Who are we?
A little history ...
In 2003 at a GSA conference, a GSA members suggested that the Society become involved in geocaching.
A meeting was then held with Geocaching.com along with some land manager partners, such as the
U.S. National Park Service, to consider a program that would meet land manager issues as well as
develop a way to teach the geocaching community something about Earth science. Based on those
discussions, a set of basic guidelines were developed which form the core of the current
EarthCache publishing guidelines.
The first EarthCache ("EarthCache I" [GCHFT2])
was placed by user "geoaware" on 10 Jan. 2004 on a headland in New South Wales, Australia. Since
then, over 28,500 EarthCache sites have been published in over 200 countries/territories, and
they have been visited more than 6 million times.
About GSA
Established in 1888, GSA provides access to elements that are essential to the professional growth of
earth scientists at all levels of expertise and from all sectors: academic, government, business,
and industry. GSA's membership unites thousands of earth scientists from every corner of the globe
in a common purpose to study the mysteries of our planet and share scientific findings.
Support the EarthCache Program
Thousands of EarthCache sites have been visited millions of times, generating a truly
outstanding impact — people outside, having fun and learning about our dynamic planet all at the
same time.
Please consider supporting GSA's efforts to sustain the EarthCache program by donating through The
Geological Society of America Foundation.
Donate Online
- Click "Donate" below. The EarthCache fund will be pre-selected.
- Enter an amount and "Add Donation to Cart."
- Under "Payment Details," enter you Geocaching name in the "Enter a note about your donation
here" box so we can recognize your gift.
Donate
Donate by Mail
Send a check made out to GSA Foundation, clearly marked that it is for the EarthCache Fund, along
with your name, full address, email, phone number and geocaching name to:
GSA Foundation
P.O. Box 9140
Boulder, CO 80301 USA
Thank you for your support!
Using Our Name and Logo
The Geological Society of America is pleased to work with other groups to promote the EarthCache
program. To ensure that this is done in a consistent way, GSA manages the use of its trademarks —
"EarthCache" and its associated logos through a licensing agreement.
Any use of the name and/or logo for any purpose requires entering into a licensing agreement with GSA
prior to the production or use of those trademarks.
Part of this licensing process involves an agreement on royalties being paid for the use of the name
and/or any logo by any operation who wishes to use those trademarks to produce revenue.
Use of the name and/or logo for non-profit use still requires having a licensing agreement in place.
Below is a link to the agreement. Please read through this document carefully before you contact us
using this email link.
EarthCache Name/Logo Trademark
License Agreement
Failure to have an agreement in place will mean that GSA will have to seek legal action against the
offending group.