Metamorphic Rock? EarthCache

Local geology/history

While there is a certain type of rock used in a structure in Washington that came from Arkansas the structure in Washington is not made entirely of this type of Arkansas rock. Back in the 1830's, when the government was wondering where it was going to get the money to buy the materials to complete the structure, somebody had the bright idea of soliciting donations of building stones from the states and from other sources. In all, 188 stones from around the world were included in the structure. Arkansas' donation came from this hillside.

It is impossible to see exactly where the material was taken from mainly because the whole hill side is now private property. If you are an extremely lucky person to have permission you can scour the hill side for where this marble might of come from. In all truth no one really knows the exact location. What we do know though comes from records of land purchases and how it exchanged hands over the years. There was never a “quarry” built to harvest more of this type of rock, mainly because the original owner had other plans for his land.

Peter Beller moved to Arkansas from Alabama in 1833. In 1834 he and the three Harp Brothers dug a 4' X 3' X 2' hunk of rock out of this hillside. The stone was hauled on a sledge by a team of twenty oxen sixty miles across the Ozark and Boston Mountains to the Arkansas River. It was sent by barge to New Orleans, and thence by sail to the Potomac Basin.

Later, a second stone from this hillside was donated by area freemasons, who felt it was an appropriate donation to honor the fact that George Washington was himself a master mason.

Sometime around 1840 Beller acquired land that included nearby Marble Falls (seen across the road from here) and built a mill there. Although never officially named, Beller's Mill prospered and grew until the civil war, when the men were pressed into service and their families fled to larger towns to escape attacks by bushwhackers, and other miscellaneous bandits.

In 1870 a man named Willcockson set up another mill here, and a town grew which bore his name. Mineral waters and healing springs contributed to the town's prosperity. Advances in medicine in the 20th century reduced the flow of visitors, and the town's star faded. Albert Raney and Sons bought the land, and diverted the cold mountain spring water into a trout hatchery, which they operated for several decades. In the late 1960's, a group of Harrison businessmen bought the trout farm and built an amusement park around it. The theme park was based on characters and locations invented and popularized by Al Capp in his daily comic strip "Li'l Abner." To promote the park, the name of the town was changed again, to "Dogpatch."

In 1997, long after the park had closed its gates, remaining residents successfully petitioned the government to have the name changed back, but the name Dogpatch still lingers on many maps.

While standing at the posted coordinates you will be able to see the hill side that this type of rock came from. There is also a historical marker here, and if you look back across the highway you will see the waterfall and area that was later bought by Peter Beller.

Rocks Elements Minerals and Crystals

Rocks go through cycles

Types of rocks

Metamorphic

Metamorphic rocks have been changed over time due in part from extreme pressure and heat. Metamorphic rocks can be formed by pressure deep under the Earth's surface, from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates. Tectonic uplifts and erosion help bring metamorphic rock to the Earth's surface. Some examples of metamorphic rocks include anthracite, quartzite, marble, slate, granulite, gneiss and schist.

• Anthracite is a type of coal with a high carbon count, few impurities and with a high luster.
• Marble is a metamorphic rock that is formed from the sedimentary rock limestone.
• Quartzite is a metamorphic rock that is formed from the sedimentary rock sandstone.
• Slate is a metamorphic rock that is formed from the sedimentary rock mudstone.
• Granulite is a metamorphic rock that is formed from the igneous rock basalt.

Slate is a foliated metamorphic rock that is formed through the metamorphism of shale

• Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering or bedding less than one centimeter in thickness, called fissility.

Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that is produced by the metamorphism of sandstone.

• Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains. Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any color, but the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow, red, grey, pink, white and black. Since sandstone beds often form highly visible cliffs and other topographic features, certain colors of sandstone have been strongly identified with certain regions.

Marble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that is produced from the metamorphism of limestone. It is composed primarily of calcium carbonate. Metamorphism (see below) causes variable recrystallization of the original carbonate mineral grains. The resulting marble rock is typically composed of an interlocking mosaic of carbonate crystals. Primary sedimentary textures and structures of the original carbonate rock (protolith) have typically been modified or destroyed.

• Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). Most limestone is composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera. Limestone makes up about 10% of the total volume of all sedimentary rocks. The solubility of limestone in water and weak acid solutions leads to karst landscapes, in which water erodes the limestone over thousands to millions of years. Most cave systems are through limestone bedrock.

Some other definitions

Metamorphism is the change of minerals or geologic texture (distinct arrangement of minerals) in pre-existing rocks (protoliths), without the protolith melting into liquid magma (a solid-state change). The change occurs primarily due to heat, pressure, and the introduction of chemically active fluids.

**Logging requirements**
DO NOT POST ANSWERS IN YOUR LOG.
Send the following answers to me via email.

1. The text "GC560GJ Metamorphic Rock" on the first line
2. What type of stone was taken from this hillside?
3. Where was it used?
4. And what year was it taken out of this hillside?
5. Look at the engraved stone “Arkansas”. Does it seem to be clear or faded?
6. Look at the other stone. Do the letters seem to be clear of faded?
7. Based on your observations are these stones a metamorphic rock or made of limestone rocks?
8. There are limestone rock steps leading up to the monument, what color are they? (No photo's of this feature, please)

I have earned GSA's highest level:

Source:

Arkansas Gazette, 23 March 1969, section E, page 6, column 4.