Last updated: August 27, 2024
Place
Stop #6: Schist
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
43.601468, -103.493623
Significance:
Black Hills schist is one of the oldest exposed rocks in the world.
Amenities
1 listed
Parking - Auto
Geologic age: Precambrian
Drive 0.2 miles north from Stop #5. There is an outcrop of schist along the left side of the road. Park at the small pullout on the right side immediately after driving under the bridge. Be careful of traffic on this curved road.
Like pegmatite, schist is part of the Precambrian core of the Black Hills. Schist is a metamorphic rock composed of shiny mica minerals. It is identified by distinct very fine layering, called foliation, that indicates that great pressures occurred within the earth. Schist forms at right angles to the source of pressure.
In what direction have the layers formed? What does this tell us about the direction from which the pressures came? Can you find any small folds in the schist?
Drive 0.2 miles north from Stop #5. There is an outcrop of schist along the left side of the road. Park at the small pullout on the right side immediately after driving under the bridge. Be careful of traffic on this curved road.
Like pegmatite, schist is part of the Precambrian core of the Black Hills. Schist is a metamorphic rock composed of shiny mica minerals. It is identified by distinct very fine layering, called foliation, that indicates that great pressures occurred within the earth. Schist forms at right angles to the source of pressure.
In what direction have the layers formed? What does this tell us about the direction from which the pressures came? Can you find any small folds in the schist?