Clancy Tucker's Blog: ROCKS

Showing posts with label ROCKS. Show all posts

8 January 2023 - A FORMER ROMAN QUARRY in GERMANY

A FORMER

ROMAN QUARRY

in GERMANY

G'day folks,

Despite often looking like a scree slope of very large stones, this Felsenmeer (or Blockfield) has a unique history.

These stones did not come from the mountain but were generated by a weathering process that occurred below the ground. As the surface began to erode, these massive rocks were exposed. The most popular theory behind their creation is that they are the result of frost weathering, however, it has also been suggested that subsurface chemical weathering played a role. This Felsenmeer is one of the most gorgeous in Germany. It’s part of the Geo-Nature Park Bergstrasse- Odenwald, just south of Darmstadt.

After being exposed, the rocks were significantly modified by glaciation processes around 10,000 years ago. This occurred across several Ice Ages and gave the rocks their round shape.

Romans occupied this part of Germany during the 3rd and 4th-century CE. There is evidence of stone masonry across the rocks when they utilized the Felsenmeer as a quarry.

A number of both naturally formed and modified stones have been given specific names such as the”Altar Stone” and the amazing, yet very natural, “Crocodile.” A major attraction at the site is a massive column intended for a Roman temple but, for some reason, was never removed from the site.

This amazing natural phenomenon is located in a lovely wooded glade on the slopes of a hill known as Feldberg.

16 January 2022 - RED ROCK COULEE - ALBERTA, CANADA

RED ROCK COULEE

- ALBERTA, CANADA -

G'day folks,

Here, you will find huge spherical rocks in the middle of the prairie.

Dotting the pristine prairie hills of Southern Alberta, these large and exceptionally spherical red rocks make it feel as though you’re standing on Mars. Some of the fiery-hued boulders are over 8 feet across (2.5 meters), putting them among the largest sandstone concretions in the world.

This geological oddity can be a little tricky to get to, just enough off the beaten path to keep the area remarkably quiet, only adding to the otherworldly feel. Red Rock Coulee is about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southwest of the city of Medicine Hat, and although it’s not really on your way to anywhere, this detour or day trip is an interesting sight.

You can climb the large rocks and marvel at the mystery of their formation. One of the spheres is split clean in half, showing off its strange shape. The concretions have eroded out of the soft bedrock that blankets the area, and turned red from iron oxide. If you’re in luck you can study the unique quartz crystals you can find in the area, while taking in the beautiful sunrise or sunset over the colorful badlands landscape.

Clancy's comment: Weird, eh? That's nature.

I'm ...

25 November 2021 - ZION - MOUNT CARMEL TUNNEL - UTAH, U.S.A

ZION - MOUNT CARMEL

TUNNEL

- UTAH, U.S.A -

G'day folks,

Here is a tunnel with windows, so you don't miss out on the impressive views.

The natural beauty of Zion National Park is undeniable but for those with an interest in civil engineering, this 1.1-mile road tunnel is an impressive structure to admire while driving into or out of the park.

The Zion–Mount Carmel Tunnel is equipped with six galleries, or openings that provide light, fresh air, and glimpses of the fantastic scenery just outside the tunnel. When viewed from the exterior, the galleries give testament to the imaginative design of the structure. During construction, the galleries were used as a means of disposing tunneling soil into the valley below.

Originally, each of the galleries had parking places to allow visitors to admire the views. But these are no longer available because of a number of accidents in the tunnel.

The tunnel was constructed between 1927 and 1930, and is part of the Zion–Mount Carmel highway, the length of which is included in the National Register of Historic Places. When the tunnel was built between 1927 and 1930, it was used to help minimize the visual impact of the highway, which was intended as a direct route between Zion, Bryce Canyon, and the Grand Canyon. The tunnel maintains a constant distance of 21 feet between the road center line and the face of Pine Canyon.

When the tunnel was dedicated in 1930, it was the longest of its kind in the United States, though it has since been surpassed by the 2.5-mile Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel in Alaska.

Vehicles above a certain size (such as RVs) are required to pay a $15 fee to pass the tunnel, which is temporarily converted to a one-way system while they pass. Bicycles and pedestrians are prohibited from entering the tunnel.

Clancy's comment: What a top idea to include windows in a tunnel.

I'm ...

11 June 2021 - THE ENCHANTING SHILIN STONE FOREST

THE ENCHANTING

SHILIN STONE FOREST

G'day folks,

South China is known for having the most complex and fascinating karst landscapes in the world.

The Shilin stone forest has been a major attraction for thousands of years, and a source of local myths and legend. It is an amazing place to visit, and sees many tourists eager to see the majestic rock formation 'growing' out of the ground. The area is full of caves, springs and underwater streams and rivers to explore.

Imagine a forest full of trees. Now imagine all the trees are actually rocks, 'growing' out of the ground, some of them as old as 270 million years, over an area of 96,000 acres.

The Ashima rock is the most famous formation in the stone forest. An ancient legend claims that the forest is the birthplace of Ashima, a beautiful girl of the Yi people. She had fallen in love but was forbidden to persue it, and instead was turned to stone in the forest that still bears her name. Each year, on June 24th, the locals celebrate the 'torch festival', which includes folk dancing and wrestling competitions.

Karst rock is made of limestone, and this rocky landscape is filled with secret caves and sinkholes, due to undergrounds streams slowly eroding the rock and creating fascinating new structures, so no rock is like the other.

The South China Karst has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site since 2007.

Clancy's comment: Looks like an enchanting place.

I'm ...

13 June 2021 - MICHAEL GRABB'S PERFECTLY BALANCED ART

MICHAEL GRABB'S

PERFECTLY BALANCED ART

G'day folks,

He balances them and they balance him right back. That is a relationship that has formed between Michael Grabb and his special art pieces.

Grabb makes most of his statues in the streams of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. His is a Sisyphean work of piling and balancing the stones one on top of another.

This activity, he says, balances the material world with the spiritual one.On the one hand is the material nature that rocks symbolize, on the other, the perfect harmony and balance that comes from the spiritual world, as well as the connection to the natural world. The results are fantastic and creative, when we see his implausible creations.