Quarry Park and Nature Preserve is a wonder of geology, biology,and hydrology. Along with the miricles of nature, the site also contains evidence of the works of man. Some 20 Granite Quarries are spread throughout the 643 acre park. To better enjoy and understand the park you can pick up maps and additional information from the the Stearns County Parks Department offices located at the entrance to the park, during business hours. Maps and Eco-Walk information is often available at the trail head as well. Please check out Stearns County Quarry Park online.
MAPS
Eco Walk Brochure
Summer
Winter
Winter Cachers please be repectful of other park users and stay off of the cross country ski trials. Thanks!
Quarry 13 Basalt Dikes
"Quarry 13 is a long narrow quarry that runs roughly northeast to southwest. The deepest point in this quarry is 39 feet. This quarry is an excellent place to witness the predominant rock in the park Saint Cloud Red Granite, which is pink to red in color, interacting with the dark black basalt. Walking up the trail just a short distance to the right and you can witnessseveral basalt dikes with glacial striations. The basalt dikes were formed by molten basalt magma oozing up through fractures in the red granite. Glacial Striations are the result of large rocks imbedded in the moving glacial ice moving over the bedrock under extremely high pressure carving scratches in the bedrock. Also smaller particles of silt and sand polish some rocks as the ice moves across the rock. This phenomenon is known as glacial polish. The degree to which the rocks are polished is more extreme in the granite than the basalt because the granite is physically harder and less easily weathered away than the basalt, which crumbles and scratches more easily."
From "Eco-Walks at Quarry Park", Sean Leary 9/2006
To log your visit, please email me the following:
-What is the width of one of these Basalt Dikes?
-What are ther relative Mohs Scale ratings for Granite and Basalt?
-How many people are in your group today?
Please feel free to attach a photo to your log.
Thanks for visiting the Quarry Park and Nature Preserve. I hope that you will be back again and again.