Dating Pine Trees and Symbols

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As most of you viewing my site enjoy a mystery,
just as I do, you will most likely be interested in this page.

One can't help but wonder when the Spanish were in the Intermountain west, and
whether their decedents are revisiting this region in an attempt to relocate their mines.

A minority of people believe the Spanish were in Utah into the 1600's
or earlier. There are however very few records to validate this concept.
As we dig for answers we may use any and all tools to assist us in determining the truth.

Tree carvings and symbols may assist us in our quest for knowledge.
These symbols may act as clues or puzzle pieces to assist us in seeing the entire puzzle picture.
By dating a tree which we believe was marked by the Spanish, or those of Spanish descent,
we can determine when the symbol was created thus increasing our historical knowledge.

The scar is about 4 inches deep. The tree is 81 inches in circumference,
or ~ 26 inches in diameter, or has a radius of ~ 13 inches. (12.89)
(Formula: diameter = circumference divided by pi. or 3.1416)

My original idea was to core sample the rings which had tried to grow over the scar.
It turns out that my idea wouldn't have worked very well or been very accurate
because the fold could have led to incorrect readings. It was far more accurate to
core sample the main portion of the tree as one sample and then take a sample
from the scar, count the rings of both, and then subtract the lesser from the greater.
This approach would then tell us how long ago the scar was made and thus its age.

We cored the tree in 4 locations.
The tree rings were obvious and fairly easy to count.

The following information is as accurate as we can determine
and may be adjusted once or twice as we refine our method.

The core sample inside the scar had approximately 148 growth rings and hit very near the center.
The core sample extracted from the north side (90°s to the left of scar) counted 293 years in 9.25 inches.
(Because our coring tool wasn't long enough to hit the center of the tree we had to extrapolate a little.)
The radius of the tree was 12.89 inches so 12.89 - 9.25 = 3.64. (3.64 inches was the portion of the tree
which we couldn't reach.) The 9.25 inch sample counted 293 years, therefore there were about 31.67
years per inch. (293 divided by 9.25 = 31.67) Then the portion which could not be reached with our
tool was 3.64 inches times 31.67 = 115.27 years. 293 years + 115.27 years = about 408 years as
the age of the tree. With the age of the tree being about 408 years and its age inside the scar
is about 148 years therefore: 408 - 148 = 260 years ago that the scar was made.
2008 - 260 years = 1748 as the year the scar was made. Give or take a few years.

To assist me with this project were my good friends: Dan Lowe and Shane Green.
(Shane does this exact thing on a regular basis because he is a range land specialist for the government.)
I greatly appreciate their assistance as we strive to understand and solve the mysteries.

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Page created 10/3/08.