Climb Iowa EarthCache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(large)
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This EarthCache will take to a very large Quartzite Rock. This rock came from a local quarry and was moved to this location for a birthday present. Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. The sandstone is converted over to Quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression and orogenic belts.
Unlike sandstone, quartzite breaks through, not around, the quartz grains, producing a smooth surface instead of a rough and granular one. Quartzites are free from pores and have a smooth fracture, since when struck with a hammer they break through the sand grains, while in sandstones the fracture passes through the cementing material and the rounded faces of the grains are exposed, giving the broken surface a rough or granular appearance. The conversion of sandstone into quartzite is sometimes the work of percolating water under ordinary conditions.
Quartzite is very strong and can withstand chemical weathering. The resistant ridge and hilltops where it is found are often bare with little vegetation. It has a hardness measured at about 7 on MOH’s hardness scale. Crushed quartzite is often used in railway construction.
To get credit for this cache you must do the following:
1. Take a picture of the rock WITH you in the picture and post on your log
2. Email me the following:
a. Estimate the weight of this rock within 10,000 lbs…Hint the rock weighs less than 100,000lbs
b. Pure Quartzite rocks are white to gray in color. This Quartzite is reddish in color…what particular mineral caused this to occur?
If you enjoyed this Earthcache, please give it a favorite point...thanks
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Yhxr 8:13