Sandstone Block EarthCache
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Parking for this Earthcache is at a small pull-off on the west side of U.S. Highway 191 at N 40 35.259, W 109 28.172. Pass through the metal gate, and walk west up the wash.
As you travel up the wash, you will be walking between the Navajo Sandstone on the left and the Chinle Formation on the right. Navajo Sandstone was formed from huge windblown sand dunes that covered parts of Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona. These dunes were laid down around 180 million years ago during the early Jurassic Period, and are famous for their patterns of cross-bedded layering. The Chinle Formation, from the late Triassic Period about 210 million years ago, contains sandstone, mudstone, and siltstone.
Along the top of the ridge in the Chinle Formation, rectangular blocks of sandstone are eroding out and sliding down the slope. At this site, there is an almost perfectly rectangular sandstone block about 15' north of the center of the wash with a height of about 75 mm (29.5"). This block is the focus of attention for this Earthcache.
Using a ruler or tape measure, find the length and width of the block of sandstone. Assuming that this sandstone has a density of 2.3 grams per cubic centimeter (gm/cm3), how much does this block weigh?
To log this cache:
1) Send me an email with the measurements that you took for this block of sandstone and the weight of the stone.
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.
The above information was compiled from the following source:
Hintze, L.F. 2005. Utah's Spectacular Geology, How it Came to Be.
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