Eyewire Goes Spelunking!
Spelunking is a colloquial term for the hobby of cave diving. In the UK and Ireland it is also known as “potholing” which is pretty fun! And if you want to get into the serious and scientific study of caves, that is known as speleology.
But whatever you call it, it’s no question that caves are fascinating structures, and worth taking the time to get to know!
And even if a real cave isn’t your jam, you’ll probably be excited to know that Eyewire’s next project, Eyewire II, will be hosted on a platform also called “spelunker!” If you’d like to find out more, fill out this form to indicate your interest! Some prior Eyewire knowledge is useful in proofreading on our new dataset, so we’re currently inviting players level Scythe and above to join on this new adventure!
If you’re not currently a Scythe but want to rise in the ranks so you can participate in our newest projects, please request a promotion here. We’ll be awarding promotions at the end of our competition!
But whatever your rank, you can certainly join in on this month’s Challenge Week, where you can rise to the top of the leaderboard, win some pretty massive bonuses, and receive our limited time Challenge Week badge! So what are you waiting for, let’s go spelunking!
*All times are Eastern Time (ET)*
Lava Tube Happy Hours
First session runs from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM on Thursday 3/27
Second session runs from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Friday 3/28
Third session runs from 10:00 PM to midnight on Friday 3/28
Lava tubes are caves created by flows of lava. As the lava flows away from its origin point, the top of the cools and hardens. After the molten lava in the interior of the flow moves away, you are left with a hollow tube. While most caves form slowly from land movement or erosion over time, lava tubes are an example of a quickly-forming cave type.
There are some amazing lava tube caves that you can visit! Some cool examples are the Kazumura Cave in Hawaii, the world’s longest known lava tube stretching 65.5 km (40.7 miles), the Manjanggul Cave in South Korea, featuring rare lava stalactites, and the Undara Lava Tubes in Australia, featuring bat colonies!
Bonuses:
1st Place Accuracy – 10,000 points
2nd Place Accuracy – 8,000 points
3rd Place Accuracy – 6,000 points
Achieve 95% Accuracy – 5,000 points
Achieve 90% Accuracy – 3,000 points
Achieve 80% Accuracy – 2,000 points
1,000 points for anyone under 80% who still plays at least 30 cubes in either slot.
(These bonus thresholds are non-cumulative, i.e. they will not combine. If you earn 3rd place, for instance, and presumably got over 95% accuracy, you still earn a 6,000 point bonus, not 11,000.)
Sea Cave Trivia
**Note: Trivia will be moving to a Power-Hour-only format**
Trivia Power Hour from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Tuesday 4/1
If you sail the seven seas (well, today we recognize just 5 oceans), you’ll probably end up with a wealth of knowledge endemic to the worldly traveller!
And on your journey you’ll probably encounter a number of sea caves! These caves, also called littoral caves, are formed by the process of erosion, as the ocean waves knock up against the shore.
The largest known sea cave is the Matainaka Cave in New Zealand and runs 1.5 km in length. Europe also has a number of famous sea caves, including Fingal’s Cave in Scotland, and the Blue Grotto of Capri Italy, famous for its luminescent blue water.
Bonuses:
For every question —
1st to answer – 300 points
2nd to answer – 200 points
3rd to answer – 100 points
Speleogens vs Speleothems
Begins at 11:00 AM on Monday 3/31
Ends at 11:00 AM on Wednesday 4/2
You probably remember stalactites and stalagmites from school. But for this competition we’re focusing on another important caving duo – speleogens and speleothems!
Speleogens are structures within a cave built in relief – meaning they were created by the erosion of surrounding materials.
Speleothems are the opposite – they are formed with an additive process, usually via the slow accumulation of minerals left behind by water dripping or seeping through the cave. Stalactites and stalagmites both fit into this category.
Bonuses:
Starting Lineup – top 3 players on each team, who earn 75% of their score in bonus points
All Other Players – earn 50% of their score in bonus points
Winning Team – 20,000 additional points
Each Team’s MVP – 5,000 additional points
(The winning team is determined by average points per player, with 2x weight given to Starting Lineup players. To qualify for any of the above bonuses or affect the team score, players must earn a minimum baseline of 2,000 points.)
Karst Marathon
Begins at 10:00 AM on Wednesday 4/2
Ends at 10:00 AM on Thursday 4/3
Karst is a fascinating type of landscape that contains caves, sinkholes, and underground rivers. Karst caves are also called “solution” caves, and are created by the erosion of rock (usually limestone) over time, as rainwater flows through it.
Karst landscapes get their name from the Karst region in Slovenia, an area of arid limestone plateaus. But you can find karst terrain all over the world! Some fascinating karst formations include the world’s longest cave system, found in Mammoth Cave National Park in the US, and the Xiaozhai Heavenly Pit in Chongqing China, the world’s deepest sinkhole.
Bonuses:
One live cell will be designated the “marathon cell,” with a 3x points multiplier!
Cube count bonuses: 3500 points per cube traced.
SC bonuses are doubled on all cells.
Every 3 SCs counts for 1 cube toward naming eligibility & per-cell completion bonus.
50 cubes = 5,000 points per completed cell, plus rights to vote on a new name for the marathon cell
200 cubes = 10,000 points per completed cell, plus rights to nominate a new name for the marathon cell
Spelunking Closing Ceremony
Come celebrate the end of this competition, where admins will recognize everyone’s achievements. As always, we will include a round of promotions for Scouts, Scythes, Mystics, Moderators, and Mentors. If you’d like a promotion, you can request them here.