Guidelines for Submittal

1. EarthCache sites must provide Earth science lessons. They take people to sites that can help explain the formation of landscapes or to sites of interesting phenomena such as folds, faults, intrusions or reveal how scientists understand our Earth (such as fossil sites etc.)
2. EarthCache sites must be educational. They provide accurate but simple explanations of what visitors will experience at the site. Cache notes must be submitted and assume no previous knowledge of earth science. The educational notes must be written to a reading age of an upper middle school (14 year old) student. Avoid direct plagiarism from web sources and quote sources of information where appropriate. Additional technical or scientific notes can be provided for the scientific community. Please note appropriate place on the submittal form for the technical notes. All notes can be submitted in the local language but must also be in English.
3. EarthCache sites can be a single site, or a multiple virtual cache. No items, box, or physical cache can be left at the site. You must have visited the site recently (within two months), checked the site is safe and taken multiple GPS readings to ensure accuracy of coordinates. EarthCaches can be placed close to existing caches, but we require that the EarthCache developer contact the original cache developer before submittal.
4. EarthCache sites follow the geocaching principles and adhere to the principles of Leave No Trace outdoor ethics. Use waypoints to ensure cachers take appropriate pathways. Use established trails only. Do not create new trails to a site in order to concentrate use impacts. EarthCache sites will highlight the principle of collect photos - not samples. However, if there is no possible damage to a site which is outside of the public land system and approved by the site owner, small samples may be collected as part of the cache experience.
5. Logging of EarthCache sites must involve visitors undertaking some educational task that relates to the site. This could involve them measuring or estimating the size of some feature or aspect of the site, collecting and recording some data (such as time of a tidal bore), or searching and sending via e-mail to the developer, some earth-science fact that they find from signage that relates to the site. Developers should try to involve visitors in learning from the site rather than just logging a visit. Logs should show that the visitors have 'learnt' by visiting your EarthCache site. Taking a photograph alone, having visitors sending a word from a sign, or asking people to do internet research does NOT meet these logging guidelines.
6. EarthCache sites developed on private and public land must have prior approval of the landowners before submission. These must have written approval with the appropriate land-managing agency. The name and contact details of the person from who you received approval MUST be given. The developed text should be sent to the landholder for approval. EarthCache sites developed in association with National Parks*, National Forests, or other public lands are encouraged.* Please note that by placing an EarthCache on public land, even with approval, does not mean you can use the public land logo in your text. For example, only EarthCaches developed by US National Park Service personnel in their park can display the NPS logo in their cache text.
7. All EarthCache sites must be approved by GSA (to ensure appropriateness of the site and educational standard of the notes) before they can be submitted for approval via this website.
8. The Geological Society of America retains the right to edit, modify, delete or archive any EarthCache that does not adhere to these guidelines, or for any other purpose, including for the promotion of sponsors for the EarthCache program.

For more information, please contact earthcache@geosociety.org.

Damage to the site, especially on public or private land, is unacceptable. Please be mindful of fragile ecosystems.