Rockslide Cleanup on Grandfather Mountain
GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN, NC – Cleanup continued this morning on Grandfather Mountain at the site of the March 17 rockslide.
Austin Powder Company blasted the rocks with dynamite three times. After each blast, loose rocks were removed with a track hoe. Enough debris was removed Friday for the park to open to visitors at 2:30 p.m. More blasting is scheduled for Monday morning.
A rockslide occurred during the late hours of March 17 inside the scenic attraction at Grandfather Mountain. The slide was discovered on the lower half of the Mountain just before midnight by a security officer. Large slabs of rock slid down from the hillside and covered the main road just below the Split Rock and the Sphinx Rock.
Geologists at Appalachian State University think the rough winter is probably to blame. With the Mountain experiencing a deep freeze over the past months, ice most likely formed in the cracks causing the rocks to loosen along the foliation. These last few weeks of warmer temperatures and heavy rains melted the ice, and all that was left was for gravity to do the rest and create the slide.
Grandfather Mountain is a 600-acre scenic attraction and nature preserve located near Linville, NC on US Highway 221, one mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 305. For more information phone 800-468-7325 or visit www.grandfather.com.
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P.O. Box 129 - US 221 & Blue Ridge Parkway - Linville, NC - 28646
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