The Wall of the Palisades EarthCache
The Wall of the Palisades
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Access to this spot is at a pull off on the south side of the I-80 frontage road next to the Green River.
The Palisades is the row of cliffs on the north side of I-80 just to the west of the town of Green River. This cliff face consists of outcrops of rock from the Green River Formation. The Green River Formation was deposited in a large shallow lake formed during the Eocene Epoch, about 45-55 million years ago. This lake filled with alluvial deposits and lake sediments, including chemical precipitates like trona, and layers of oil shale. The outcrops of the Green River Formation at this location consist of greenish brown sandstones and brown oil shales which can be seen in the layers of rock in the Palisades. The Green River Formation also forms the material of Tollgate Rock (located about a mile east of here) and is the material through which the I-80 tunnels are dug.
At this site, you are looking north across I-80 at the Palisades. The top of the Palisades is located at an elevation of 6,371’. Using your GPS receiver, find the height of this cliff face.
To receive credit for this Earthcache, you must:
1) Determine the height of the Palisades from this location (if your GPS receiver doesn’t have an altimeter, you may have to use a topo map).
2) After you have emailed me the answer to this question, post at least 1 picture of you with your GPS receiver with the Palisades in the background.
The above information was compiled from the following sources:
Lageson, D.R., and Spearing, D.R. 2004. Roadside Geology of Wyoming, 2nd Edition.
Grande, L. 2004. Paleontology of the Green River Formation, with a Review of the Fish Fauna, 2nd Edition.
The Palisades Cliff – Wyoming Mountain Peak Information. Online at:
(visit link)
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