Harriman Quarry

Harriman Exit

            The first stop on this field trip is an exit off of I-80 that comes about 13 miles before Vedauwoo.  It is Exit 342 and it is approximately 18 miles from our home.  There is a quarry at this exit where the “Miocene Ogallala Formation, gently laps onto Precambrian granite” (Lageson 41).  This location is important because a lot of mining takes place here.  The quarries dig into the 1.4 billion-year-old Sherman granite.  This granite is able to be used to make ballast.  Ballast is a crushed aggregate that railroads use for “weighting and holding rail ties in place” (Lageson 41).  The pictures below were  taken from a distance because the quarry was blocked off so the camera zoom was relied upon.  Unfortunately, we were unable to get a closer look. 

Langeson, David R, Spearing, Darwin R. Roadside Geology of Wyoming. Mountain Press Publishing Company: Missoula. 1988.