiment of this year’s Earth Science Week theme: “Earth Science Everywhere.”

The procedure described below can be used to find EarthCaches anywhere in the world. There is a good chance there are EarthCaches in the vicinity of your school. If not, students can choose other areas to explore virtually by visiting various EarthCache listings online.

Materials

  • Computer (or smartphone) with Internet connection and web browser
  • Smartphone with free Geocaching® app or other mapping app; or a handheld GPS receiver (GPSr)
  • Notepad and writing utensil (or other device for recording observations)

Procedure

  1. Open a web browser and go to the geocache homepage, or with permission, download the free Geocaching® app.

  2. Create and validate a free or Premium account and then log-in.

  3. Enter a postal code, city, and state, or use a specific latitude/longitude.

  4. Filter for “EarthCache” and search via map or list.

  5. Click on an EarthCache to see the cache page with full details.

  6. Read the cache description and the logging tasks.

  7. Print out the cache description and logging tasks or save to your smartphone or GPSr.

  8. Prepare yourself to go out and find the EarthCache and solve the logging tasks. Remember to “Cache In Trash Out® (CITO)” and to follow “Leave No Trace” guidelines.

  9. Use your smartphone or GPSr to navigate to the EarthCache coordinates.

    a. At the EarthCache, make observations and find solutions to the logging tasks.

    b. Go back to geocaching.com to submit your solutions to the cache “owner” and “log” the cache.

Analysis

  1. Describe what you learned about the EarthCache site as you completed the logging tasks.

  2. Visit another site, or talk with a student who visited a different EarthCache to compare the sites:

    a. How do they differ in terms of geology? Living organisms? Local climate? Ecosystem type?

    b. Consider another site you would want to visit that you think would be different from the ones you have learned about. How do you think it will differ?

NGSS Connections

  • SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data; Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
  • DCI: ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems
  • CCC: Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology

SDG Connections