Mud Butte EarthCache
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In order to count this Earthcache as a find, you must complete the following tasks and email the answers to me.
1. Estimate the height of the butte.
2. Describe the color of the sediment that makes up Mud Butte.
3. If visible, describe the iridium band on Mud Butte. How thick is the band? How near the top is the band?
4. Describe the effect erosion has had on Mud Butte.
This Earthcache is located in the public right away just off of highway 212. One traveling west river across South Dakota will see very little change in landscape. However, between the Missouri River and the Wyoming border, travelers cross at least eight different sedimental deposits left behind during several different geological periods. Here, you can catch a glimpse of Mud Butte--an isolated remnant of the Hell Creek Formation that has undergone severe erosion. Enjoy!
Mud Butte is located in an area known as the Hell Creek Formation. Occurring largely in Montana, but also in portions of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, Hell Creek Formation is one of the most famous and intensely studied dinosaur sites. It was in this geological landscape region, near Jordan, Montana, that the fossils of a tyrannosaurus rex were found. Fossils from other dinosaurs and extinct animals have also been found in this region.
Geologically, the Hell Creek Formation is a series of fresh and slightly salt-water clays, mudstones, and sandstones that were deposited during the last part of the Cretaceous period known as the Maastrichtian (about 65 million years ago). At the end of the Maastrichtian period, a mass extinction occurred, commonly referred to as the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event or K/T. This was the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs and other animals that roamed the earth during that time. The sediments that were deposited in this region during that time period were brought in by river channels and deltas and, on occasion, swamp deposits during the withdrawal of the shallow inland sea. Following the extinction of the dinosaurs, the Earth entered into the Cenozoic era, or an era of new life. This change from the Cretaceous period to the Cenozoic period is illustrated in the rock sediments. The rock outcroppings in the Hell Creek formation have a thin, white band near the uppermost strata that marks this transition period. The band gets its white color from the iridium that saturated the area after an asteroid or meteorite struck the earth. Many researchers hypothesize that this event caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Mud Butte in northwestern South Dakota is an example of the remnants of the Hell Creek clays. In places on the butte, the thin band marking the division between the Cretaceous and the Cenozoic period can be seen. Erosion has also taken its toll on the buttes, eating away at the clay and sandstone sediments.
Erosion is the process by which the surface of the Earth gets worn down. Natural elements, such as wind and glacial ice, can both cause erosion. Water is one of nature’s most powerful elements and the most common agent of erosion, simply because there is so much of it on the Earth’s surface. Sometimes, as in the case of a mudslide or an avalanche, erosion happens quickly. In most cases, erosion happens so slowly that you can’t even see it. Over time, the simple act of water running downhill can carve out the landscape. Although erosion is a natural process, it has be increased dramatically by human land use, such as industrial agriculture, deforestation, and the growth of cities.
NOT A LOGGING REQUIREMENT: Feel free to post pictures of your group at the area or the area itself - I love looking at the pictures.
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