Monster Rock Jr. EarthCache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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This trail is located where US 52 crosses the Walker
Mountain ridge. The trail begins at the western end of the parking
area for Big Walker Lookout. While uphill, the trail is moderate
and short in distance.
Oaks and maples dominate the forest here with numerous
blackberry bushes in the undergrowth. Wildflowers include fire pink
and colicroot as well as numerous flowering mountain laurels. Birds
of the area include an array of songbirds typical of the forest
habitat. The ridge top offers a great vantage point to view soaring
raptors with turkey vultures being the most numerous. However,
during migration any raptor found in Virginia could occur
here.
Base of the Rock
Top of the Rock
The geology of this part of Walker Mountain and the
Monster Rock Jr. is very common for the Applachian Mountain
chain. Clinch Sandstone, as it has been named, is a layer of rock
only about 50 feet thick. It is a major ridge-forming layer of rock
in western Virginia and Eastern West Virginia. . It is the greater
part of the rock found on Walker Mountain and virtually all of the
Monster Rock Jr..
It is a particularly pure bed of quartz, compressed into
sandstone by several cycles of mountain building. In the initial
cycle, perhaps 2 billion years ago, a sandy beach was compressed
into sandstone and then uplifted into a mountain range. The
mountains eroded, and the beach sands created another beach. This
second time, the quartz grains had fewer impurities (silt,
limestone, feldspar, etc.) mixed within it.
Once more, the beach was buried by other sediments,
uplifted again, and eroded to form yet a third beach. Each cycle of
mountain building purified the bed of sand, as the slow-dissolving
quartz was mechanically segregated from faster-dissolving minerals.
The relatively pure bed of quartz appears whiter than most other
sandstones in North America, since they are intermixed with other
minerals.
What is
Sandstone?
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of
sand-size mineral or rock grains. Most sandstone is composed of
quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals
in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any color, but
the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow, red, gray and white.
Since sandstone beds often form highly visible cliffs and other
topographic features, certain colors of sandstone have been
strongly identified with certain regions.
How Sedimentary Rock Is
Formed
The formation of sandstone involves two main stages. During
the first, a layer or layers of sand accumulates as the result of
sedimentation, either from water (as in a river, lake, or sea) or
from air (as in a desert). In this case, a large sea once covered
Walker Mountain. Typically, sedimentation occurs by the sand
settling out from suspension, i.e., ceasing to be rolled or bounced
along the bottom of a body of water (e.g., seas or rivers) or
ground surface (e.g., in a desert or sand dune region). Finally,
once accumulated, the sand becomes sandstone when it is compacted
by pressure of overlying deposits and cemented by the precipitation
of minerals within the pore spaces between sand grains.
For thousands, even millions of years, little pieces of our
earth have been eroded--broken down and worn away by wind and
water. Layer after layer of eroded earth is deposited on top of
each. These layers are pressed down more and more through time,
until the bottom layers slowly turn into rock. Finally after all of
this time, here at the Monster Rock Jr., you can stand on
the sandstone of Walker Mountain. Take your time because it took
its time getting together!
Note: In order for you to claim a find please post a
picture of your entire party with a GPSr in hand and the
Rock in the background. Next, via email only, answer
the following questions: 1. What is the elevation at the top
of the Rock? 2. What is the elevation at the base of
the Rock (where you need to take the required photo)?
3. Subtract no.2 from no.1 to determine the height of the
Rock. 4. What colors do you find in the
rocks?
We hope you enjoyed the views from the Rock and have
snapped more than the required photo. Be sure to check out the
other nearby geocaches as well as Daddy Monster Rock. Driving out
the Forest Service Road toward the Big Bend area will be worth your
time. There are a few lovely caches to be found plus all of Mother
Nature’s work!
This Earthcache was approved by the
Geological Society of America
| We have earned GSA's highest
level: |
 |
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Qba'g yrg gur Zbafgre trg lbh!