Bright White in the Middle of Fire EarthCache
Bright White in the Middle of Fire
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Earthcache located in Valley of Fire State Park. An entrance fee is
required to enter the park. With this earthcache we wanted to show
that not all the landscape in the park is red. The land towards the
end of the road is covered by large areas of slickrock in a wide
range of bright colors including white. This cache brings you to
the "White Domes", white sandstone formations that are in contrast
to the rest of the Valley of Fire.
Valley of Fire State Park features formations with colorful layers
of Aztec Sandstone—red, orange and white layered rock and
white domes which contrast nicely with the grey cliffs further
east.
Nevada's oldest and largest park, Valley of Fire State Park derives
its name from the red sandstone formations in this starkly
beautiful corner of the Mojave Desert. Great shifting sand dunes
during the age of dinosaurs, 150 million years ago, combined with
complex uplifting and faulting followed by extensive erosion
created the unusual landscape. Limestones, shales and conglomerates
provide even more interesting rock formations.
White Domes Trail: Sand dunes from ancient times solidified over
time from their own weight in this area. Underground streams
percolating through the sand caused minerals to oxidize in some
areas which resulted in brilliant color contrasting with white
domes.
As water erodes the softer areas of the stone, fins and arches
form, causing the landscape to be in a state of perpetual
change.
Lithification
Mineral-laden waters slowly filtered through the compacted
sediments. Iron oxide, calcium carbonate, and silica acted as
cementing agents, and with pressure from overlying layers over long
periods of time, transformed the deposits into stone. Ancient
seabeds became limestone; mud and clay became mudstones and shale;
and desert sand became sandstone. Each layer originated from a
distinct source and so differs in thickness, mineral content,
color, and eroded appearance.
To log this cache please post a picture (optional) of yourself
and/or your GPSr at the posted coords with the big white dome to
the south in your background. Also please send us the answer to the
following questions...
1. Where does the red color come from?
2. What is the reason for the 'White Domes' being white?
3. Facing west at GZ, describe what unusual object you see
Logs without email will be deleted. You have to go to GZ to claim
this cache. You will find the answers to the first two questions on
the plaques at the parking area but you will have to hike down for
the answer to the last question.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)