Highfill resident is caretaker for unique stones found in region

HIGHFILL — Glenn Smith, 76, of Highfill, is the caretaker for some unique rocks found in the region.

One of those stones is a large rock which resembles the back of a turtle but it’s not a bunch of stones mounted in mortar but a single stone with grooves apparently cut in the stone by water. Smith said the stone was found by a friend of his on Mission Mountain near Westville, Okla. — at the end of the Trail of Tears, Smith said. He said his friend dug the unique stone out of the mountain.

Smith said the stones, called turtle rocks, are more often found in the Arkansas River Valley, but this one was considerably further north.

The Arkansas Geological Survey Blog, at https://arkansasgeological.wordpress.com/tag/turtlerocks, has a photo of larger “turtle rocks” at the Petit Jean State Park.

The blog states that “‘Turtle Rocks’ are unique, mounded polygonal structures that resemble turtle shells. These features are found along the Arkansas River Valley in the Hartshorne Sandstone, a brown to light gray, massive, medium-grained sandstone deposited during the Pennsylvanian Period by ancient river systems. The processes that generate ‘turtle rocks’ are not clearly understood. One explanation suggests that these features were created by a process known as spheroidal weathering, a form of chemical weathering that occurs when water percolates through the rock and between individual sand grains. These grains loosen and separate from the rock, especially along corners and edges where the most surface area is

exposed, which widens the rock’s natural fractures creating a rounded, turtle-like shape. Additionally, iron is leached from the rock and precipitated at the surface creating a weathering rind known as case hardening. These two processes along with the polygonal joint pattern contribute to this weathering phenomenon.”

Many Christian geologists attribute such geological rock formations to the Genesis Flood of nearly 4,400 years ago, which could also provide an explanation for a second unique stone belonging to Smith.

According to Smith, a large and rather heavy stone with a band through it was identified by a local high school science teacher as likely being the fossilized backbone of a whale. But this fossil was found far from any ocean.

Smith said the stone was found on the Danny Blair Farm, which is now the site of the Northwest Arkansas National Airport in Highfill. He said the farm had been in the Blair family since 1792. He said the stone was found about a mile north of the south entrance to the airport. Smith said Blair gave him the large stone.

Westside Eagle Observer/RANDY MOLL This rock was found on the Danny Blair Farm, now the location of Northwest Arkansas National Airport, according to Glenn Smith. Smith said it was identified as the backbone of a whale by a local science teacher.

Westside Eagle Observer/RANDY MOLL Though it looks as if someone used mortar to join together these rocks to resemble a turtle’s back, it is a rock formation called a turtle rock, according to Glenn Smith of Highfill. Smith said the stone was dug out of Mission Mountain near Westville, Okla. The unique design appears to be cut into the stone by rivulets of water on the surface of the stone.