Last updated: January 29, 2021
Place
Stop #2: Minnekahta Limestone
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
43.521279, -103.476528
Amenities
2 listed
Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV
Geologic age: Permian
From the visitor center, drive 3.6 miles to this stop. Exit the south end of the visitor center parking lots, turn right onto route 385 South. Near the park's south boundary, you will see outcrops from road cuts. This is the Minnekahta Limestone.
The Minnekahta Limestone is a thinly bedded gray to purplish-gray slabby limestone. Caves rarely form in this limestone because it is so thinly bedded that the ceilings would collapse.
Look for prominent layers and folds. Note the differences between the Minnekahta and the Pahasapa Limestones.
From the visitor center, drive 3.6 miles to this stop. Exit the south end of the visitor center parking lots, turn right onto route 385 South. Near the park's south boundary, you will see outcrops from road cuts. This is the Minnekahta Limestone.
The Minnekahta Limestone is a thinly bedded gray to purplish-gray slabby limestone. Caves rarely form in this limestone because it is so thinly bedded that the ceilings would collapse.
Look for prominent layers and folds. Note the differences between the Minnekahta and the Pahasapa Limestones.