One the shore of the East Branch and also on Cedar Brook, there are boulders with a reddish tinge where high water would hit them. My first assumption was that it was an algae, but a friend suggested it could be iron. Or it could be both. Does anybody know?
red rocks
- Thread starter Grayjay
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dr_wu002
Well-known member
The bottom of the Arrow Slide on Hancock, the rocks are all deep red. It's blood from dinosaurs that got mixed in with the rock.
-Dr. Wu
I might say that since it is off a river, then this is a seperate phenomenon, whether dinosaurs blood or VFTT members painting rocks. But a little more than half way up Ice Gulch, there are also red rocks similar to the ones on the East Granch and Cedar Brook. obviously there is no high water presently there. Do any of you left brained scientists know what the red is?
dr_wu002
Well-known member
Yup, red rocks are usually iron.
why only certain rocks ?...these rocks lay right next to each other, so are subject to the same water level. Some have the red, the ones right next to them don't.
dr_wu002
Well-known member
Thanks Wu, but often, as the case with Cedar Brook, the upstream side is dark red, and the downstream side untouched, Also, it is obvious that the red is only on the surface, and not part of the nature of the rock. That is why I first thought of algae.
DougPaul
Well-known member
The red coloration of rocks is often due to iron oxide.
Doug
Doug
NeoAkela
Active member
I saw the same thing on the rocks along the long slide that goes up the western side of the ridge between Liberty and Haystack. It looked like someone had painted all the tops with red paint. Thank you for that information!
NH_Mtn_Hiker
New member
Red Rock Ravine has a few of those rocks as well 
