Limestone Hoodoos in Banff EarthCache
Limestone Hoodoos in Banff
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Hoodoos in Banff
Hoodoos are a specific type of formation that is caused when
sediment erodes at different rates due to different types of
ground. A softer type of sedimentary rock lies underneath a harder
rock, and it causes the sedimentary rock to be partially
protected.
These hoodoos are slightly different; they are caused by the
limestone of which they are made. The exposed limestone at the top,
being exposed to the elements first, hardened. This created the
top-rock for these hoodoos, but also means that they change a lot.
The strange structure of the hoodoos is caused by this alternating
hardening of the limestone.
Although the following relates to hoodoos in Bryce Canyon,
according to
Wikipedia, limestone hoodoos are formed due to the
following:
"Internal layers of mudstone, conglomerate and siltstone
interrupt the limestone horizontally. These layers are more
resistant to attack by carbonic acid and they can therefore act as
protective capstones of fins, windows and hoodoos. Many of the more
durable hoodoos are capped with a type of magnesium-rich limestone
called dolomite.[16] Dolomite, being fortified by the mineral
magnesium, dissolves at a much slower rate, and consequently
protects the weaker limestone underneath."
To log this cache:
1) Email the owner with an estimate of how high the tallest of the
hoodoos that you can see from the viewpoint.
2) Email the owner with why you think these hoodoos are not smooth
like the ones in Willow Creek, but lumpy.
3) Post a photo of your GPSr with the hoodoos in the background.
THIS PHOTO IS NECESSARY.
Thanks.
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