Vedauwoo

Vedauwoo Geology

          The drive to Vedauwoo contains a gradual rise which is known as the Gangplank.  The rock formations seen from the highway draw attention right away.  Interestingly, those rocks are “precambrian granite and minor amounts of metamorphic rocks” (Blackstone 115).  The rocks in this area began with metamorphic rocks that were 1.7 billion years old.  These rocks were intruded on by the Precambrian granite, and the pink granite which is 1.4 billion years old has eroded the Sherman Granite.  It has all made for a beautiful site despite what it is made from.  There are distinct lines within many of the rock formations reflecting the dates of the layered rock as well as the erosion that has taken place in this area.

          Some of the formations have been given names like Turtle Rock where the rocks actually have a distinct shape.  The erosion here has also left many of the rocks in awkward states of balance.  The Sherman granite is what is mostly found here and this granite is coarse.  It contains biotite and hornblende.  There are at least three types of lichen in this area that I was able to take pictures of.  The weather was nice on the day we spent here and we were able to snap some nice pictures of the formations as seen below.  

Blackstone, D. L. Jr. Traveler’s Guide to the Geology of Wyoming.  The Geologic Survey of Wyoming: Laramie. 1988. 2^nd ed.