Fucoidal Quartzite, Logan Canyon, Utah
N 41° 46.816 W 111° 38.665
12T E 446447 N 4625580
This wayside stop provides a look at an interesting Fucoidal (fossil) quartzite.
Waymark Code: WMFQ7F
Location: Utah, United States
Date Posted: 11/17/2012
Views: 5
Quartzite is created when quartz-filled sandstone undergoes metamorphic processes (due to breakdown, heat and pressure) and transforms over a long period of time into a new state, or quartzite. This metamorphic process may span millions of years, and is often associated with tectonic compression, or compression from deep burial. The smaller quartz grains, which are scattered throughout the sandstone, recrystallize into larger interlocking crystals, and forms a much harder metamorphic rock than the original material. In Utah, the Logan Canyon is the home of several qaurtzite locations, which are popular with rock-climbing enthusiasts.
What makes this wayside area unique is the presence of several large rocks of quartzite that are "fucoidal", (an old term that mean fossil) quartzite.
There is an interpretive sign at this location that reads:
"This rock is the cemented sand of an ancient beach deposit in early Ordovician time, some 400 million years ago. The sea-weed like structures and the rock are the castings, filled burrows and trails of marine worms."
This large rock has broken and rolled to its current location alongside Highway 89, from the outcrop high on the hill. It is estimated that approximately 420 million years ago, this area was the sandy shoreline of a sea, where marine organisms crawled and burrowed thru the shallow sand, leaving burrows and trails, which filled with sand and quartz, and later, when the area was buried deep within the earth, the rock was compressed and heated slightly, converting to quartzite, but preserving the worm trails.
Waymark is confirmed to be publicly accessible: yes
Access fee (In local currency): .00
Requires a high clearance vehicle to visit.: no
Requires 4x4 vehicle to visit.: no
Public Transport available: no
Website reference: [Web Link]
Parking Coordinates: Not Listed
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Visit Instructions:
No specific requirements, just have fun visiting the waymark.