Week 2 - Igneous Rock

So normally around this time of year I would be preparing myself to go to Europe. I always admired the mountains and how they were shaped and formed. After learning about Igneous rocks and how they are created, I have a better understanding and a better appreciation for what I see. These photos below are some I took back in 2016, we were in Sulmona Italy. From the looks of the pictures it seems that these rocks were formed by glacial erosion, supplemented by weathering. I cant wait for the day when we are able to travel again just so that I can get up close and personal to observe its creation.

Week 2 - Igneous Rocks

I have been to the Garden of God several times during my lifetime in Colorado Springs, CO. I would go hiking with my family and take photos. I would also go see the wonder of the balancing rock there. My family and I would always question how that rock got into such a position, appearing as if it was balancing on its own. 

A majority of mountains and rock features are forms of sedimentary rock. The creation was assisted by the rising of the Front Range Mountains. Overlying sedimentary rocks were bent upward during the process and created the amazing formations we see today. The reason why the rocks appear in a unique pillar fashion is due to erosion. Softer rock had eroded into valleys which created the tall, upright, ridges. 

Week 2 - Igneous Rocks

 

One place that I recently when hiking to was Catoctin Mountain in Maryland.  It is a beautiful area that overlooks the Frederick valley.  The rock formations in the Catoctin mountain park were deposited about 500 million years ago as volcanic lava flows.  The pictures are from a rock formation called chimney rock.  In the area the area there are many metamorphic rocks but there is still large deposits of rhyolite and basalt.  Also, many of the sedimentary rocks that have formed have quartz in them which is another igneous rock.  The Catoctin mountains are also famous for another camp that is just north of where chimney rock is.  That camp is Camp David, the presidential retreat.

Week Two-Igneous Rock- Castle Rock in Colorado.

 

While I have never set foot next to this rock formation, I have driven through Castle Rock and have noticed this large igneous rock formation made up of mostly rhyolite, which is a mineral very resistant to erosion. Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock. It has a pale, often light grey, tan or pink color. Rhyolite is made up of quartz and feldspar crystals, and occasionally mafic minerals. This rock formation almost appears to jet out of the landscape of Castle Rock, with an elevation of 6,590 ft. and was created almost 58 Million years ago by a volcanic eruption that pierced through the softer surface rock.  Thanks to millions of years, mass flooring and erosion of the landscape helped to give the castle-shape that is visible today, which is also known as a butte. A butte is an isolated hill with steep sides and a relatively flat top. One day, I hope to take one of the many hiking trails up to the castle like butte and experience the millions of years of geology history in person.

Week 2 - Igneous Rocks

 One of the places I have always wanted to visit is Hawaii Volcanoes, National Park. This park has a variety of opportunities to see extrusive igneous rocks since they are created when magma exits and cools as lava. The park has lava tubes that help lava travel to the sea. When lava cools down it creates the ceiling of the tubes. At the end of the tubes is where you can find most of the extrusive igneous rocks. It was amazing to see the glassy texture of the rocks in the tubes. The brightness of the lava before it hits the sea is beautiful. It is astonishing that something that is so bright and colorful can be so deadly. I wish that someday I get to witness this wonder of the world in person. 

Week 2 Igneous Rocks

This past week my fiance and I visited Devils Tower in Crook County, Wyoming. While there I explained to my fiance how the tower received its name. Devil's Tower received its name by a misinterpretation from an expedition. Most early maps have Devil's Tower marked as Bear Lodge but an expedition misinterpreted the Native American saying and said it was called "Bad God Tower" which eventually turned into Devil's Tower. She was blown away by the history behind the tower and wanted to know more so I told her that it was an igneous rock that is made of phonolite porphyry. We weren't sure of how the tower was formed so we asked a park ranger who said that it was formed by magma that was cooled underground and exposed by erosion. Some people believe that the tower is the remains of a laccolith, the splitting of strata due to igneous intrusion. The rock surrounding the tower is sedimentary and composed of dark red sandstone and siltstone. The different red tones in the rocks are caused by high amounts of iron that have oxidized over time.  There was so much more to be learned while at the tower, especially when it came to the geology surrounding the monument. I guess this means that we have to go back again to learn a little more!

Week 2 Igneous Rocks

While living out in Southern California is was not uncommon to be driving around and see Intrusive Igneous Rock formations.  One of the most famous in the areas where we live was the Joshua Tree National Park.  My wife and I before we had kids would go climbing and hiking all the time.  Within this park was the famous Joshua Tree Rock and it is really fun to climb.

This park is amazing in the fact that in this place two different deserts meet.  The Mojave and the Colorado meet in the park.   Within the park the oldest rock formation Joshua Tree Augen Gneiss was previously granite, an igneous rock.  This granite had been put through extremely high temperatures and pressures that cause the minerals wishing the rock to migrate in to bands.  This caused eye shaped structures to form within the rock called augens along the mineral bands.

During our adventures there I explained to my wife that the different types of rock formations started as intrusions of magma.  This intrusions and the land formation is caused by the San Andreas Fault System that runs through the area.  California is home to many different Geological formations and the Joshua Tree Rock is just one of them.

Robbie

Week Two - Igneous Rocks

Silver Mountain: Upper Michigan's Basalt Dome

Travis Suggitt

My good friend Jeremy and I took a ride north into Michigan's Upper Peninsula to visit a distinct basalt formation known as Silver Mountain. Jeremy grew up near here which made him a great companion.

The hike to the top of Silver Mountain was easy. The basalt dome is only about 140 feet in prominence and 1,300 feet above sea level. People who live in mountainous areas may prefer to call it Silver Hill. We walked along the base of the mountain's 140 ft cliff where an overhang shows off a black mineral with patches of copper coloring. I assume that the copper coloring means that this basalt has a high iron content and is oxidizing in places.

At the summit, scars of a previous ice age can be found carved into the hard basalt. Despite being here before, Jeremy had not noticed these, claiming that he had only been on top during the winter and snow likely covered it.

Week 2: Igneous Rocks

I recently decided to take a road trip by myself to visit Shiprock peak located in New Mexico. The rock/ mountain is a unique formation and it is detectable from miles away standing at 7,177 feet high. It is known as 'rock with wings' and is made from minette/ lamprophyre. If you look at it from a certain angle and use your imagination you can see the resemblance to a bird that's sitting with its wings folded. There really isn’t anything surrounding the rock but that only makes the view of Shiprock even more breathtaking. 

A quick science lesson for those who are interested. Pressure built up and gas-charged magma river was able to weasel itself through an opening in the landscape. An eruption occurred resulting in the magma being pushed and forming an odd and unusual shape. Now once it came time for everything to cool down the process was pretty slow which allowed a good amount of gas to escape causing the rock to harden into its unusual shape.

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