KT Boundary LbNA #76622
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Nearby Boxes
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Add Location| Owner: | Silver Eagle    |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Aug 18, 2023 |
| Location: | Climax Canyon Park |
| City: | Raton |
| County: | Colfax |
| State: | New Mexico |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | Not yet found! |
|---|---|
| Last found: | N/A |
| Last edited: | Aug 27, 2023 |
Terrain Difficulty: Easy (slight slope, 1 mile RT)
The first concrete evidence that an asteroid impact ended the Cretaceous Period and killed the dinosaurs was the discovery of an iridium-rich layer in Italy marking the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary. The concentration of iridium was notable because iridium, while uncommon on the Earth’s surface, is very common in asteroids. Two American scientists, Luis Alvarez and his son Walter proposed that the iridium concentration was caused by an enormous meteor impact, which coated the world in asteroid dust and also ended the Cretaceous period. However, since every K-T site had been found in marine sedimentary rock, it was also possible that the iridium could have come from the ocean, where iridium concentrations are higher. This led Charles Orth and Chuck Pillmore to search for boundaries relating to this event in non-marine rock. Pillmore’s familiarity with the Raton Basin led the team to find other iridium anomalies throughout the local area, verifying the extraterrestrial origin of the iridium anomaly. Today you can see one of these sites in Climax Canyon Park on an uphill dirt road near Goat Hill, where this box can be found.
Directions:
Go west on Moulton Ave then left on Hill St for 0.4 mi to jct with Goat Hill. Go right on dirt road a short way to gate and park on side of the road without blocking the gate.
Clues:
Walk around gate and up road as it bends left then right to Iridium Layer site on the right with signs and a picnic shelter. Facing the picnic shelter, go left about 15 steps to a large reddish rock. Go right 4 steps to a large pointed rock with LB behind it under a SPOR.
The first concrete evidence that an asteroid impact ended the Cretaceous Period and killed the dinosaurs was the discovery of an iridium-rich layer in Italy marking the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary. The concentration of iridium was notable because iridium, while uncommon on the Earth’s surface, is very common in asteroids. Two American scientists, Luis Alvarez and his son Walter proposed that the iridium concentration was caused by an enormous meteor impact, which coated the world in asteroid dust and also ended the Cretaceous period. However, since every K-T site had been found in marine sedimentary rock, it was also possible that the iridium could have come from the ocean, where iridium concentrations are higher. This led Charles Orth and Chuck Pillmore to search for boundaries relating to this event in non-marine rock. Pillmore’s familiarity with the Raton Basin led the team to find other iridium anomalies throughout the local area, verifying the extraterrestrial origin of the iridium anomaly. Today you can see one of these sites in Climax Canyon Park on an uphill dirt road near Goat Hill, where this box can be found.
Directions:
Go west on Moulton Ave then left on Hill St for 0.4 mi to jct with Goat Hill. Go right on dirt road a short way to gate and park on side of the road without blocking the gate.
Clues:
Walk around gate and up road as it bends left then right to Iridium Layer site on the right with signs and a picnic shelter. Facing the picnic shelter, go left about 15 steps to a large reddish rock. Go right 4 steps to a large pointed rock with LB behind it under a SPOR.