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Ancient Earth and the First Ancestors: A Cultural and Geological Journey
Ancient Earth and the First Ancestors: A Cultural and Geological Journey
Ancient Earth and the First Ancestors: A Cultural and Geological Journey
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Ancient Earth and the First Ancestors: A Cultural and Geological Journey

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In this sequel to the award winning “Talking Rocks” an earth scientist and an Ojibwe elder travel across Minnesota exploring the ancient rocks that make up a large part of that state.

As the geologist describes how these rocks formed and brings to life the ancient worlds they created, the elder, through Native American stories, oral history, culture, and science
illustrates how his people had an intimate understanding of,and respect for, these ancient rocks and the land they gave shape to.

Traveling from Ely, Grand Portage, Gunflint Lake, and Isle Royale in the northern part of the state south to Jeffers, Mor¬ton, and Blue Mounds State Park the two find themselves discussing such diverse topics as the nature of
science, holistic geology, mining, science and spirituality, the legacy of the fur
trade, significance of the Little Spirit Tree, and much more.

Ancient Earth and the First Ancestors not only tells a fascinating story that spans billions of years, but is also a wonderful chronicle of two people from different cultural and scientific heritages learning to understand, appreciate,
and see the value and importance in each other’s way of viewing this land and the planet we all call home.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherRon Morton
Release dateNov 30, 2011
ISBN9780978599867
Ancient Earth and the First Ancestors: A Cultural and Geological Journey

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    Ancient Earth and the First Ancestors - Ron Morton

    Ancient Earth and the First Ancestors

    A Cultural and Geological Journey

    Ron Morton and Carl Gawboy

    Illustrations by Carl Gawboy

    Published by Rockflower Press

    Smashwords Edition

    Copyright 2011 by Ron Morton and Carl Gawboy

    This book is also available in print at most online retailers

    Cover artwork by Carl Gawboy

    Copy Editor: Nancy Nelson

    Smashwords Edition, License Notes

    This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resoldor given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.

    Contents

    One: Through the Looking Glass

    Part I: Belonging

    Part II: Wrinkles in the Morning Dew

    Part III: Doctrine of the Ancient Rocks

    Two: Ancient Earth

    Part I: Songukumig and the Secret Realm

    Part II: Soudan and Springs of Iron

    Part III: Seeing Through the Maze of Time

    Part IV: Mighty Chiefs, Little People, a Deep Abyss

    Part V: Granite Cores and Continental Divides

    Three: Middle Earth

    Part I: Early Life and the Age of Iron

    Part II: Harsh History and Illustrious Grou-Waake

    Part III: Old Rocks, Stone Markers, and Myth Makers

    Part IV: Moon Rocks and Candy Canes

    Part V: Pothole Stew and the Dream Catchers

    Part VI: Totems, the Way of Science, and the Red Metal

    Part VII: Eye-gastic Views, Holistic Mining, and a Rifts End

    Four: Reflections in Stone

    Part I: Impacts, Ejecta, and the First Ancestor

    References

    About the Authors

    Dedication

    The Way We Went: Places to Visit Ancient Ancestors

    1 Everett Bay and Songukumig on Lake Vermilion

    2 Pillow Outcrop: Nanaboujou and the Frog People

    3 Glacial Erratic of Ely Pillow Lava: Ely, Minnesota

    4 Soudan Iron Mine and Iron Formation

    5 Hill of Three Waters: at Hill-Rust Mahoning Mine

    6 Mine View in the Sky: Virginia Minnesota

    7 Mt. Rose and Grand Portage National Monument

    8 Thomson Dam and Knife Portage

    9 Morton Gneiss: Morton, Minnesota

    10 Blue Mounds State Park

    11 Jeffers Petroglyph Site and Kwe Tinta

    12 Pipestone National Monument

    13 Ted Tofte Overlook

    14 Sugarloaf Cove and Sugarloaf Point

    15 Temperance River, Pothole Stew, and Dream Catchers

    16 Little Cedar Spirit Tree: Grand Portage

    17 Greenstone Basalt Lava Flow and Copper Mining: Isle Royale

    18 Palisade Head

    19 Thompson Hill Information Center: Duluth

    20 Forestry Road 1347 off the Gunflint Trail

    21 Great Stone Face: Crane Lake, Minnesota

    Through the Looking Glass

    Part I: Belonging

    The beautiful landscape

    As we know it

    Belongs to those who are like it.

    Muso Soseki, Zen Monk, 1275-1351

    The volcanic ridge I stood on rose above a range of ice-sculpted hills like a whale’s back rises above a rolling green sea. In the distance, close to what was the base of the ancient volcano, I could hear traffic on Highway 169; to the west, near the volcano’s outer flank, a bay of Lake Vermilion was just visible, while immediately below me, in what was once the volcanoes heart sat Gafvert Lake, a small, round lake surrounded by wide, wet marsh.

    The ridge was long and knobby, and for me it was what a bone from a Tyrannosaurus rex is for a paleontologist; it represented a small part of a once great and fearsome force, a force that had exploded and flowed over this land for more years than there are in the history of the human race. The rock forming the ridge was pyroclastic, meaning fire-broken. The material that made the rock look like a slice of old Christmas cake—pieces of pumice, volcanic ash, quartz, and feldspar crystals—had been exploded out of the volcano to form what volcanologists call a pyroclastic flow. This material, when compacted and hardened, turned into a rock called an ignimbrite or ash flow tuff. In many ways this rock was little different from those found at Crater Lake, Krakatoa, and Yellowstone. There had been many such eruptions from this volcano but there would be no more. In fact the volcano hadn’t erupted for more than 2.7 billion years. That was good news, for if the volcano were active today towns such as Tower, Ely, Hoyt Lakes, Babbit, Cook, and Orr would not exist, a beautiful lake called Vermilion would be a sizzling caldron of mud, ash, boiling hot springs, and piles of rock debris, while the Boundary Waters Canoe Area would make the Badlands look like a tropical paradise.

    At 2.7 billion years the volcano was ancient beyond imagination, and over these eons it had undergone great changes. The volcano had been tipped completely onto its side and partly eroded so its guts were exposed for the whole world to see. Its deposits—lava flows, lava domes, pyroclastic flows, and debris flows—had long ago been turned into hard, solid rock, and these rocks had undergone many changes over the course of their long lives.

    Finding a spot to sit, I leaned back against a pumice-rough slab of pyroclastic rock, took a long drink of water, and thought about the last time I was here and the part this ancient volcano played in a most strange and improbable journey; a journey that spanned 3.6 billion years. It all began on a raw March evening in Duluth when John Darby, good friend, colleague, and vocal advocate for the health and happiness of a planet called earth, sat his stout frame in my big easy chair, settled back, took a sip of mostly cream coffee, fixed me with intense black eyes, and said, Recently I’ve come across two interesting observations, old ones, and they got me thinking about you and the lecture series and travels we did together. So I thought I’d stop by and share them with you. Actually they lead to a question I’d like answered.

    Observations and questions, I said, pressing my lips together to force a puzzled smile. Good thing my choice of beverage is scotch, and I took a sip of the 18-year old McCallum, a deep amber Speyside scotch with an aroma as rich as fruitcake.

    John, dressed in faded blue jeans and a black and white Icelandic wool sweater, one that came close in color to matching his salt and pepper hair, leaned forward. Using his finger like a laser pointer, he said, First is this. ‘A people without history are like the wind on the buffalo grass.’ And, second, ‘if you tell me the landscape in which you live, then I will tell you who you are.’ These ancient observations got me to thinking, and what I would like to know is how old are the rocks in Minnesota you refer to as ancient?

    The oldest, about 3.6 billion years, I told him, picking up my glass to take another sip of the full-bodied whiskey. Having no idea of how the two statements and his question were connected I added, "The rocks I call ancient, rocks 3.6 billion to 1 billion years old, form a large part of this state; from Jeffers and Pipestone in southwestern Minnesota to Tower, Soudan, and Ely in northeastern Minnesota. Over 2.5 billion years of earth history to be seen, explored, and unraveled, and all within a six-hour drive of Duluth. How’s that for time travel—2.5 billion years in six or so hours.’

    Too fast for the likes of me. he said, smiling. Taking another sip of coffee, he added, You realize these old rocks of yours, the landscape we live on, have stories to tell and, together, the oldness and stories represent the roots of not only this land but of its people as well.

    The wind in the buffalo grass? I asked.

    May be, he said. He then paused, looked out the window, smiled as he watched a chickadee on the bird feeder, then continued, These ancient rocks, the land’s roots, have mysteries frozen in them, some solvable, some not. But either way we search for solutions and through this learn and progress. It’s what Native Americans have been doing for more than 12,000 years.

    Nice thought for a geologist or Native American, I told him, still uncertain of just where he was going with this or what he was after. He gave me a small nod. There is more, he said, his voice soft and reflective. Many Native Americans believe these ancient rocks have spirits.

    Oh, come on! I exploded. I should have realized somehow we would end up on this path. Never, not in a thousand years, will I fully understand the way you or your people see or think about this land.

    He smiled, shrugged his shoulders, said nothing.

    You know I’ve spent lots of time with rocks, I told him. Metamorphic, sedimentary, igneous; I’ve mapped, sampled, scratched my head over, walked on, and slept with them all. Sun or rain, summer or fall, I’ve never come across a single one that contained a spirit, or represented the roots of anything other than volcanoes and mountain ranges.

    Not surprised, he said rather matter-of-factly, staring into my eyes. For you, for geologists, rocks are cold, inanimate, silent things. Good only for mapping, sampling, or mining. For me they are much more.

    Me too, I replied. For me they are history books, the record of all that has taken place over the eons of geological time.

    I’ve also thought that, he answered. For me, for many of my people, rocks are our first ancestors and represent our past, present, and future. In all this world they were here first. They, along with the wind and the moon, marked the slow passage of the seasons as they waited, waited for the coming of the people. And the people came, they came onto this land more than 12,000 years ago, and from that time to this they have lived on and with these ancient rocks. These rocks have heard my people’s stories, shared their dreams, and watched in silence their joys and sorrows. What we need to remember is that rock was our first ancestor and, one day, all of us will be part of rock, just as rock, and all the parts of Mother Earth that make rock up, are part of us. The Hopi put it well when they say ‘all things are enhanced with the same breath: rocks, trees, grass, earth, animals, and people’.

    I take it back, I said, about the way you look at the land. At times I am amazed by your ancestors. Amazed because their view of rocks is not far removed from a basic geological principal.

    He looked at me, blinked once, said, A geology lesson?

    In a way, I said. But it is one I’m sure you know. We’ve even talked about it—the geological rock cycle.

    Ah, I remember. The changing of one kind of rock into another?

    That’s right, I answered. "It’s the idea that no one rock is permanent over geological time. All rocks slowly change from one of the three kinds of rocks on earth—igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic—into one of the other two, and this change can occur in a lot of different ways. For instance weathering and erosion can change an igneous rock, one formed from the cooling and crystallization of molten magma, into a sedimentary one, and heating and melting can change that sedimentary rock back into an igneous one, and both can be turned into metamorphic rocks by being buried deep within the earth. And this change, from one rock type to another, happens over and over, again and again, across the long reach of geological time.

    The point I am trying to make is your view of rocks, and the concept of the geological rock cycle, are not that different. Each tells us rocks change. Rocks are born; they decay or break down and die, only to be reborn as either a new version of the same old thing, or as something completely different. And like a TV rerun this happens over and over, a never ending, always changing cycle linked to our past, present, and future.

    Interesting, John said. Connecting the two like that. Native Americans and geologists do have grand thoughts.

    Sometimes, I told him, only sometimes.

    He laughed, drank more coffee, and said You know, even though I agree with what you said, you geologists view such things as the rock cycle in terms of the inanimate, physical world. Whereas I, along with many other Native Americans, would incorporate such cycles into a much more holistic world view. Your rock cycle, from my perspective, is only one part of that which is enhanced by the breath of Mother Earth. And the breath of Mother Earth is to be found within us all, and that includes grass, earth, and each and every rock, no matter how long its geological history.

    Sitting on the ridge above Gafvert Lake I thought about his words, about rocks and their long histories. It occurred to me the rocks I sat on not only had long and complicated histories, but they had been on this planet so long they had, for a newcomer like myself, turned the land, their own creation, into a kind of alien terrain.

    In fact, as I thought about it, most of the rocks exposed across the state of Minnesota—volcanic, sedimentary, granitic, or great deposits of iron-stone—could be considered alien terrain, just as alien as the modern sea floor or the planet Mars. Alien because, in terms of space, distance, and time, they are largely beyond our reach.

    In the case of the modern seafloor it is the mile or more of water that stands between us and understanding, for Mars it is 40 million miles of empty space, and for most of Minnesota’s rocks, it is more than 1 billion years of geological time. The rocks that form this part of the continent are some of the most ancient in all of North America, they have been stitched together over hundreds of millions of years to make a geological entity called the Precambrian Shield. These old rocks, bent, broken, and weathered almost flat from their many battles with planet earth, also go by the name Canadian Shield. Even though they represent ancient geologic history, they, as I told John, remain extremely important for us and our modern society in terms of their scientific and practical value, their importance in making our civilization what it is, and in keeping it running.

    From the scientific perspective the rocks of the Canadian Shield hold the keys to most of our past; the evolution of our atmosphere and oceans, the origin of life, the start of plate tectonics, and how the rocks we live on, the continents, came to be. They also are the only record we have of the role early life played in the evolution of the atmosphere and our planet’s water.

    From a more practical point of view these rocks contain an incredible treasure trove of mineral resources. We have these rocks to thank for much of our gold, silver, copper, zinc, platinum, palladium, nickel, iron, and much, much more. And it is these minerals and elements that make it possible for us to have cars, airplanes, a space program, computers, electrical power, and hundreds of other devices, gadgets, and necessities.

    In Minnesota many of these old rocks are volcanic, the very same rocks that have, for more than 30 years, been my vocation and passion. I’ve mapped, sampled, and studied what remains of these old volcanoes in an attempt to reconstruct what sort of landform they made, how and what they erupted, how they terrorized the land.

    In a way, putting old volcanoes back together again is kind of like doing jigsaw puzzles. The main difference being that with old volcanoes two-thirds of the pieces never turn up. This geological reconstruction, giving ancient volcanoes shape, form, and history, much like paleontologists give dinosaur bones muscle, skin, and motion, is done for four main reasons. First these ancient volcanic rocks are history books, they represent the only record of all that has taken place over long periods of geological time, and we need to be able to read and understand these ‘books’ if we are to know and understand our past as well as reasonably contemplate our future. Second, studying them gives us an idea of how much our planet has changed, and it gives us a better understanding of ancient volcanic processes and deposits, allowing us to relate them to modern ones. Third, it allows geologists to study underwater volcanic processes and deposits, something difficult to do with modern volcanoes that sit beneath the seas. Finally, it allows us to assess their hidden treasures, their resources. Out of all this comes the startling fact Minnesota has a 2 billion year volcanic history that is second to none; it is truly impressive.

    As I stood up and slung my pack over my shoulder, I realized the word impressive was somehow inadequate. It was like calling the Grand Canyon a marvelous hole in the ground. It didn’t come close to the real thing. Not close at all, for Minnesota’s volcanoes had roared and raged and ruled a vast ancient land, a land where rain fell on stark, barren landscapes, where ocean waters steamed and seethed as they rolled across hot volcanic beaches, where mineral laden hotsprings boiled and bubbled, and where iron was precipitated out of warm, algae-rich waters to form one of the world’s greatest iron ore deposits. It was a land where great continental collisions created alp-like mountains, where ejecta from a great meteorite impact created giant tsunamis and brought an end to the age of iron, and where huge magma bodies rose upwards to be emplaced into volcanic rocks creating what geologists call world-class igneous intrusions.

    Overall, I thought, as I looked down at Gafvert Lake, this strange, dynamic and mysterious land, the land made up of John’s first ancestors, represented not only the roots of Minnesota, but also the heart and soul of the North American continent, not just geologically, but also historically.

    Historically for it once formed a large part of an area the French called the Pays d’en Haut. Pas d’en Haut, which, loosely interpreted, means upper country, a land upriver from Montreal. The importance of this is that during most of the time of the fur trade, about 200 years, it also referred to an area where Indian and European were pretty much on equal terms, sharing a kind of common ground.

    Common ground was also what brought John, an Ojibwe elder, story teller, and historian, and myself, a geologist and teacher, together seven years ago. The Continuing Education department at the University brought us together for a series of presentations on 10,000 years of geology and Native American tradition in the Lake Superior region. That was the beginning of our friendship and it was this, along with common ground, which had John, on that cold March evening in Duluth, saying, We understand each other, you and I. We share a special kind of common ground. I consider you a good friend. For these reasons and all we have just talked about I would be pleased if you would join me on a journey of exploration and discovery, a journey across ancient rocks to visit ancient ancestors. In a way to complete the circle we started seven years ago. I’m certain you are familiar with the expression a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. My modification would be a journey of more than 3 billion years begins with the first ten thousand years. It is that journey I want to complete and to do so seeing with two sets of eyes, not one. To complete the journey of mind and spirit so we are more than wind in the grass, so we know who we really are.

    With that he sat back, folded his arms, and waited.

    To have time to organize my thoughts, heck to even have a thought, I went and got the scotch bottle and refilled my glass. Taking a long sip, I looked at him, smiled, and said, A cultural and scientific journey focused on ancient people and ancient rocks–interesting. You know there is a lot of Minnesota’s geology I’ve not seen, and much I have seen I wouldn’t mind spending more time exploring in greater detail. In fact I was planning on spending time this summer in northeastern Minnesota looking at ancient volcanic rocks around Gafvert Lake. Given that and you being who you are, I think the best way to answer you is with your own words, or as close to them as I can remember. According to you relationships between people are part of a circle. Every human thought and action has repercussions in the natural world, and every event in the natural world has significance in human lives. On the circle there is no end, only a coming together. The circle represents common ground for all of us, past, present and future. And if that is so, I guess I would have to agree that we were meant to finish the geological and cultural journey we started. Besides, think about it, ancient rocks and ancient people—heck, it will be worthwhile going along with you just to find out more about your ancestors and how they looked at the rocks and landforms they lived on. How you think ancient rocks and ancient people fit together.

    Part II: Wrinkles in the Morning Dew

    How cunningly nature hides every wrinkle of her inconceivable

    antiquity under roses and violets and morning dew.

    Ralph Waldon Emerson

    Two months later, classes over, grades in, the snow gone, John walked into my office at the university.

    When I suggested you join me on this trip across Minnesota it never occurred to me it would start in your office. Personally I pictured a high, rocky promontory like Palisade Head or Carlton Peak—somewhere fitting to inaugurate such a grand enterprise. Laughing at his own joke he settled into the chair across from my desk.

    You have visions of grandeur, I told him, and my job is to keep your feet firmly on planet earth. Believe me when I say you are in the right place at the right time. As we discussed on the phone you need to have a good understanding of the two founding principles of modern geology: geological time and plate tectonics. It’s really necessary, for without them it’s difficult to impossible to appreciate the importance and value of the billions of years we will be exploring. Years, by the way, geologists refer to as Precambrian time.

    Fine, just fine, he said, throwing up his hands as if surrendering. There’s certainly a lot I don’t know and much I am willing to learn. As long as the coffee pot is on and my cup is full I am all ears. And since I’m here to learn about geological time let’s start with the age of the rocks in northeastern Minnesota. Tower, Soudan, Ely, the places where we will actually start our journey of the ancients.

    They are 2.7 billion years old, I told him, as I poured two cups of coffee from the pot on the table at the back of my office. After pouring cream into the cups, I handed him one and said, A large part of northern Minnesota is underlain by what are called Archean age rocks, rocks older than 2.5 billion years. In many places these rocks are volcanic and volcanically derived sedimentary rocks. Many of these rocks formed under water, by subaqueous volcanic processes, but even so, as an analogy, you might think of them as being the great great grandfather of tall volcanic mountains like St. Helens, as the great great grandmother of shield or turtle volcanoes like Mauna Loa and Kilauea, the great, great uncle to calderas, great explosive volcanoes that create huge holes in the ground like Yellowstone, and as the great, great aunt to widespread plateau lavas like those of the Columbia River and the Snake River Plain.

    We see those kinds of volcanoes in such ancient rocks? he asked, doubtfully.

    With imagination and a lot of detailed geological mapping we can, yes. I told him. "But you have to remember you are not going to see any tall, steaming mountains on the skyline, nor bubbling hot springs. These ancient volcanoes have been tilted onto their sides and largely eroded away. They also have been extinct for a long, long, time.

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