Valley of Fire State Park - Elephant Rock EarthCache
Valley of Fire State Park - Elephant Rock
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Valley of Fire State Park -
Elephant Rock
Valley of Fire State Park is
the oldest state park in Nevada, USA. It was formed in 1935. The
Valley of Fire State Park mainly consists of red sandstone. The
form of weathering which is found in the Valley of Fire is the wind
cut (or abrasion), a form of aeolian erosion. Because the Valley is
a former dune field which was there 150 million years ago, even
today man will find plenty of fine-grained material, e.g. sand. In
this process, the wind blows sand or dust against an exposed rock
or soil surface. These will be ground down respectively abraded by
the impact of the particles. This is how roundnesses occur in the
rock. This extensive erosion of the many millions of years created
the image of the park today.Another peculiarity in the Valley of
Fire is the dark coloring which is mostly under the alcove. It is a
type of rock varnish. At water outlets algae have been established
under the influence of moisture which secretes a slime. This mucus
in turn binds fine particles of sediment from the air, the iron and
manganese oxides. And over millions of years forms such a dark
crust, the rock varnish.
The flora of the park consists
primarily of shrubs, bushes and cacti. Even a few flowering plants
such as marigolds and hibiscus occur.
Many animals are in the Valley
of Fire State Park home. Besides birds, coyotes, foxes, rabbits and
squirrels, particularly the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
emphasizes because it is very rare.
The Elephant Rock is located at
the eastern end of the park. A short trail leads one to a sandstone
formation, where you see the special power of erosion.
To log this earth cache, please
answer the following questions:
1. How high above the ground is
the head of the elephant?
2. How much above sea level are
you, when you are standing next to the elephant?
3. How is the elephant going to
look in 1000 years (from now)?
If you want, you can even make
a photo of you, your GPS and the elephant.
Please do not park at the
height of the elephant on the road. Please park at N 36 35.731 and
W 114 27.488 and follow this sign
After some 200m you will see the elephant. Please stay on the
trails and don't climb around on the rock formations in order to
preserve this beautiful piece of earth in the long term. The
visitor center provides exhibits on the geology, ecology,
prehistory, and history of the park and the nearby region. Open
daily, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The fee for entrance into the park is
$10.00 per vehicle.
Additional Hints
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