Biggest Conglomerate Cliffs

Simple question:

where are the biggest conglomerate cliffs in the US? Doesn’t necessarily have to just be climbing areas.

Thanks

Pinnacles?

These are pretty big I guess

Being nit-picky here, but Pinnacles is volcanic breccia, so technically not conglomerate. Conglomerate is a sedimentary rock with generally rounded rocks contained in a matrix. The component rocks in a breccia are more angular. The rock in Pinnacles is the result of an explosive volcanic event, instead of the gradual accumulation characteristic of conglomerate.

Long Rangerwrote:

These are pretty big I guess

LRJ - did you take this photo?  From Humboldt? Easily the best pic of the route(s) and peak(s) I’ve seen.

Alan Rubinwrote:

Being nit-picky here, but Pinnacles is volcanic breccia, so technically not conglomerate. Conglomerate is a sedimentary rock with generally rounded rocks contained in a matrix. The component rocks in a breccia are more angular. The rock in Pinnacles is the result of an explosive volcanic event, instead of the gradual accumulation characteristic of conglomerate.

So does that make welded tuff a conglomerate or no? It goes through lithification (vote for yes) but is rarely a gradual accumulation (vote for no.) Just curious. 

gunks are pretty big by width

Long Rangerwrote:

These are pretty big I guess

Where is this?

Kyle Turgeonwrote:

gunks are pretty big by width

So is your mom.

sorry, you tee’d it up perfectly

Alan Rubinwrote:

Being nit-picky here, but Pinnacles is volcanic breccia, so technically not conglomerate. Conglomerate is a sedimentary rock with generally rounded rocks contained in a matrix. The component rocks in a breccia are more angular. The rock in Pinnacles is the result of an explosive volcanic event, instead of the gradual accumulation characteristic of conglomerate.

Thanks for being nit picky. I am looking for true sedimentary conglomerate of the kind one sees in Monserrat in Spain. Do we have anything that big or even approaching that big in the US. I don’t think so but the answer is surprisingly hard to figure out. 

I think no. Obviously we have Maple and Echo nearby, which may be the biggest although probably nothing compared to Montserrat

The lovely picture is of Crestone Needle and Crestone Peak in the Sangre De Cristo range in Colorado.  Those and Kit Carson peak are very high quality alpine conglomerate walls about 1000' high.  

https://youtu.be/HrWSFMKXRUA?si=lpolJVMYmYN_hCEo

here’s a great geologist explanation of true conglomerate rock.  It happens to be a sport area of short cliffs about an hour east of SLC.  There are also several miles of cliffs like this but hundreds of feet high in the same formation.  My real question is whether there are cliffs like this, but even bigger (500’ high or more) anywhere else? 

Spopepro O.wrote:

So does that make welded tuff a conglomerate or no? It goes through lithification (vote for yes) but is rarely a gradual accumulation (vote for no.) Just curious. 

Welded tuff is volcanic, resulting from the searingly hot “ash” flows blown out during events such as the Mt St Helens, Vesuvius (onto Pompeii), and Krakatoa explosions of recent geologic times. 

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105758724/little-devil

Kind of have to eye roll this. Unreal it wasn't mentioned before.

Castlewood is made up of Castle Rock Conglomerate 

Beta Slavewrote:

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105758724/little-devil

Kind of have to eye roll this. Unreal it wasn't mentioned before.

Castlewood is made up of Castle Rock Conglomerate 

Thank you. Clearly the discussion is over. I’ll close the thread. 

john Climacowrote:

Thank you. Clearly the discussion is over. I’ll close the thread. 

Glad I could help.

I've never been there but I believe there is conglomerate similar to Echo/Maple near Telluride. No idea as to the height.

Isaac Steinbrunnerwrote:

I've never been there but I believe there is conglomerate similar to Echo/Maple near Telluride. No idea as to the height.

I haven't climbed there but there are some conglomerate sport cliffs up to 200' 

Fisher Towers have some pretty tall ones.

"Titan Tower, also known as The Titan, is the largest of the Fisher Towers near Moab and Castle Valley, Utah. It has also been attributed to be the largest, free-standing, natural tower in the United States."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_Tower_(Fisher_Towers)