Sassafras Mountain is the highest point in the state of South Carolina, United States. It is in the Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountains.
The Appalachians are among the oldest mountains on Earth, born of powerful upheavals within the terrestrial crust and sculpted by the ceaseless action of water upon the surface. The two types of rock that characterize the present Appalachian ranges tell much of the story of the mountains’ long existence. First there are the most ancient crystalline rocks. Between about 1.1 billion and 541 million years ago, during the Precambrian era, long periods of sedimentation and violent eruptions alternated to create rocks and then subject them to such extreme heat and pressure that they were changed into sequences of metamorphic rocks. Among the oldest of these are the gneisses. Limestone changed into marble, shales became slate and schist, sandstones were transformed into quartzite, and intrusions of magma formed bodies of granite. These ancient rocks antedated most plant or animal life; in addition, the intense pressure and heat destroyed any traces of primitive life—so that the Precambrian crystallines contain no trace of fossils. They make up what is known as “Old” Appalachia in Canada, New England, and a belt east of the Great Valley with the Blue Ridge at its heart.
To the west the Great Valley, the Valley Ridges, and the Appalachian Plateau (including the Alleghenies) are characterized by the second type of rocks, sediments of Paleozoic age (i.e., about 252 to 541 million years old). These make up “New” Appalachia—the shales, sandstones, limestones, and coals that were formed as sediments were deposited, stratified, and solidified over geologic time. During the Carboniferous Period (358.9 to 298.9 million years ago), this long process included the formation of some of the richest coal beds in the world. During the Permian Period (298.9 to 252.2 million years ago), a great mountain folding occurred. This was the Appalachian Revolution, a vast interior crumpling resulting from the stress placed on huge masses of subterranean rock. As parts of the Earth buckled into folds, cracked, and faulted, other parts were uplifted—sometimes in the parallel ridges distinctive of the Appalachians—and thrust faults served to move one rock mass atop another. Thus, the ancient crystallines were lifted in places above the more recent sedimentary rock deposits. Source - Encyclopedia Britannica.
Park your vehicle in the parking lot and proceed to the foot trail that starts on the left of the rest rooms. This trail is approximately 200 yards long and is an easier grade than the concrete walkway. When you get to the rock at the waypoint answer the questions.
Question Number 1: WHAT COLOR IS THE ROCK?
A. Bright white like marble
B. Gray like slate
C. Redish indicating Iron
D. Whiteish Gray.
Question Number 2: TOUCH THE ROCK, DOES IT FEEL_______?
A. Smooth
B. Wavy feeling
C. Rough and course
D. Slick
Question Number 3: WHERE DID THIS ROCK COME FROM?
A. A volcano
B. The ocean floor
C. It was always here
Question Number 4: WHAT TYPE OF ROCK IS THIS?
A. Sedimentary
B. Metamorphic
C. Igneous
Continue up the trail to the Compass Rose on the observation tower.
Task Number 5: Take a selfie photo of you and your GPSr with the Compass Rose in the background OR if your phone is your GPSr then take a photo of you and the Compass Rose OR if you are shy then take a photo of the Compass Rose and include this photo with your find log.
You may descend the way you came or by the concrete walkway on the East side. If you started from the parking lot up the concrete walkway you may simply answer the questions in reverse order.