Magnolia Bluff County Park was chosen as a park for its unique land feature.It is a limestone and sandstone bluff. The sandstone was created about 450 million years ago when Wisconsin was covered by shallow seas.
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock made of quartz and feldspar. It can be distinguished from other rocks because of its grainy texture.It is made up of many grains and has a porous structure. You should be able to see the grainy texture easily. Even though sandstone has a porous structure it is not easily broken apart.
Usually sandstone has some layering. If the sandstone has layering that looks like a sand dune it was probably formed in a desert environment.
If layers are more irregular, the sandstone was probably exposed to water when it was formed.
Magnolia Bluff is also a SNA(state Natural Area). These areas are set aside to protect some of the last refuges of rare plants and animals, native landscape, geological formations, and acrheological sites.
Please email the answers of the following questions to the CO:
1.What is the height ranking for this bluff in Rock county?
2.What plant is protected here? Do you see any?
3.What is the altimeter at GZ?
4. What is the altimeter at the park entrance parking lot?
5.What type of sandstone layering do you see?
6. Do you think the layers were formed in desert conditions or water conditions?