Crouse Canyon’s Billion Year Old Rock EarthCache
Crouse Canyon’s Billion Year Old Rock
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Terrain:
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Parking for this Earthcache is at a pulloff next to the road at a small access point to Crouse Creek. Coordinates for parking are: N 40 48.751, W 109 05.408, though due to the tight canyon and overhead vegetation, GPS reception may be poor.
The purpose of this Earthcache is to get up close and hands-on with the components of the Uinta Mountain Group. This formation is very common in the local area, and can be seen in the rocks near Flaming Gorge Dam, the canyons of the Green River, and the crest of the high Uinta Mountains.
This cliff walls on both sides of Crouse Creek are made of rock from the Uinta Mountain Group. This formation is a 15,000’ layer of red sandstone, shale and conglomerate. The Uinta Mountain Group is a very old rock which dates from the Middle Proterozoic, and is from 1.0 – 1.2 Billion years old!
From the parking spot, the wall of the canyon is 80’ across the road to the west. Walk to the base of the wall, then north along the base for 70’ to a steep cleft in the rock. Climb up this gap for about 40’ to a seam of shale which will be about 10’ away on your right. The questions you will have to answer to log this cache have to do with this seam of shale.
To receive credit for this Earthcache, you must answer the following questions:
1) What color is the shale, and how thick is the seam?
2) At what angle to the horizontal is the seam of shale tilted?
3) Which layers are thicker, the sandstone, or the shale?
Please consider posting photos of yourself, or the local geology, when you log this EarthCache. Photos can be an additional rewarding part of your journey, but posting them is not a requirement for logging this EarthCache, and is strictly optional.
This site can be approached from the east, through Maybell, Colorado, Route 318, and the Swinging Bridge; from the south through Vernal, Utah, Diamond Mountain Road, and Crouse Canyon; or the west from U.S. Highway 191, Browns Park Road, and Taylor Flat Road. All routes involve several miles of travel across poorly maintained dirt roads. A 4WD with high clearance is strongly recommended, and is reflected in the 5 terrain rating. The climb up from the base of the wall is short but steep, and is 40’ up a 50% slope.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)