GC1GANA Great Granite!
Type: Earth | Size: Not chosen | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: Isisfan @ | Hide Date: 09/15/2008 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N39° 24.023 W105° 10.075 | Last updated: 06/19/2022 | Fav points: 0
                   

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This earth cache begins at the parking area for Segment 2 of the Colorado Trail.

There is no hiking involved to log this cache, just gathering information about the natural world and applying some scientific theory at both Stages 1 and 2.

Both stages are along the same road, and it is a very short drive (or long walk) between the two stages.

This earthcache is two stages.Both stages offer many parking spots or pull-offs.

The road in this area once served as a stage and rail line. There are many caches in the area commemorating settlers, pioneers, miners, everyday heroes, and mother earth.

To log this earth cache, answer the questions to the best of your ability.Feel free to post photos of your adventure.

Answers that contain little to no information about your visit to this cache will be deleted.

STAGE 1:

Stage 1 provides an array of Granite, an intrusive, coarse-grained igneous rock composed of primarily of quartz and feldspars.

Igneous rock is formed when magma solidifies.

"Igneous"comes from the Latin word for fire, and all igneous rocks began as hot, fluid material. This material may have been lava erupted at the Earth's surface, or magma (unerupted lava) at shallow depths, or magma in deep bodies (plutons).

Rock formed from lava is called extrusive, rock from shallow magma is called intrusive and rock from deep magma is called plutonic.

Igneous rocks formed in this area where continental crust was pushed together, making it thicker and allowing it to heat to melting.

Many people commonly think of lava and magma as a liquid, like molten metal, but geologists find that magma is usually a mush - a liquid carrying a load of mineral crystals.

Magma crystallizes into a collection of minerals, and some crystallize sooner than others. When the minerals crystallize, they leave the remaining liquid with a changed chemical composition. Thus a body of magma, as it cools, evolves, and as it moves through the crust, interacting with other rocks, it evolves further.

Questions for Stage 1:

A. Describe the granite just across the bridge. Include forms, colors and texture. What are other features you noticed?

B. There is an old quartz quarry just west of this spot. With this knowledge, how does quartz content affect the appearance of the rock formations here?

C. Where and how does the South Platte River originate?

D. What mineral causes the color of the granite here at Stage 1?

STAGE 2

Now go to: N 39 22.796 W 105 10.194

This area is home to many impressive granite rocks and domes. The rock is Pikes Peak Granite, approximately 1.09 billion years old. This outcropping of granite is part of the Pikes Peak batholith exposure.

Questions for Stage 2:

E. Describe the rock formations here. Include size, shapes, and texture. How does this granite differ in appearance from Stage 1?

F. What might have caused the rock here to appear the way it does?

G. Was the rock here formed by lava, shallow magma, or deep magma ?

Email your answers to: isisfan1@yahoo.com

01/31/2018 By Dean & Chris
We enjoyed our drive along along the South Platte River. Now we are looking at the different rocks a bit closer than before. Thanks for the geology lesson. Answers will be sent shortly.

01/08/2018 By Rohatx
I needed caches up to the CO trail in both directions for the 360 challenge and this earth cache was in the middle. I observed the material at the end of the bridge where the plaque is then checked out the material upstream. Lots of geological activity in this area! Thank you for the earth cache!

09/20/2017 By PayMeCache
I’m traveling from Colorado to Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Washington, Montana and Wyoming. In my mini sabbatical or break from life for five days I am in search of a few year 2000 caches (in Utah and Idaho) to finish my Jasmer challenge. I am also trying to stop for every virtual cache, earth cache and the dying webcams that still remain along my route. Of course that means I had to make quite a few detours. fearthefish will also be happy with me that I managed to pick up many counties and two new states on this journey (Idaho and Montana).
I couldn’t be more thankful that I didn’t have much traffic to deal with in my quest and that I didn’t get caught up in too much weather (other than Yellowstone National Park).

As always when I’m traveling I listen to Howard Stern on satellite radio to keep me laughing and entertained. I ended up driving between 17 - 20 hours everyday to meet my goals. I crashed in my car for a few hours before I went back at it. Of which I slept at a few rest stops and in the parking lot of the old Idaho penitentiary .

I only picked up a few caches that I thought I will need for a challenge that I will most likely need in the future that I will sign on another ridiculous road trip with fearthefish. However, if this is a virtual cache or an Earth cache, I appreciate you bringing me here to teach me something about the Earth, show me something and or provide some history here. All answers have been sent in and I am uploading any required photos.

05/07/2017 By DustyKat
Great place and great education. Answers will be sent to the CO

03/06/2017 By EasternGirls
Grabbed this earthcache after an event in Castle Rock. It was a beautiful to see all the rock formations. I am sending in answers for Irid3sc3nt and I. TFTEC