Welcome to Chiricahua National Monument
A beautiful location in the SE corner of Arizona that has averaged under 60,000 visitors a year for the last decade. You are one of the lucky ones to see these stunning views.
This earthcache is going to focus on one unique aspect of the amazing formations found in Chiricahua. You will hike a portion of the Echo Canyon Trail to the Grotto.
A grotto is a natural or artificial cave. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or liable to flood at high tide. A cave forms when acidic water dissolves limestone rock. Over many years acidic water flows through a depression, slowly dissolving away the limestone. Eventually, a cave will form and open up over time as the limestone is eaten away.
Chiricahua National Monument is known for its rhyolite rock pinnacles for which the monument was created to protect. These formations took years to form:
A cataclysmic volcanic eruption, roughly 27 million years ago, spewed ash and molten debris at super-sonic speeds and formed the approximately 12 mile wide caldera. Ash and debris settled and compacted, forming a thick layer of rock called rhyolite tuff. This rock layer has fissured and eroded over time, forming the spectacular rock pillars of Chiricahua National Monument.1
As you begin your hike along the Echo Canyon Trail you will see these amazing pinnacles spread before you. When you approach the Grotto you will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the geology of Chiricahua National Monument. Feel free to climb up into the grotto and get a good look at this stunning geological feature.
In order to log this earthcache as a find please send me the answers to the following questions:
Questions
1. Based on the geological processes outlined above, is this a true grotto? Basically, do you think this is a cave?
2. As you look at the sides and ceiling of the grotto, how do you think it formed?
3. How long is the grotto?
4. Describe the walls of the grotto. What is the texture. What color are they?
5. (Optional) Post a picture at the Grotto.
Sources:
- https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/426475
- https://www.nps.gov/chir/learn/nature/geologicformations.htm
| I have earned GSA's highest level: |
 |
Thank you to Dean Portman and Chiracahua National Monument for permission to place this cache.