• Specimen Number

  14

• Description

  Rounded boulder of rust-stained quartzite with original cross-bedding plainly visible.

• Classification

  Metamorphic. Quartzite.

• Location & Occurrence

  Likely from northeast Kansas, transported here by ice sheets from the glaciated north.   Identified by survey staff as Sioux Quartzite, an Early Protorozoic metamorphic sandstone.   Alphabetically, this is the first state stone that is ex situ, meaning having originated from somewhere else, as opposed to in situ, meaning having been sampled in place from crustal rock. The specimen from North Dakota is also ex situ.

• Geological Age

  Early Protorozoic source rock, dating between 1760 add 1630 Ma.  Glacial emplacement ~600,000 years ago (ka).

• Geoheritage

  Kansas is covered by young sedimentary rocks, but its streams and terraces contain ancient boulders and cobbles from the Cordillera, and it's northeastern corner was glaciated at least twice, first about 600,000 years ago.

• Links

  Link to State Geological Map from USGS.  Link to Kansas Geological Survey.  Link to Glaciated Region of Kansas.

• Other

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