Chimney Rock was once a tourist attraction in the late 1800s and
early 1900s at Cumberland Gap National Park. There was a time that
you could walk up to the rock formation on a marked trail. Women in
long dresses and children would have their pictures taken next to
the Chimney Rock.
Chimney Rock is now viewable from the paved trails that go to
Pinnacle Overlooked. Trees block most of the view during the Summer
Months. Fall is the best time to see Chimney Rock.
Chimney Rock is also referred to as a candlestick rock formation
and very common along the Cumberland Gap mountain ranges. These
rock formations are created over millions of years by water
erosion.
Chimney Rock is composed of Pennsylvanian Limestone and Lee
Formation. The Pennsylvanian rocks of eastern Kentucky occupy the
central part of the Appalachians. The rocks form a elastic wedge
that thickens southeastward so that stratigraphic intervals in
southeastern Kentucky are 15 to 20 times thicker than comparable
intervals in northeastern Kentucky. The oldest Pennsylvanian strata
are exposed on Cumberland Mountain along the Kentucky-Virginia
State line. In the Black Mountains in southeastern most Kentucky,
where only the lower Pennsylvanian and about two-thirds of the
Middle Pennsylvanian remain, the Pennsylvanian section is about
5,400 ft thick.
The Lee Formation is characterized by massive pebbly quartzose
sandstone that locally contains lenses of conglomerate with quartz
pebbles as much as 2.5 inches in diameter. In the type area in Lee
County, Va., near Middlesboro, Ky., the formation is commonly more
then 1,600 ft thick and is about 80 percent sandstone. The
sandstone is mostly thick bedded, moderately well sorted, and fine
to coarse grained. Sandstone units are interpreted to be fluviatile
because they are commonly fining-upward, crossbedbed, channel-form
deposits that contain mineralized or coalified plant remains such
as ancient logjams at their bases.
Rocks of the Lee Formation are exposed in three major outcrop
belts: in steeply dipping beds along Cumberland Mountain and Pine
Mountain, and along the western side of the Cumberland Plateau.
Also, isolated outcrops of Lee sandstone occur in highly folded and
sheared masses along and just northwest of the trace of the Pine
Mountain overthrust fault as part of the lower plate of the fault.
The sandstone members of the Lee are resistant and generally form
prominent hogbacks at or near the crests of Cumberland and Pine
Mountains and, in that area, make up two other prominent ridges:
Rocky Face Mountain northeast of Middlesboro and White Mountain
north of Pineville. Lee sandstone units also cap the Pottsville
Escarpment along the western side of the Cumberland Plateau.
Chimney Rock is part of the Cumberland Gap National Park. Carved
by wind and water, Cumberland Gap forms a major break in the
Appalachian Mountain chain.
Stretching for 20 miles along Cumberland Mountain and ranging
from 1 to 4 miles in width, the park contains 20,500 acres of which
14,000 acres is proposed wilderness. The natural beauty of
Appalachian mountain country, lush with vegetation, supports
diverse animal life including: white-tailed deer, black bear,
rabbit, raccoon, opossum, gray squirrel, fox, and wild turkey. Park
resources provide habitat for the endangered Indiana bat Myotis
sodalis, and the threatened blackside dace, Phoxinus
cumberlandensis. There are 59 state-listed rare plant species.
To get credit for this EC, post a photo of you (I do not accept
pictures of just a hand) at the posted coordinates or you can go to
the Pinnacle Overlook to get the picture with Chimney Rock in the
background and please answer the following questions.
1. Estimate the height of Chimney Rock?
2. What color is the Chimney Rock sandstone?
3. What three states can you view from the nearby overlook?
Cav Scout has earned GSA's highest
level |
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This is a National Park Service-approved EarthCache site. The
information here has been reviewed and approved by the Cumberland
Gap National Historic Park. Thanks to the staff for their
assistance.
Why do I ask for a face
in the picture of the EarthCacher finding any of my EarthCaches? A
face shot is the same as a signature in a log book. Many geocachers
feel in order to get a find you must sign the log book, period.
EarthCaching is special and a human face is the same as a signature
in a log book. I do not accept hand shots (pictures of a hand with
GPS) because it does not show who’s really visiting the ECs I set
up for all to enjoy. Besides, there is no log book for you to sign
at a EarthCache.
For anyone who doesn’t
want to post a picture of their face, then log the find as a note
or don’t do it at all. Nobody is forcing anyone to come and visit
any of my EarthCaches. I could argue that signing a log at a
traditional cache is violating my personal rights because I have to
sign a piece of paper. Maybe someone will forge my signature and
steal my identity!
An argument that a photo
violates a persons identity is foolish. Geocaching is a social
activity. Eventually someone will meet you and know you are
geocaching. If you want to live a secretive life then geocaching is
not the place to do so. Cache on!
Do not log this
EC unless you have answered the questions and have a picture ready
to post! Logs with no photo of the actual cacher logging the find
or failure to answer questions or negative comments will result in
a log deletion without notice. Exceptions will be considered if you
contact me first (I realize sometimes we forget our cameras or the
batteries die). You must post a photo at the time of logging your
find. If your picture is not ready then wait until you have a
photo.
Sources of
information for the EarthCache quoted from the Cumberland National
Historic Park. I have used sources available to me by using google
search to get information for this earth cache. I am by no means a
geologist.. I use books, internet, and ask questions about geology
just like 99.9 percent of the geocachers who create these great
Earth Caches. I enjoy Earth Caches and want people to get out and
see what I see every time I go and explore this great place we live
in.