A petroglyph is defined as an image that is created through
removing part of a rock surface by incising, pecking, carving or
abrading. A magnificent example of West Virginian petroglyphs can
be found just a short distance out a gravel road and over an
embankment in Salt Rock.
The Salt Rock Petroglyphs are some of the only ones that have
the symbol of what looks to be a full length human figure with a
weeping eye mask. The weeping eye mask, which are shell masks, were
made in the 1500s and 1600s. There is also a village that was
excavated near the Salt Rock Petroglyphs at Gue Farm nearby.
This location is on PRIVATE PROPERTY and is placed
with the permission of the owners. Please be respectful of their
property. Daylight hours only. NO NIGHT CACHING. Leave nothing but
footprints. Take nothing but photos.
These petroglyphs are on two large sandstone boulders near the
northeast bank of the Guyandotte River.This sandstone appears to be
of the argillaceous type, such as greywacke or bluestone, which
have a significant clay or silt content. This type of sandstone is
common to the region and would provide a fairly smooth surface on
which to carve the art.
The petroglyphs feature two very interesting figures: a
life-size anthropomorph on the top of one rock (very naturalistic
outline with stylized internal elaboration) and a long zoomorph on
the side of the other rock. The face of the anthropomorph features
a motif found in Late Mississippian shell gorgets—a "weeping eye"
motif. This, combined with the proximity to a Fort Ancient Culture
occupation site to the west (c. AD 1550), probably indicates a date
of AD 1550-1650 for the rock art.
PLEASE: Do not try to clean or scrape the moss from the
carvings. (This also scrapes away a little of the art). Do not
trace the art. To get a nice photo, try to catch some shadow in the
carvings.
In order to log this find:
1. Post a photograph that includes you, your GPSr, and one or
both rocks with the art in view. And… email the answers to
the following questions using the email feature in the owner
profile above.
2. Tell the type of rock into which the petroglyphs are etched.
3. Estimate the weight of the larger boulder using this
method: Estimate the length, width, and thickness of the boulder in
feet. Multiply these three dimensions together to determine the
volume of the boulder in cubic feet. Multiply this number by 147,
which is the average weight in pounds of a cubic foot of solid
sandstone. You may submit this number for the weight of the boulder
in pounds or go a step further and divide your answer by 2000 to
determine the weight in tons.
4. Estimate the distance from the boulders to the nearest bank of
the Guyandotte River.
Log your find (don't wait for confirmation), post your
photos, and email the answers using the message feature in
the owner profile. If there is a problem with your answers, I'll
email you back and we'll work it out. Logs without emailed answers
or photos will be deleted.