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Alaska Miners Association Phone: 907-563-9229 Fax: 907-563-9225 ama@alaskaminers.org www.alaskaminers.org ELKO / Mining Expo Phone: 775-738-4091 Fax: 775-738-2420 jennifer@elkocva.com www.exploreelko.com WorldWide Drilling Resource ® is proud to be a member of these mining associations. Northwest Mining Association Phone: 509-624-1158 Fax: 509-623-1241 nwma_info@nwma.org Women in Mining 866-537-9694 wim@womeninmining.org 47 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® FEBRUARY 2014 Garden of the Gods by Harry W. Short Engineering Geologist Another favorite geologic place of mine is the awesome 480-acre Garden of the Gods at Colorado Springs, Colorado. This geological-rich area, discovered by surveyors in August 1859, was given to the city in 1909 by the children of Charles Elliott Perkins on the premise it would be kept forever as a free park for the enjoyment of the public. The park attracts more than two million visitors a year for hiking, rock climbing, biking, and horse- back riding. There are more than 15 miles of trails with a 1.5-mile trail run- ning through the heart of the park. Visitors are cautioned to watch out for rattle- snakes during the hot summer outings. A billion years ago, molten rock cooled to create Pikes Peak granite and the ancestral Rockies. Approximately 270-310 million years ago, the ances- tral Rockies were worn down bit by bit. Major geologic formations in the park consist of sedimentary beds of red, blue, purple, and white sandstones, the Lyons Formation of Permian age, which are +/- 280 million years ago (MYA). The rock beds, originally deposited horizon- tally, were faulted and tilted vertically 90 degrees. This occurred during tre- mendous mountain-building activity when Pikes uplift took place 9 miles southwest of the park. Around 155 MYA (Jurassic period), dinosaurs roamed the Garden of the Gods and the garden had sandy beaches and an inland sea. The 300-foot orange sandstone rocks were once sand dunes. Hogbacks, ridges of sandstone that traverse the park, are named thusly because they resemble the backs and spines of a pig. These are ridges of sandstone whose layers were tilted 90 degrees by faulting in the geologic past. Each hogback can range up to several hundred feet long, and the tallest, North Gateway Rock rises to a height of 320 feet. A notable rock feature on this hogback, the Kissing Camels, resembles large camels facing each other with their lips in a kissing position. The Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center is located at the park entrance off Highway 25 and offers free nature presentations daily. Natural his- tory exhibits include minerals, geology, plants, and local wildlife, as well as Native American culture. When I visited the Garden of the Gods in 1962, I only had a black and white film camera, thus these photos are from Wikipedia. Harry Harry Short may be contacted via e-mail at admin@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Jardín de los Dioses por Harry W. Short Ingeniero en Geología Otro de mis lugares geológicos favoritos es el grandioso Jardín de los Dioses de 480 acres en Colorado Springs. Esta área rica en geología, descubierta por inspectores en Agosto del 1859, fue entregada a la cuidad en 1909 por los Hector Leos Translator 4 *+ .* *..*( ,$''$)" **'- !--*,$!-5 111 %!).! # ,$''$)"-/++'3 *( !,0$)" .#! ($)$)" $) /-.,3 .#,*/"#*/. .#! 1!-. ((!,- $.- ,$'' .!!' / - ,$''$)" '/$ - #,! *(+*/) - !1 !,/) *. ,3 $.- $. $+! ) '$)" **'- )"!)/$.3 ,$0! + ,&- !0 #*)! !-. $) .,!!. '&* !0 2 Short trans cont’d on page 48.