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GC1C6E2

EarthcacheRinging Rocks

A cache by CerealBoxMonsters     Hidden: 5/14/2008

Size: Size: Not chosen (Not chosen)     Difficulty: 2 out of 5     Terrain: 3 out of 5 (1 is easiest, 5 is hardest)


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N/S ? ??.??? W/E ??? ??.??? 
In Montana, United States

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This pile of unusual rocks sits in the Dry Mountains between Butte and Whitehall, Montana. There are only two locations in the United States with this unique feature.
This large mound of rocks possess a unique quality, unexplained by science, and often seen more as a novelty or mystery than an oddity of geology.

When struck with a hammer, these rocks produce a ring similar to that of a bell. When asked why, no one seems to know - not even the land managers who regularly answer this question.

One key to the mystery is that the rocks on the ground don't chime when hit, meaning that the mound may have something to do with the sound.

Another clue is that the rocks don't chime when they're removed from the area. Which is ironic because it is illegal to remove any of the rocks from this site.

The rocks here are igneous, meaning they were formed when molten rock cooled, and have an iron component. They're about the size of small cars, piled helter-skelter in a mound about 30 feet high. Their surfaces are rough like a pumice stone, with their brown color disrupted by off-white lichen.


There are two requirements to logging this earthcache:
1) Post a photgragh of yourself in front of the BLM sign.
2) Use your GPSr to track a route around the perimeter of the pile and submit the answer to the owner's email. The correct answer must fall within ten meters.

 

Inventory Inventory

Additional Hints (No hints available.)

(Decrypted Hints)

Find...

Logged Visits (28 total. Visit the Gallery (34 images))

Found it25     Write note2     Publish Listing1     

Warning. Spoilers may be included in the descriptions or links.
Cache find counts are based on the last time the page generated.

 November 26, 2009 by Spot-me (203 found)
The kids really enjoyed this spot with the hammers. The weather was great for a November day. TFTC

View This Log
Photo 1126091240

 September 7, 2009 by drgnflyz (179 found)
emailed for question. Did a blog about this earthcache. (visit link)

[This entry was edited by drgnflyz on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 5:39:28 PM.]

View This Log

Photo Jacob reading about ringing rocks

 September 6, 2009 by billdev (297 found)
Really enjoyed this area and spent more time than planned. This area had many Labor Day Weekend visitors and some of it may have been from local newspaper publicity. This is an awesome area and certainly a geologic wonder. TFTC.

View This Log
Photo for whom the rocks ring

 August 20, 2009 by PurplePaws (3209 found)
This was a great stop while on the way to Idaho to do some more EarthCaching. We enjoyed trying to find rocks with different tones. The "trail" around the pile was indistinct at times, but hopefully we got close. Thanks for bringing us here!

View This Log
Photo My hand, GPS, WJTB and BLM sign.

 July 2, 2009 by SGT red jeep (1488 found)
Reading E. Bunny's log, I can't help wondering if we were up on the hill at the same time. We had three four-wheelers and I just took the required picture as the storm started blowing. Being about ten miles from our campsite, we jumped on our four-wheelers and raced back down the trail we drove up, a narrow two-track not much wider than our vehicles, and steep. As it started to pore, I sent my daughter ahead down the trail telling her to race down the hill while I waited for my wife to catch up on the last machine. When my daughter drove out of sight, the hail described by E. Bunny laid into me and my wife. Our decision to wear helmets made the experience bearable but it was still painful. Waiting for the hail to stop, I was becoming more concerned as the water rushing down the trail steadily increased, becoming a torrent. As soon as the white stuff stopped and not trusting the four-wheelers, I ran through the trees, following the trail, searching for my daughter. She had only made it a couple hundred yards before finding a safe place to bail off the machine and hug a pine tree. With the storm receeding, I convinced my wife the best thing to do would be wait until the trail dried a little before attempting the steep slope so we went back to the ringing rocks and I made the trek around the pile, completing the second requirement.

View This Log
Photo My daughter and 4-wheeler after the hailstorm
Photo My daughter on the Pile
Photo My GPS and the Sign

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Current Time: 2/9/2010 8:05:37 PM (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) (4:05 AM GMT)
Last Updated: 11/26/2009 1:34:44 PM (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) (9:34 PM GMT)
Rendered: From Database
Coordinates are in the WGS84 datum


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