GPS Units determine geological effects of Chilean earthquake

In an interesting merge of nature and technology researchers from Ohio State were able to determine the geological effects of the February 27th earthquake in Chile using GPS units.

GPS measurements before and after the earthquake revealed that the town of Conception, the epicenter, moved nearly 10 ft to the west, while the larger city of Santiago moved over a foot.

For more information, please refer to this article: Chilean Earthquake

Historically used for scientific purposes, GPS units are a hot topic in the outdoor recreation world, with the increasing number of people worldwide participating in the activity of geocaching - similar to a treasure hunt - by which participants find caches based on GPS coordinates. Sometimes these caches are man-made, sometimes they are nature-based (a beautiful waterfall for example).

Thousands of caches are found in cities worldwide; an interesting (and peripheral) effect of a natural event like an earthquake, would be the shifting of these published geocaching coordinates.

For more information about geocaching, visit: http://www.geocaching.com/

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics recently began publishing educational materials that promote responsible enjoyment of this activity. For more information, please contact us.

Geocaching

By now, I'm sure you've heard of geocaching. According to http://www.geocaching.com/, geocaching "is an entertaining adventure game for gps (global positioning system) users.



The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try to leave something for the cache.

Over the past several years, geocaching has grown by leaps and bounds. Started in 2000, there are now more than 540,700 active caches worldwide. To put the growth in perspective, there were 340,000 active caches by December 2006. In less than two years, the total number of caches worldwide has almost doubled.

Geocaching presents an interesting set of issues with respect to Leave No Trace. First, there is the fact that many, many people are getting out and enjoying the out-of-doors. Second, many of them are the new generation of tech-savvy youngsters who otherwise might choose the Wii over a hike outside. Third, there is the cumulative impact of all these cache hunters on the landscape. With such a large number of caches, there is the potential for significant impact to the land. Trampling impacts, wildlife impacts, human waste impacts, trash, litter, off-trail travel, etc. are all part of the equation.

However, if those participating in geocaching can strive to minimize their impact, either those seeking or placing caches, then every geocacher can enjoy the outdoors in a responsible way. 

Things to consider:

• Properly planning for your geocaching outing by having the items or equipment you'll need to safely enjoy your adventure. Also, if placing a cache, making sure it's legal in your area. 
• Being conscience of where caches are placed (durable surfaces) and thinking about how traveling to and from a cache can cause trampling, erosion, etc. 
• Having the necessary knowledge/equipment to deal with trash, litter and human waste. 
• Considering impacts of geocaching to both plants and animals. 
• Being mindful of other visitors who may also be enjoying the same areas as you. 

As always, get out, enjoy the outdoors responsibly and Leave No Trace...