Fairly the again yard.
Lengthy earlier than I grew to become a avid hiker, I used to be drawn to the spectacular limestone bluffs on the northwestern fringe of the Little Rockies. Once I taught in Harlem 40 miles north of right here within the mid-1980’s my spouse and I often visited buddies on their ranch a mile north of the cliffs. Lastly someday I walked to the bottom of the cliffs and located my approach to the high. It instantly grew to become considered one of my favourite locations. Since popping out of retirement in mid-December 2019 to show in near-by Hays, I’ve been capable of stroll alongside the cliffs a number of occasions.
What’s up with these tilted slabs?
In case you’ve ever pushed southward throughout the Fort Belknap Reservation on a summer season night because the tilted slabs of limestone are catching the late-day daylight, you perceive the enchantment (see photograph under). What hiker wouldn’t wish to rise up there and take a look? On my three most up-to-date visits to the cliffs I took a number of drone pictures – These, together with many different pictures, diagrams, maps, and Google Earth pictures are included within the photograph tour. I’m not gonna lie – there are some actually good pictures within the tour, so it received’t damage my emotions in the event you go there now. Nonetheless, if you wish to know why there’s a wall of limestone across the Little Rockies, proceed studying.
Tropical Montana.
I’m fascinated with the scenic panorama of the Fort Belknap Reservation, in order a science trainer I’ve discovered as a lot as I can concerning the geology of the realm. Right here’s what I do know concerning the wall . . . The cliffs are made from practically vertical layers of Madison limestone, shaped from sediment that was deposited in the course of the Mississippian Interval about 320-360 million years in the past. Thick deposits of corals, shells, and different types of calcium carbonate amassed on the ground of a shallow tropical sea when this a part of Earth’s crust was a lot nearer to the equator. The Madison limestone makes a serious contribution to the surroundings of Montana – The Gates of the Mountains, the Rocky Mountain Entrance, Lewis and Clark Caverns, Sluice Containers, and Bighorn Canyon are all made from (solely or partially) Madison limestone.
The remainder of the story.
The sediment was deposited in horizontal layers, ultimately grew to become rock, and was coated by youthful layers, which additionally grew to become rock (sandstones and shales). Then about about 60 million years in the past magma labored its means towards the floor, inflicting the layers to be domed upward. The magma hardened, turning into the igneous rock discovered on the core of the mountain vary. The doming occurred in an space about 15-20 miles in diameter. Over time, many of the limestone and different layers above the igneous intrusion eroded away, leaving solely the steeply-tilted fringe of the limestone dome that types the cliffs proven within the photograph and different related outcrops across the perimeter of the Little Rockies. Hey! Thanks for sticking with me! Now go benefit from the photograph tour. 🙂
Under: This map marks hikes which have been featured on bigskywalker.com to date, together with a number of in Glacier Park – Choose full display screen to develop, zoom in for extra element, or click on on a marker for a hyperlink to the submit.
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