Rock Town Boxwork
By: Hubert Crowell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Boxwork is a speleothem composed of thin blades of the mineral calcite that project from cave walls and ceilings, forming a honeycomb pattern. The fins intersect one another at various angles, forming "boxes" on all cave surfaces. Some of the most extensive boxwork deposits in the world are found in Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota.
The origin of boxwork remains a mystery at Wind Cave. Recent research suggests that the boxwork fins once filled cracks in the rock long before Wind Cave formed. As the walls of the cave began to dissolve away, the vein and crack fillings did not, or at least dissolved at a slower rate than the surrounding rock, leaving the calcite fins projecting from the cave surfaces. The dissolution was likely accomplished by water that flowed very slowly through the cave. The water became saturated with calcium carbonate quickly, but remained unsaturated with magnesium carbonate (the dolomite). Thus as the water moved through the cave it dissolved the dolomite, surrounding the boxwork fins, but was unable to dissolve the boxwork, leaving it projecting into the cave rooms.
Rock Town is a large bolder out crop on the top of Pigeon Mountain, in north Georgia. Boxwork is normally referred to as a cave formation, found mostly in Wind Cave South Dakota. I was surprised to find boxwork formations on top of a bolder in Rock Town.
The bolder above the one with the boxwork formations had strange vertical marks on the side that looked like the edge of more boxwork formations that had not yet been exposed from the top.
This interesting bolder can be found at the south end of Rock Town and can be identified by a small cave in the side of the bolder about half way up. The cave is about five feet around and about five feet deep.
Directions to Rock Town:
From Atlanta, head north on Interstate 75. Take exit 133 and follow Georgia Route 136 west to the city of Lafayette. Once in Lafayette, follow signs for Route 193 north. Follow route 193 north for 2.7 miles and make a left on to Chamberlain Road at Uncle Jed's Convenience Store. After approximately 3 miles, make a right into the Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Area. Follow this dirt road via switchbacks up the mountain for about 5 miles to an obvious fork. Turn right at the fork and continue for 1.3 miles and make a left on to Rock Town Road. Park your vehicle at the cul-de-sac at the terminus of this short road. From Chattanooga follow Broad Street through the small town of St. Elmo at the foot of Lookout Mountain, toward the Georgia State Line. At this point, Broad Street becomes Georgia Route 193 south. Follow Route 193 south for approximately 24 miles until you reach Uncle Jed's Convenience Store on the left. Take a right on to Chamberlain Road at this point and follow the above directions from the entrance to Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area.
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