Chimney Rock Park is located near Lake Lure and about 25 mile
southeast of Asheville, NC. Located at the very edge of the Blue
Ridge Mountains, Hickory Nut Gorge and Chimney Rock Park are an
integral part of the Appalachian Mountains which stretch from
Canada to Alabama.
Chimney Rock: 535-million years in the making It took more than
half a billion years to make Chimney Rock! The process began during
the Earth's distant geologic past, when a portion of its molten
interior welled up, cooled and solidified into a huge mass of
granite deep below the surface. Jump ahead billions of years, after
high temperatures and extreme pressure changed the mass from
granite to Henderson Gneiss (pronounced "nice"), the rock that
forms our magnificent namesake, the 535-million-year-old Chimney
and surrounding cliffs.
Slowly but surely, the winds and waters and extremes of
temperature eroded the surface of the earth and carved away exposed
portions of the rock weakened by faults and joints, including the
area between the cliffs and the Chimney. Eventually, more pieces of
the rock were removed by the elements, and the Chimney grew not up,
but rather out and down from the side of the cliff. As erosion
continues, the Chimney will appear to grow taller and further
isolated from the cliff face.
As you walk through the Park, you're sure to notice the oval
white "eyes," which somewhat resemble hickory nuts, in the
surrounding rock. These eyes are found in much of the rock exposed
in the Hickory Nut Gorge, the valley where the Park is located, and
according to legend, they gave the gorge its name.
It's not often that you get to see a mountain from the inside,
but that's exactly what you can do in the 198-foot long tunnel to
our 26-story elevator. Check out the layers and veins of rock and
minerals in the year-round comfort of the 55 to 65-degree tunnel.
See the white pegmatite veins imbedded in the finely banded matrix
of the Gneiss. These illustrate cracks that opened long ago that
were subsequently filled with liquid, igneous material that cooled
slowly. Note that the coarse-grained veins are outlined by narrow
black bands of biotite or black mica. You'll also notice all kinds
of joints and fractures and faults, but don't worry. Neither the
tunnel nor this mighty mountain will collapse—these ancient
fractures are one of the most common features in the crust of the
earth.
Weathering and erosion also played an important role in shaping
the Park's natural formations, clearing away softer materials to
expose proud masses of rock. These processes also gave the
spectacular exposure of vertical walls that you see throughout the
Park. While standing on top of the Chimney, look below at the
Pulpit Rock and Rock Pile. They too were carved out of the mountain
by water along several series of interlacing joints.
Other wonders are the result of breaks and falls. The Opera Box,
for instance, provides a splendid view point of Lake Lure and
Hickory Nut Gorge thanks to a large block of gneiss that separated
and fell. Where'd it go? Right under your feet (and the concrete
used to level things out). Further along, Devil's Head is a piece
of a huge sheet of rock that snapped off somewhere above, slid onto
the ledge, and broke into several pieces. (The rest fell into the
woods below the cliffs.) And our Moonshiner's Cave is an example of
a "talus," or fallen rock, cave that formed when a huge slab of
rock "exfoliated" or cast off from the main mountain wall and slid
to the cliff base. It formed the small cave by leaning back against
the mountain and creating an opening.
The geological story is, of course, much more complex than this.
It includes theories of Plate Tectonics, plate subductions and
series of orogenies that make a fascinating story explained in our
brochure covering the geologic history of the Appalachian
Mountains, within which Chimney Rock Park lies.
Logging requirements for this cache are to send the answers to the
following questions by email, please do not list the answers in the
logs or they will be deleted.
1. What type of rock makes up the tunnel? (hint: Older than
Dinosaurs)
2. What is a cleavage plane?
3. What would cause Chimney Rock to become further removed from
the mountain?How long will that take?
4. Send a photo of you or others in your party
with Chimney rock in the background in some way.
Entries without photos will no longer be
accepted!
Bonus: If you climbed all the way to the top of the stairs,
whose head did you see there? How do you think it was formed?
The answers to the first two questions can be found in the
tunnel literature walking toward the elevator. The third is located
at; N 35 25.930 W 082 14.981
The bonus question is the only area that is not wheelchair
accessible and is not a required feature for logging.
Have fun reading all the great information throughout the park.
If you have time, there are wonderful hiking trails and beautiful
waterfalls.
As of September 2008 the park fees are as follows:
Under 6 years of age – Free
Children 6-15 - $6.00
Adults - $14
Specials along with educational programs and directions may be
found on www.Chimneyrockpark.com
The above information was compiled from the following
source:
• Chimney Rock State Park: http://www.chimneyrockpark.com
• Carolina Geological Society
• Vulcan Materials Company
