Mysteries on the Wild Coast

Seastacks, Olympic Peninsula

Good weather on the coast lured me out to one of my favorite rockhounding locations.  As in my "Conveyor Belt" post a few days ago, many of the rocks that end up on the beaches of the Olympic Peninsula have been dumped there by glaciers and the massive rivers that they spawned. Although most of the rocks that comprise the many dramatic seastacks on the coast are sedimentary, there are plenty of interesting rocks from somewhere else. Several areas on the Peninsula have thick strata of what could only be ancient river beds, with rounded water-transported rocks that are clearly not local.

I found some terrific rocks on this trip, the most intriguing is the one below, which displays a color pattern like nothing I have ever seen before. It is dense and hard, and should polish nicely. Jasper?

Colorful rock, Olympic coast

This is what rockhounding is for me : a constant treasure hunt, and a vehicle for discovery.