GC1PT5D Elephant Butte (Earthcache) in Utah, United States created by weeds19

This cache has been archived.

geoawareUSA2: After 7 months since my initial note, there has been no progress in removing the photo requirements or bringing up to the guidelines.

With the above issues, and no response from the owner about the problems with this cache and its disabled status I am assuming the cache is abandoned by the owner and not going to be brought up to guidelines.

For these reasons I am archiving the cache. If the cache owner wishes to, if it can be rewritten and meets current guidelines within the next few months it can be unarchived.

Geoawareusa2

GC1PT5D ▼

A cache by weeds19 Message this owner

Hidden : 4/10/2009

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

Elephant Butte is the highest point in Arches National Park and it offers a very unique climbing experience as well as a great way to learn about the park.

Arches National Park lies atop an underground salt bed, which is the main cause of the formation of the arches and spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths in the area. Thousands of feet thick in places, this salt bed was deposited over the Colorado Plateau some 300 million years ago when a sea flowed into the region and eventually evaporated. Over millions of years, the salt bed was covered with residue from floods and winds and the oceans that came in intervals. Much of this debris was compressed into rock. At one time this overlying earth may have been one mile thick.

Salt under pressure is unstable, and the salt bed below Arches was no match for the weight of this thick cover of rock. Under such pressure it shifted, buckled, liquefied, and repositioned itself, thrusting the Earth layers upward into domes. Whole sections fell into cavities. In places they turned almost on edge. Faults occurred. The result of one such 2,500-foot displacement, the Moab Fault, is seen from the visitor center.

As this subsurface movement of salt shaped the Earth, surface erosion stripped away the younger rock layers. Except for isolated remnants, the major formations visible in the park today are the salmon-colored Entrada Sandstone, in which most of the arches form, and the buff-colored Navajo Sandstone. These are visible in layer cake fashion throughout most of the park. Over time water seeped into the superficial cracks, joints, and folds of these layers. Ice formed in the fissures, expanding and putting pressure on surrounding rock, breaking off bits and pieces. Winds later cleaned out the loose particles. A series of free-standing fins remained. Wind and water attacked these fins until, in some, the cementing material gave way and chunks of rock tumbled out. Many damaged fins collapsed. Others, with the right degree of hardness and balance, survived despite their missing sections. These became the famous arches.
On your climb of Elephant Butte, you will experience a number of balanced rocks and freestanding towers. As a part of your log get a picture of yourself and an erosional feature along the way to the summit. Tell me what kind of sandstone the tower, fin, arch, etc... consists of and approximately how tall the feature currently stands.

The arid deserts of the southwest are also home to an interesting type of ground cover commonly referred to as cryptobiotic soil, biocrust, or soil crust. Biocrust (I'll use this term since it is the quickest to spell out :) is formed by living organisms and their by-products, creating a surface crust of soil particles bound together by organic material. These fragile soil crusts are important members of the desert ecosystem because they contribute to the well-being of other plants by stabilizing sand and dirt, promoting moisture retention, and fixing atmospheric nitrogen. Despite their extreme hardiness in surviving the desert environs, biocrusts are extremely susceptible to human and animal foot traffic. It can take upwards of 200 yrs for the biocrust to fully recover if it is "stepped on" or disturbed. Please be careful on your climb to not disturb any of the precious biocrust. Luckily for you the biocrust has shown no adverse reactions to photography, so while in the park snap a photo of some biocrust and post it with your log.

Finally, upon reaching the summit of Elephant Butte (which will require full competence with technical climbing gear) snap a photo of yourself, your GPS, and the summit logbook to post with your log. So, as a reminder, you'll need three photos and some explanations to claim this find. This particular climb is one of my favorites in all of Utah and offers a very unique experience. The typical ascent route even includes a rappel. Not to mention the free hanging rappel needed to complete your descent. As always be safe out there and have a wonderful time exploring!

Additional Hints (No hints available.)