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Messages 1 - 39 of total 39 in this topic

BuddhaStalin

climber

Truckee, CA

Jul 26, 2013 - 11:36am PT

I know there is precambrian sandstone in westwater canyon, cant imagine it gets older than that? Dunno if it gets climbed ever or if its even fit for it...

WyoRockMan

climber

Flank of the Bighorns

Jul 26, 2013 - 11:45am PT

The Beartooths in Montana are on the order of 3.3 GA.

Alan Rubin

climber

Amherst,MA.

Jul 26, 2013 - 11:48am PT

I believe that the rocks of the Canadian Shield up in the Laurentians in Quebec and Ontario are some of the oldest, if not THE oldest, exposed rocks on the continent. There are a number of climbing areas up there, though I don't know their specific geologic history.

Good one, Ron.

Prezwoodz

climber

Anchorage

Jul 26, 2013 - 11:52am PT

I recently climbed in Aussenkehr, Namibia. The rocks there are 2 billion years old!

Brandon-

climber

The Granite State.

Jul 26, 2013 - 12:01pm PT

I have heard the same as Alan.

Klimmer

Mountain climber

Jul 26, 2013 - 12:45pm PT

I would say when the "Moon Walkers " our NASA Apollo astronauts walked, drove the rover around, ascended Lunar Highlands, and "bouldered" massive Lunar rocks (bet you didn't know about that did you? It was a Top Secret first ascent program), all on 4.5 B year old Lunar petrology then than is the oldest.

Don't get me started on the ascents of an ancient Mothership on the backside of the Moon near "Isak D" crater. That would qualify as the oldest "buildering."

Spider Savage

Mountain climber

The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles

Jul 26, 2013 - 01:27pm PT

Oldest Rock Climbing Area

or

Rock Climbing Area With The Oldest Rocks

?

I'm confused.

I think Stoney Point might be one of the oldest climbing areas in the USA.

Alan Rubin

climber

Amherst,MA.

Jul 26, 2013 - 01:43pm PT

Whatever the wording of the title the post itself specifies the "oldest rocks", but the oldest, in terms of years being climbed on, is also interesting. Though Donini will say--with considerable justification, as well as personal knowledge--that wherever the Anasazi lived will win. In terms of more modern climbing "for sport" you've got Anderson's climb of Half Dome or the "cowboys" on Devil's Tower--should they count? After that I think that the Boulder Flatirons are the most likely candidates.

yanqui

climber

Balcarce, Argentina

Jul 26, 2013 - 01:55pm PT

I don't know tech stuff (geology) but they say the rocks here are some of the oldest (more than 2 billion years old). From what I can tell, there are basically two kinds of rock: a gneiss (looks like flakey granite to me) and a wonderful quartz-sandstone. I don't know if one of these types is supposed to be older and I would be interested if anyone has anything intelligent to say about this. At any rate, here's a geology reference for someone who reads Spanish and wants a look:

http://www.scielo.org.ar/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1666-94792006000100002

It is worth mentioning that, while the gneiss offers some limited climbing potential, the quartzitic sandstone provides for outstanding bouldering (and some excellent short crag climbing as well).

pyro

Big Wall climber

Calabasas

Jul 26, 2013 - 03:53pm PT

I'm with savage stoney pretty damn old.

donini

Trad climber

Ouray, Colorado

Jul 26, 2013 - 04:02pm PT

The Anasazi were punching it in the Four Corners area a millennium ago.

Brandon-

climber

The Granite State.

Jul 26, 2013 - 04:06pm PT

Isn't it profound and amazing that we conduct our sport on things that are so old?

I mean, they've been here essentially forever,and we found recreational use for them.

Makes you think.

Alan Rubin

climber

Amherst,MA.

Jul 26, 2013 - 04:07pm PT

Jim, I beat you to it. You must be getting old!!!! Happy birthday a few days late. Alan

RP3

Big Wall climber

El Portal/Chapel Hill

Jul 27, 2013 - 11:04am PT

Great question! There must be climbing on some of the super-old craton rocks of northeast/north-central Canada....

What about the youngest? Owens River Gorge is 750,000 years old.

Jaybro

Social climber

Wolf City, Wyoming

Jul 27, 2013 - 11:25am PT

Gotta be either the stromatolites bearing Canadian Shield rocks or similar in australia

cintune

climber

The Utility Muffin Research Kitchen

Jul 27, 2013 - 12:12pm PT

All the beige areas:

mojede

Trad climber

Butte, America

Jul 27, 2013 - 01:10pm PT

Documented and ongoing routing makes the Beartooth Mountains and their walls a strong front runner for rock climbing on the oldest rock...

...that Shield stuff have anything that's been known to have routes ? Seems likely that it should.

Cave drawings have indicated topos and guides to climbing areas dating back 6,000 years ;-)

Magic Ed

Trad climber

Nuevo Leon, Mexico

Jul 27, 2013 - 01:23pm PT

Devil's Lake quartzite.

Todd Eastman

climber

Bellingham, WA

Jul 27, 2013 - 03:10pm PT

Much of the rock in the Adirondacks is part of the Canadian Shield and considered quite old. Like the rest of the Canadian Shield, it is bug infested and has too much rain for good climbing...

geo_nutt

Gym climber

the big bang

Jul 27, 2013 - 03:31pm PT

Hmmm considering the bible places the earth being created in one giant week long event between 5,000-10,000yrs BP aren't all climbing areas the same age?

Until you can show me a Crocoduck I think its a sham that our hard earned tax payer dollars go to teach our children such liberal fallacies that the earth is anything older.

stevep

Boulder climber

Salt Lake, UT

Jul 27, 2013 - 03:42pm PT

Wouldn't the big stuff on Baffin Island be Canadian Shield rock? So very old, in addition to very large.

SteveW

Trad climber

The state of confusion

Jul 27, 2013 - 05:19pm PT

I don't necessarily know about the age of the rock,
but the ancient Puebloans in the western US have to be
some of the oldest climbers--trying to follow some of their
chipped holds is bold work!

Crump

Social climber

Lakewood, CO

Jul 27, 2013 - 08:51pm PT

As Donini well knows, Llano Texas baby! They haz rocks out there in the Llano Uplift that are 4.4+ billion years old!!

And that is way before we thunk up Gods and stuffs!

In the beginning there was this void thing, and Donini crossed the face of the deep...

And it was good.

klk

Trad climber

cali

Jul 27, 2013 - 08:55pm PT

yanqui, that balcarce stuff looks frickin killer.

Crump

Social climber

Lakewood, CO

Jul 27, 2013 - 10:19pm PT

Yeah, gots my numbers wrongs... Was thinking more cosmological... The Llano number is 1.1 B... Precambrian...

http://rockfractureandstress.com/Burnett%20Ranch/The%20Precambrian%20of%20Central%20Texas.pdf

Sorry.

Darwin

Trad climber

Seattle, WA

Jul 27, 2013 - 10:21pm PT

Where is Minerals when we need him?

MisterE

climber

Jul 27, 2013 - 11:15pm PT

New River Gorge for the USA?

mongrel

Trad climber

Truckee, CA

Jul 28, 2013 - 12:33am PT

Whoa, BJ, that is a fantastic graphic. Where did that come from? And why the heck was there such a big earthquake in the eastern 4 corners (New Madrid)?

I imagine that many of the early climbers were after useful items like birds' eggs, but I have seen a piece of text somewhere written by Samuel Coleridge (of Xanadu fame) to the effect that he climbed up a good ways on Clogwyn to see what the mental effect of exposure would be, so certainly he qualifies as a very early recreational climber. Figures he'd become an opium user later, other better substances not being readily available to him.

The Anasazi climbing doesn't count - they chipped. :-)

Dr.Sprock

Boulder climber

I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!

Jul 28, 2013 - 12:35am PT

what is the oldest french fry you ever ate?

MisterE

climber

Jul 28, 2013 - 01:15am PT

Thanks for the killer graphic, BJ

Is that a rock penis trying to penetrate the ovarian Great Lakes (and missing the hole) or is it just me...

thebravecowboy

Social climber

Colorado Plateau

Jul 28, 2013 - 01:28am PT

This one's only 1700 Ma and it's been stretched and distressed amongst less competent surroundings.

yanqui

climber

Balcarce, Argentina

Jul 28, 2013 - 12:12pm PT

yanqui, that balcarce stuff looks frickin killer.

IMHO it's way frickin killer and definitely worth a look if you ever get to SA.

Klimmer

Mountain climber

Jul 28, 2013 - 02:39pm PT

Dudes,

You can't get any older than climbing features on the Moon, unless you landed on some massive Carbonaceous Chondrite asteroid and bouldered on that, which may pre-date our Solar system.

The NASA "moon walkers" set many records when they ascended Lunar highlands.

Been there and done that.

Brian in SLC

Social climber

Salt Lake City, UT

Jul 28, 2013 - 02:54pm PT

Green Creek Complex in the City of Rocks is purportedly 2.5 billion years old.

The Almo Pluton is a babe in the woods by comparison.

Trad climber

Jul 28, 2013 - 03:01pm PT

I was told it was the NRG as well but apparently not.

Just curious, how old are the Gunks?

Rock!...oopsie.

Trad climber

the pitch above you

Jul 28, 2013 - 03:31pm PT

OR -

NRG and Gunks are sedimentary formations and won't have a chance in this game. Gunks conglomerate is only about 400 million years old. Not sure about the New, but it's also sedimentary and therefore probably not that old in geologic terms.

mike m

Trad climber

black hills

Jul 30, 2013 - 05:50pm PT

The Needles in the Black Hills are 2.2 to 2.8 billion years old according to google. My guess is people have been climbing them since people have neen around.