Logging Requirements
Through this EarthCache you will have a chance to learn about quartzite, its colored veins, and how these are created. To claim credit, please send answers to the questions listed below. You will need to read the write-up below and make observations at the posted coordinates to find the answers.
1. How are veins in quartzite created?
2. Observe the quartzite star on top of the Monument’s fountain. What mineral do you believe is present in its veins? Explain why you gave that answer.
3. At the posted coordinates, take a photo of yourself or a personal item with the stone that reads “The Howard County Veterans and Military Families Monument” in the background (see below). To prevent spoilers, please do NOT include the star or fountain in your photo.
Veins in the Howard County Veterans Monument
You are standing at The Howard County Veterans and Military Families Monument. After a decade of planning, this monument was officially dedicated and opened to the public in May 2026. It serves as a public and permanent way to honor Howard County veterans, their families, and their contributions. Here visitors are encouraged to engage in contemplative reflection and take a moment to thank these individuals for their service and sacrifice.
This Monument is full of symbolism, but perhaps its most striking feature is the unique quartzite star at the top of its fountain. The stone used in this star came from the Bahia region of Brazil. It was purposely selected due to the colorful veins running through it, and how they symbolize a long-standing tradition of families to hang a star when a loved one is serving.
So how does quartzite form? It started millions of years ago when layers of quartz-rich sand were covered by sediment. This sediment piled up and created immense pressure on the sand. Water moved through this sediment, carrying minerals into the sand and cementing these sand grains together, forming sandstone. Eventually tectonic forces compressed, buried, and heated the sandstone. This process is known as metamorphism, where immense pressure and heat led to the recrystallization of minerals in the solid rock. The result of this process is that the rock is no longer sandstone – it is now quartzite!
But what about those colored veins? Well, they are the result of other minerals – not just quartz – that were carried by water into the stone. During metamorphism, these minerals would have been squeezed into cracks or fractures that were created, sealing the gaps and leaving these veins. The coloring of these veins is determined by the specific minerals present. For example, veins with a red or brown color could be the result of iron oxides in the stone. Muscovite can result in silvery or light grey veins in a piece of quartzite. In some rarer cases these veins can even appear blue, due to the presence of a boron silicate mineral called dumortierite.
Now that you have read the description, take some time to make observations of The Howard County Veterans and Military Families Monument and its features. Using both your observations and the information in the description, please send answers to the questions listed above to claim credit for this cache.
Hope your time at the Monument was meaningful, and that you also learned a little bit about the veins in quartzite too!
Disclosure
All text on this page was written and compiled by the cache owner. Two of the images/pictures were created unassisted by the cache owner. However, for the image that provides a visual of the process by which quartzite is created, the cache owner used an AI tool to assist in its creation. Also, a quick shout out to Awesnap for getting me started on this one!
References
Barros de Oliveira Frasca MH, Castro NF. 2022. The Blue Quartzites and Syenites from Bahia, Brazil – Geology and Technological Characteristics. Geoheritage 14:67:1-12.
Howard County Veterans Foundation. n.d. The Howard County Veterans and Military Families Monument.
Johnson RF. 1962. Lead-Zinc Deposits of the Boquira District State of Bahia, Brazil. Geological Survey Bulletin – 1110-A.
University of Auckland. 2005. Geology Rocks & Minerals: Quartzite.