Lamoille Canyon EarthCache
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Glaciers vigorously attacked the Ruby Mountains several times during the Ice Age. Powerful rivers of ice carved out an unsurpassed alpine scenery. Lamoille Canyon is an exceptional ice-gouged valley, a unique area in the dry, seemingly desolate, Great Basin Desert.
Lamoille Canyon is the largest valley in the Ruby Mountains, located in the central portion of Elko County in the northeastern section of Nevada. Approximately 12 miles in length, it was extensively sculpted during previous ice ages.
The current scenery and topography in the Ruby Mountains and Lamoille Canyon are the result of many episodes of violent geologic upheavals spanning hundreds of millions of years. The record of these events is shown on a Nevada Bureau of Mines & Geology geologic map of the area available at this link:
(visit link) along with an accompanying text describing the geologic history and rock units of Lamoille Canyon at this link:
(visit link) Special thanks to the Nevada Bureau of Mines & Geology for assistance with this cache.
The Ruby Mountains contain all three main rock types: metamorphic (quartzite, marble, schist, gneiss), igneous (granite), and sedimentary (limestone, glacial deposits). Examples of all three rock types can be found in Lamoille Canyon as evidence of the long and varied geologic history that has shaped the mountains and the valleys.
The oldest, earliest rocks exposed in the canyon (schists, gneisses, marbles) record the metamorphic history of the Ruby Mountains several hundred million years ago. Some of the most recent deposits in the canyon are the glacial deposits (tills, moraines, outwash) that date from the fairly recent carving out of the canyon from the metamorphic rock by the glaciers during the ice ages within the past couple of hundred thousand years. As you explore Lamoille Canyon on the way to this EarthCache site, try to identify the older metamorphic rocks as well as any glacial deposits both in the road cuts and along any nearby trails in the canyon. Closely examine both the metamorphic rocks and the glacial deposits wherever you see them and make notes. Describe at least two ways in which the metamorphic rocks are different from the glacial deposits. E-mail your answers to the cache owner along with your geocaching name.
While at this site, examine the two deep valleys of Lamoille Canyon that lie before you and be sure to read the posted informational signs at the site. In addition to the rock comparison, please include a description of the shapes of the two valleys and explain how those valleys formed. Why are the shapes different? Also, describe the moraine dam you see between the two valleys.
Any logs that are not supported with an email containing this info will be removed.
While not a required task for logging, pictures of this beautiful area are welcomed and encouraged to be posted with the log.
Good Luck!!
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