Washington Monument State Park
Hours of Operation:
8 a.m. to sunset (April to October)
10 a.m. to sunset (November to March)
This EarthCache will take you to the original Washington Monument. You will travel a little over a mile round trip. Wear proper foot attire and bring water.
This is one of the best views in the state of Maryland. If you look hard enough, you can see PA, WV and VA.
The original Washington’s Monument was built in July 4, 1827. It was built with no mortar and soon fell. Over the next 100 years, it was rebuilt 3 times.
This area is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains and border on the Valley & Ridge.
Unlike the Coastal Plain and Piedmont Plateau Provinces, the Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley, and Appalachian Plateaus Provinces are underlain mainly by folded and faulted sedimentary rocks. Folded and faulted sedimentary rocks are a result of tectonic forces deforming rocks. The type of deformation depends on the type of force applied to the rock: Compressive forces squeeze and shorten rocks, causing folding and faulting. These forces are common at convergent plate boundaries, where they can create mountain ranges. Tensional forces stretch and thin rocks, often accompanied by tensional faults. These forces are common at extensional plate boundaries, such as mid-ocean ridges.
The rocks of the Blue Ridge Province in western Frederick County are exposed in a large anticlinal fold whose limbs are represented by Catoctin Mountain and South Mountain. These two ridges are formed by Lower Cambrian quartzite, a rock which is very resistant to the attack of weathering and erosion. A broad valley floored by Precambrian gneiss and volcanic rock lies in the core of the anticline between the two ridges.
Granite stone is often used in buildings, bridges, paving, monuments, countertops, tile floors, stair treads and many other design elements. The word granite has been derived from the Latin word ‘granum’ meaning grain. Granite is an intrusive, igneous rock with a granular and phaneritic texture, occupying 70-80% of the Earth’s crust. It is plutonic in origin, implying that it was formed deep underground. This rock is primarily composed of interlocking crystals of alkali feldspar (65% by volume), quartz (20% by volume), mica, amphiboles and other minerals. Depending on the mineral composition, the colour of granite can be red, pink, grey or white with dark mineral grains visible to the unaided eye. Granite is a hard and tough rock with an average density between 2.65 and 2.75 g/cm
Quartzite is a hard, non-foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to grey, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink and red due to varying amounts of iron oxide.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz 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.
Please do not post any spoiler photos or information in your log. In order to get credit for this Earthcache, please contact me with the answers to the following questions:
1. As you made your way to the monument, did you see similar rocks on the trail?
2. What color rocks do you see making up the monument? Are they different from the “fallen” ones of the previous monuments?
3. Do you think the monument is made up of Sandstone, Quartzite, Granite, or another type of rock? Explain your answer.
4. REQUIRED: post a picture of yourself or personal item with the monument in the background. Please upload your photo(s) with your "found it" log.
Be sure to contact me before logging the cache to get credit for your work. I will only contact you if there are issues with your answers.
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ridge_Mountains
*https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/western/washington.aspx
*https://luzwanderer.wordpress.com/2020/08/10/the-easiest-hike-in-maryland-so-far/
*https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-little-known-story-of-the-first-washington-monument-180981268/