Ancient Civilization Uncovered in Colorado by the Relic Room Team

 An established presence in Sevierville, Tennessee, Chase Pipes is a documentarian and history preserver who has devoted his career to learning about history through the ethical purchase and selling of fossils, minerals, and artifacts from across the globe. Chase Pipes co-owns and operates the Smoky Mountain Relic Room.

The keen historical explorers at the Smoky Mountain Relic Room in Tennessee have helped demystify hidden history about the ancestral Puebloan people who developed an ancient civilization in the Northwest Colorado region of North America. The documentary filmmakers and ancient-item collectors from the Relic Room ventured into the area after their spring 2020 dinosaur-hunting expedition. Their mission was to investigate a rumor among local ranchers in the region. The Relic Room’s expedition was a long one, since the region spans thousands of square miles inaccessible by vehicle, so the team went prepared with food and water, along with gear and camera equipment.

The rumors from local ranchers turned out to be invaluable information. The team found evidence of an ancient civilization and encountered some artifacts that helped tell the story of the Puebloan people. Some ancient items discovered include dinosaur gastroliths, which were used as raw materials for tools. They also encountered ancient structures, such as a granary with some residual corncobs. This shows that the Puebloans used to store maize and other foodstuffs in granaries.

The ancient Puebloans lived from 700 to 1130 A.D. They moved to the Northwest Colorado region amid a severe drought in what is now northern Mexico and the western US in the 12th century. There, they managed to hide and secure their food and livestock from cattle rustlers and neighboring raiders.

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All About Rocks and Minerals

 

 

Rocks are made up of one or more minerals. Minerals are inorganic (they were never alive) and have an internal structure and chemical composition. These are the solid materials that make up the layers of the Earth. Minerals grow in specific geologic environments ranging from deep within the Earth (higher temperatures and pressures), to near the surface (lower temperatures and pressures). Each mineral has a distinctive set of chemical and physical properties that makes it unique. 

There are three major rock types: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. Igneous rocks, such as granite or basalt, form as a result of a magma (molten rock) that has cooled to form a variety of interlocking crystals. Erosion and weathering cause sediment in rivers and beaches, which over time, can build up and become cemented and compacted to form sedimentary rocks, such as sandstone. Another type of sedimentary rock is limestone, which is made up of small calcite particles formed by marine organisms that build up large reefs in the oceans. Metamorphic rocks form due to changes in the temperature and pressure resulting from a changing geologic environment. For example, if limestone undergoes an intense amount of heat, it becomes the metamorphic rock, marble.

Collections usually differ depending on where the collector is able to search for rocks. In the great interior plains and lowlands of the United States, a wide variety of sedimentary rocks are exposed. Igneous and metamorphic rocks are widespread in the mountains and piedmont areas of New England, the Appalachians, the Western Cordillera, and scattered interior hill lands; igneous rocks make up almost all the land of Hawaii. Along the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains, loose and unconsolidated rocks are widespread; in the northern United States, glaciers deposited many other unconsolidated rocks.

The best-collecting sites are quarries, road cuts or natural cliffs, and outcrops. Open fields and level country are poor places to find rock exposures. Hills and steep slopes are better sites. Almost any exposure of rock provides some collection opportunities, but fresh, unweathered outcrops or manmade excavations offer the best locations. If possible, visit several exposures of the same rock to be sure a representative sample is selected.

A good rock collection consists of selected, representative, properly labeled specimens. The collection can be as large or as small as its owner wishes. An active collection constantly improves as specimens are added or as poor specimens are replaced by better ones. A rock collection might begin with stones picked up from the ground near your home. These stones may have limited variety and can be replaced later by better specimens. Nevertheless, this first step is helpful in training the eye to see diagnostic features of rocks (features by which rocks can be differentiated). As you become more familiar with collecting methods and with geology, the collection will probably take one of two directions. You may try either to collect as many different types of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks as possible or to collect all the related kinds of rocks from your own particular area.

See our page The Relic Room for more information about what you can find in Sevierville, TN.

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