550 Million Years Ago 525 Million Years Ago 250 Million Years Ago Cambrian Period Cambrian Period Permian Period Age of the Trilobite Age of the Trilobite Age of the Amphibian

Rhyolite

Due to the continued stretching of the Magma Granite Forces deep within the earth begin earth’s surface, rock deep in the earth’s pulling apart the ancient “foundation” crust melts to create magma. This The rhyolite in the western edge of the rock that made up the original land area magma is forced up through the founda- Wichita Mountains range has since of the Wichita Mountains. tion rock and the sandstone-shale layer. eroded away. The Wichita Mountains At this time the area that had been Magma that empties into the water of the Wildlife Refuge does have several pulling apart slowly began to squeeze bay cools rapidly and becomes basalt. outcrops of rhyolite near their eastern back together. This pressure cracked and boundary. pushed the granite-gabbro block up to The basalt has long since eroded away and the earth’s surface. Quartz Mountain, no outcrops are available for viewing The magma that did not reach the along with the rest of the Wichita Moun- locally. surface and become rhyolite slowly tains became rocky islands ju ing out of cooled underground and formed the water. granite. This pinkish-red rock is the most abundant rock in the park. The Wave cut terraces can be seen near the Foundation Rock granite and gabbro formed a fairly solid tops of the mountains south of Lake Altus-Lugert. The most noticeable terrace Cambrian Sea block that resisted further movements Basalt of the earth. is between 2,130 and 2,150 feet.

This pulling action creates a large During the rest of this period, shiing and se ling of the earth’s crust depression in the earth’s surface, which Magma continued. Downward warping of the fills with water from the Cambrian Sea. crust allowed the sea to once again Mud and sand partially fill this depres- Large amounts of magma did not reach cover this area. Sediments were the surface. Instead, it slowly cooled sion. Over time this sediment is deposited over the rock for a second deep in the earth to form a rock called compresses into shale and sandstone time. The shiing and se ling resulted gabbro. Granite under the weight of additional sediment. in uneven layering of the rock. Locally, gabbro is called “black granite.” An outcrop of gabbro can be seen east of Roosevelt, OK on SH 19.

Near the end of the period of basalt and gabbro formation, another magma was formed. This magma formed from the Cambrian Sea melting of foundation rock. It poured out The ammonite fossil in the Nature Center Sandstone was found west of the park in the town of Shale over the basalt at the surface to form rhyolite. This rock is usually deposited on Granite Mangum. During this time period Mangum dry land indicating that the Cambrian Sea was under the sea. had receded. 200 Million Years Ago 1 Million Years Ago Common Geologic Questions Jurassic Period Quaternary Period Geologic Age of the Belemnites Age of Man Where is the quartz? Quartz is one mineral in the “mix” we call granite and it crystallizes at History lower temperatures than some of of Quartz Mountain the other minerals in granite. So it fills the small spaces between the State Park other minerals in the granite matrix.

Can we collect quartz crystals? The movements of the earth’s crust The earth’s crust once again began No. Collection of any geologic or ended at this time, and the moun- to upli, removing the so shale plant material is prohibited at tains were covered with layers of layer on the mountains. Ever since Quartz Mountain State Park. so red shale. this time the exposed rock has been acted upon by forces of erosion. Is the pinkish-red rock sandstone? The pinkish-red rock is granite. Shale How tall is Quartz Mountain? The peak of Quartz Mountain is

Sea 2,040 feet above sea level. The Shale base is at 1,520 feet above sea level. So if you climb Quartz Mountain you are climbing 520 feet. Quartz Mountain is one mountain Why are the mountains so short? in the Wichita Mountain range. They are very old, the 2nd oldest The Wichita Mountains currently mountain range in the United Today States. The Wichita’s are older and stretch from Granite, OK (just 6 This shale protected the underlying Many factors, such as wind and rain, shorter than the Appalachian miles northwest of the Lodge) to rock from the actions of erosion, ice and heat, continue the process Mountains. Lawton, OK (about 65 miles when the seas receded. of wearing away these ancient rocks. southeast of the park). Most of Which mountain is Mount Sco ? the mountains in the Wichita Mount Sco is within the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge Range rise 300 to 800 feet over near Lawton, OK. the surrounding plains, but it hasn’t always been this way...

Quartz Mountain State Park 14722 Hwy. 44A Lone Wolf, 73655 Phone (580)563-2238 www.TravelOK.com