Conglomerate Ridge facts for kids
Conglomerate Ridge (79°45′S 84°6′W / 79.750°S 84.100°W) is a ridge in Antarctica. It's about 1.9 kilometers (1.2 miles) long. You can find it about 7.4 kilometers (4.6 miles) east-southeast of Mount Bursik. This ridge is part of the Soholt Peaks, which are in the Heritage Range of the Ellsworth Mountains.
The ridge runs from northwest to southeast and reaches a height of about 1,650 meters (5,413 feet). It got its name because it's made of a type of rock called conglomerate. This name was given by Gerald F. Webers. He led the United States Antarctic Research Program's expedition to the Ellsworth Mountains in 1979–80.
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What is Conglomerate Ridge Made Of?
Conglomerate Ridge is mostly made of very old rocks. These rocks are from the Cambrian period, which was over 500 million years ago! Geologists, who study rocks, have made detailed maps of the area. These maps show that the rocks in Conglomerate Ridge are tilted steeply. They lean at an angle of 55 to 62 degrees.
Layers of Rock in the Heritage Range
The rocks in this area are found in different layers, or "formations." These layers are named after places nearby. From oldest to newest, they include:
- The Union Glacier Formation
- The Drake Icefall Formation
- The Conglomerate Ridge Formation
- The Frazier Ridge Formation
The Conglomerate Ridge Formation
The Conglomerate Ridge Formation is named after the ridge itself. This layer is about 600 meters (1,968 feet) thick. It mainly consists of a rock called conglomerate. Conglomerate is a rock made up of many different kinds of pebbles and stones that have been naturally cemented together. Imagine a natural concrete! This part of the formation is about 450 meters (1,476 feet) thick.
Above this conglomerate, there's another 150 meters (492 feet) of a different type of rock. This rock is a gray, green, and buff-colored quartzite. Quartzite is a very hard rock that used to be sandstone.
Other Rock Formations
- Frazier Ridge Formation: This layer is on top of the Conglomerate Ridge Formation. It's at least 500 meters (1,640 feet) thick. It's mostly made of green quartzite. It also has some layers of green argillite (a type of mudstone) and black shale.
- Drake Icefall Formation: This layer is found underneath the Conglomerate Ridge Formation. It's between 500 to 800 meters (1,640 to 2,624 feet) thick. It's made of black shale and layers of limestone. These rocks are very folded and squeezed.
- Union Glacier Formation: This is the oldest known layer in this area. It's over 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) thick! It's made of dark green diamictite, which is a rock with different sized fragments mixed together. It also has some layers of sandstone and other types of conglomerate.
Ancient Life in the Rocks
Scientists have found Trilobite fossils in the Drake Icefall Formation and other nearby rock layers. Trilobites were ancient sea creatures that lived a very long time ago. Finding these fossils helps scientists know that all these rock layers formed during the Middle Cambrian period. This was a time when many new forms of life appeared on Earth!
