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Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Vindaloo? No, Vedauwoo: Please Take it for Granite in Wyoming

     A friend returned from climbing in the cracks at Vedauwoo in the Medicine Bow area of southeast Wyoming last fall. (Oops, you ought not say "fall" to a rock climber, I suppose.)





      These silicic rocks, the 1.4 billion year old Sherman Granite, hold spiritual meaning for the local Arapaho Indians who call them "bito'o'wu" meaning "earth-born".



      
      I've heard folks talk about visiting the hoodoos of "Vindaloo" in southeast Wyoming for many years. 



    


       In fact, DuckDuckGoing (or Googling) Vindaloo and Wyoming does bring one straight to Vedauwoo, affectionately also called "The Voo."



      Interestingly, the Sherman Granite is relatively young, compared to the 2.4 billion year old granite (and marine deposits) of the Great Tetons Mountains to the northwest. {Old rocks in a relatively young uplift (about 9 million years)--a great combo for striking mountain peaks}.



        Any ideas about why I chose Vedauwoo this week?


           And not the Vishnu Schist?! 




More to be revealed,
Steph

23 comments:

  1. The etymology sounds similar to what I've heard for "vaudeville". Are you taking PEOTS on the road as a variety show? You must have rocks in your head!

    I've got a picture I took of practically the same view of Schwabacher's Landing as the wallpaper on my PC.

    Between the vindaloo and the Vishnu Schist references, I'm wondering whether you're considering continuing east after visiting Zoë?


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    1. Spectacular view, isn't it?

      Continuing east after visiting Zoë sounds like a great plan for getting in the Vees!

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  2. http://www.uclick.com/client/sea/pb/#_ga=1.132064460.214645270.1413946836

    I always knew you were a trend setter. Sorry for the url instead of a link.

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    1. Ha, David! Sad little, smooshed tardigrade. . .(wearing footie pajamas? Feeling rebuked?)

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  3. Thanks, Joanne.

    Have you been to either Wyoming place with really old rocks in quite young uplifts? Perhaps that combination is the source of the "earth-born" moniker.

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  4. Steph,

    Randumb musings:

    Why you chose Vedauwoo this week and not the Vishnu Schist?!
    Because you are the messenger and not the message?

    Re: Your friend climbing in the cracks at Vedauwoo last fall. You ought not say "fall" to a rock climber… No you autumnot say “fall” to a rock climber!

    I love “The Voo.” Watch it every morning on ABC.

    LegoHooDooYooFyooHooVooTheVooBooTooSpyooVooDooYooDoo…Whew!Toodle-oo

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  5. Very perceptive, Lego!

    Ooooooooooooooo, ooids?

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  6. An interesting take on the Zika crisis: It may not be the virus, which has been around for a long time, generally causes mild disease, and is prevalent in many areas with no increase in microcephaly, that's the problem. Rather, it may be the use of pyriproxyfen in Brazil to control the mosquito population that causes the birth defects. Pyriproxyfen is a juvenile hormone analog, preventing larvae from developing into adulthood and thus rendering them unable to reproduce.

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    1. I read that and sent it on to my mom yesterday. Unhappy (but not surprised) to hear another Monsanto larvicide is involved.

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  7. I was unfamiliar with a symbol in this cartoon. (Randall Munroe is so slow to pick up on current events, isn't he?)

    There's a church near me whose roof is covered with photovoltaic panels. I guess they hold M☉ on Sundays (appropriately!).

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  8. Thirsty continents slowing sea level rise? Another sketchy-sounding hydrology study based on gravimetric satellites. What about all the heavy silt being washed to the sea from rivers? Dust storms? Carbon being drawn out of the atmosphere and being deposited unevenly by plants, or being liberated back into the air even more unevenly by burning? Seems to me that drawing conclusions from measurement of minute variations in gravity is a messy business.

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  9. "Bristlecone Pines" of the tiny animal world and the mascot of PEOTS.

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    Replies
    1. Between the glycerol, the crystalline sugars, the slowed movement, I can't help thinking.... gummy bears!

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    2. Ha! Maybe tardigrades could be nicknamed yummy bears. . .

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  10. 'Amber Alert' ;-) -- New post on "Asterids in Amber: "Electric" and Possibly Poisonous Fossil Flowers of the Dominican Republic" is now up.

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  11. I've never been to Wyoming. Maybe someday...

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