Nature's Sand Art

[RednekF350]

I took these photos a few weeks ago in a gravel pit that I used to terrorize on my CR-480 back in the 80's.

The pit is still very active and I have always been fascinated by simple coastal plain geology and gravel operations in particular.
I couldn't help but poke around a little.
Currently they are into veins of iron concretions that are surrealistically colorful and they begged to be photographed.

They are mining out a huge chunk of pine/oak forest in this area but until we all find a substitute for sand, gravel, glass, concrete, asphalt, fill material, blasting sand , stucco, concrete block, sandpaper and other silica based products, gravel operations will be a part of the pinelands landscape for a long time to come.

Here are the pics. Click the the pic after it loads for more detail.
The last pic, entitled graveyard, is an area where they are stockpiling huge ironstone concretions.
Ironically they will probaly end up in a landscape design somewhere in the front yard of a tree hugger that screams about the scourge of gravel operations.


Enjoy

http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/showphoto.php/photo/12144

http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/showphoto.php/photo/12145

http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/showphoto.php/photo/12146

http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/showphoto.php/photo/12143

http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/showphoto.php/photo/12147

 

[bobpbx]

Thats cool stuff Scott.

PS: I don't like gravel operations. I wish they's take it from the ocean floor or something like that. They gouge and gouge and open the water table to unecessary evaporation.

And you aren't fooling me. You like trees too.

 

[woodjin]

Cool photos Scott.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Awesome array of colors! (Not sure what you mean by 'concretion' though.)

Ain't it cool to think that all our colorful Pine Barrens strata was laid down by Noah's flud?

Pay no attention to our friend Bob. Evaporation, eh? This beer might evaporate if I don't drink it soon.

 

[RednekF350]

Awesome array of colors! (Not sure what you mean by 'concretion' though.)

Ain't you a geology gradgiate?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concretion

Some of the concretions placed aside in this pit are the size of Volkswagon Bugs.

 

[RednekF350]

Thats cool stuff Scott.

PS: I don't like gravel operations. I wish they's take it from the ocean floor or something like that. They gouge and gouge and open the water table to unecessary evaporation.

And you aren't fooling me. You like trees too.

You wouldn't be able to afford your humble concrete patio if the aggregate came from the ocean floor Sonny.
It's a much shorter and economical haul from a local pit in Lacey than it is from Davey Jones' locker.

As for trees, I say nuke 'em.
That goes for whales too.
Oh yeah, and snakes.

Scott

 

[pinelandpaddler]

I've only taken one geology course, my rednekked friend. I don't pretend to have any expertise, but I don't think there are any concretions in your photos.

Spungman?

 

[RednekF350]

I've only taken one geology course, my rednekked friend. I don't pretend to have any expertise, but I don't think there are any concretions in your photos.

Spungman?

Oh my beerded sage, there are in fact concretions throughout the pit wall profile.
If only I could impart a tactile component to the photos.
The darker material in the lower profiles is sharp edged and as solid as a rock or a concretion as the case may be.
The proper leaching conditions exist and chemical mineralizations have occurred to exhibit these conditions.
Unlike you, I do pretend to have expertise, as you can see.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Beerded. Ha!

You truly are the man, Scott. We ought to get together soon for a dozen beers.

Do you, in all your expertise, have a more in-depth explanation for the formation of our Cohansey concretions?

 

[RednekF350]

Beerded. Ha!

You truly are the man, Scott. We ought to get together soon for a dozen beers.

Do you, in all your expertise, have a more in-depth explanation for the formation of our Cohansey concretions?

A dozen beers sounds like a good start !
Actually I have no explanantion beyond mineralization and the leaching and accumultaion of materials from the upper profile to the cementitious layers below.
As I said above, I only pretend to have expertise.
Actually I had a year's worth of geology at Rutgers and many courses in soils. Not an expert by any stretch.
That was thirty years ago and the earth was much younger then.