Ancestral Rockies - Red Rocks Ship Rock

The posted coordinates are part way up the stairs/ramp. You can count 21 posts on your left side once you pass the decorative section of the fence. If you get to the next decorative section on the left side, you've gone too far.

Note: Before you head out, make sure to check whether there is an event taking place!

To log this Earthcache, read the information provided following these questions and send the answers to these questions:
1. How many total layers are there starting from the level of the ramp where you are standing?
2. What would you estimate the average thickness of the conglomerate layers is? What would you estimate the average thickness of the sandstone to be?
3. Look at one of the sandstone layers and estimate the % of feldspar versus the % of quartz.
4. Estimate the diameter (in inches) of the largest rock you see in a sandstone or conglomerate layer. Is it feldspar or quartz?
5. Based on your answers and the information provided in the description below, do you think this rock was near the Ancestral Rocky Mountains? Explain why you think this.
6. Take a photo of yourself or a personal item, such as a GPS receiver at the location.

You may wish to bring a tape measure or ruler with you, but this is not required. It is fine to estimate the measurements.

Information you will need to use in order to answer the logging questions:

The mountain range that we now call the Rocky Mountains, is a product of the The Laramide Orogeny which was the last of the three episodes in the formation of the Rocky Mountains. Depending on which source you use, it is estimated to have occurred between 80 - 55 million years ago or 70 - 40 million years ago.

So, what was the first episode? The Ancestral Rocky Mountains, which are part of the Fountain Formation, are estimated to have occurred between 340 - 290 million years ago.

Where might those mountains have existed? Well, you may have guessed from the placement of this Earthcache that Red Rocks Amphitheater is one location that is probably near where the Ancestral Rocky Mountains existed.

What evidence is there that Ship Rock may have been near the Ancestral Rocky Mountains?

"The sediments are coarse-grained, meaning they did not break down much during transport. Large pebbles and rocks, which can not travel far downstream before being deposited, can be seen within the sandstone and conglomerate.

The sandstone contains a large amount of feldspar. In mature sandstones that have traveled great distances, feldspar is usually weathered into clay, leaving only quartz."
- From https://www.thoughtco.com/geology-of-red-rocks-colorado-4122859.

Sandstone versus Conglomerate
When you look at the rock, the thinner layers are sandstone and the thicker layers are conglomerate.

Feldspar versus Quartz
When you look at the rocks in the layers, the feldspar is pink, white, gray, or brown. The quartz is predominately clear.
https://mineralseducationcoalition.org/minerals-database/feldspar/
https://mineralseducationcoalition.org/minerals-database/quartz/

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_the_Rocky_Mountains
https://www.nps.gov/articles/mountains-old-and-new.htm
https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/rocky-mountain-national-park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_Formation
https://www.thoughtco.com/geology-of-red-rocks-colorado-4122859

Additional Waypoints

P0A2BQN - Parking Lot
N 39° 39.790 W 105° 12.336