Mount Painter
The Mount Painter Volcanics form a major part of the ACT's geological makeup. Mount Painter is located to the West of Canberra and was formed during the Mid Silurian Era (443.7 to 416 million years ago). The formation of the rock is described as 'Dacitic ignimbrite formed from the consolidation of ash flows and other explosive debris'.
The rock here is mainly composed of dacitic ignimbrite, a dark, blueish-grey, medium-grained igneous rock that weathers to a reddish-brown colour.
During the Silurian, the Canberra area was a shallow sea from which volcanoes emerged. The Mount Painter volcano erupted, with reasonably fast-flowing lava reaching across the Canberra basin. The sea receded as the land was forced up, and since then the land has eroded away to form the landscape we see today.
Please email me the answers to the following questions:-
1. What kind of rock is dacitic ignimbrite?
2. Study the surrounding rocks, and describe the colours you can see in them?
3. How does Mount Painter differ from usual volcanoes?
4. What effect does weathering have on the dacitic ignimbrite?
Optional
Feel free to take a picture of yourself on Mount Painter. The views are excellent
There is a sample of dacitic ignimbrite at the listed waypoint.
Please note : You are welcome to log this Earthcache after sending your answers to me. If no answers are received, your log will be deleted. Please be mindful of your logs to ensure there are no spoiler images/answers for the questions above, spoilers will also be removed.