Mudstone
Geology of the Canadian Badlands
Mudstone (also called mudrock) is a fine grained sedimentary
rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is
up to 0.0625 mm (0.0025 in) with individual grains too small to be
distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over
time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the
appearance of fissility or parallel layering. This finely bedded
material that splits readily into thin layers is called shale, as
distinct from mudstone. The lack of fissility or layering in
mudstone may be due either to original texture or to the disruption
of layering by burrowing organisms in the sediment prior to
lithification. Mud rocks, such as mudstone and shale comprise some
65% of all sedimentary rocks. Mudstone looks like hardened clay
and, depending upon circumstances under which it was formed, it may
show cracks or fissures, like a sun-baked clay deposit.
This cache is part of the Legacy Trail produced by the Canadian
Badlands Geocaching Association for the Best of the Bad Mega
Event.
The Legacy Trail
The Legacy Trail is a collection of geocaches that circles its
way over 100 miles on country roads traversing some of the most
scenic and spectacular landscape in this part of the Canadian
Badlands. A large number of caches in a variety of types, sizes and
difficulty are placed on the Trail. Every town, village and hamlet
in the Canadian Badlands has its own cache. Some caches were named
after local historic events and people, as well as celebrities who
grew up in this area. Some caches were sponsored by geocachers who
attended the Best of the Bad Mega Event. The Legacy Trail was
produced by the Canadian Badlands Geocaching Association for the
Best of the Bad Mega Event.
The Canadian Badlands
The Canadian Badlands in Alberta are like no other place on
earth, home to the world's most extensive dinosaur bonebeds,
badlands and hoodoos, and a world-class museum that shelters a 75
million-year-old legacy. The region is rich in culturally and
historically significant sites that tell the story of the First
Nations people and early settlers, and of a complex and diverse
modern society that is still deeply rooted in the spirit of the
frontier.
