Tour - Parsons Cemetery Geology Tour

Parsons Cemetery Geology Tour

Salisbury, Maryland 21801, United States

Created By: Salisbury University

Tour Information

Come see the beautiful diversity of minerals which constitute the gravestones of Parsons Cemetery. From igneous to metamorphic rock, this tour will visit 30 gravestones and provide insite to the look, texture, and durability of minerals in this open environment.

Tour Map

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What You'll See on the Tour

Brown Mausoleum

We start our geologic tour at the largest and most obvious mausoleum in the cemetery. Virtually all of the markers in Parsons Cemetery are made of rock. So, what is a rock? A rock is a naturally-occurring substance made up of one or more di... Read more

Tuttle

Here is another example of an igneous rock. This one has a darker red color, and that’s because it is dominantly composed of a pink mineral called feldspar. In fact, all of the igneous rocks in Parsons are composed of some combination of ... Read more

Adkins

Although the red and pink markers are very pretty, you will find that most of the markers in Parsons are grey, like this one here. The key difference is the absence of the pink feldspar minerals. This rock is made exclusively of white, grey... Read more

Leona E. Adkins

This rock would be called a monzonite, which has a darker gray color than the marker at Stop 3. But there is another key difference between this marker and the previous one. They have different sized crystals. Some igneous rocks have bigger... Read more

Kelley

This rock is also phaneritic in texture, but the crystals are smaller than at Stop 4. It is also a granodiorite based on its composition.

Robertson

This rock is a granite, but it is also a good example of a pegmatitic igneous rock. The pink feldspar crystals in this marker are quite large in size. The black minerals are called hornblende.

Sirman

This rock is an excellent example of a rock with a porphyritic texture, one of the only ones in Parsons. It has very large albite crystals, while the other minerals are considerably smaller. This rock would be called a porphyritic monzonite... Read more

Smith

This rock has very small crystals and would be called a granodiorite. It is one of the lightestcolored markers in the cemetery. It also has not been polished.

Purnell

Now for something new. In contrast to the lighter-colored igneous rocks you have seen so far, this one is very dark in color. This is a good example of a gabbro. If you look closely, you can see the individual crystals, which means it is ph... Read more

Parker

This marker has small crystals and is called a diorite. You can see it has a mixture of dark hornblende minerals and light albite minerals.

Toadvin

This marker would also be called a diorite and it is similar in composition to the rock at Stop 10. In this case, there are more white minerals (albite) and less darker minerals (hornblende and anorthite), which gives it an overall lighter ... Read more

Brenizer

Here we have a marker which is very different from anything you’ve already seen on the tour to this point. This is a new type of rock called a metamorphic rock. Metamorphic rocks are commonly used for cemetery markers as well as kitchen c... Read more

Booth

This marker is a diorite, and it is similar to the rocks at stops 10 and 11. What makes this marker different are the long, slender white minerals, which give the rock a different look.

Ball

This marker is another good example of a monzonite. Many of the dark grey markers in Parsons are monzonites.

Booth

This is one of the most unusual markers in Parsons. It is not made of stone, but instead, it is made of zinc. The pieces would have been formed in a mold and then welded together. They are cheaper than monuments made of stone, and resistant... Read more

Jackson

This marker is made a metamorphic rock called marble. Many of the markers in Parsons, especially the older markers, are made of marble. Marble is made of a mineral called calcite. Calcite is the same mineral that clams and snails use to mak... Read more

Doody

This distinctive marker is made of a pink marble. Marble comes in a range of colors including white, grey, blueish-grey and tan. Most of the marble markers in Parsons are white and/or grey.

Taylor

Being able to tell the difference between a marble and an igneous rock like granite can be challenging. Lucky for us, we have examples of each sitting side-by-side at Stop 18. The marker on the left is made of pink marble, while the marker ... Read more

Bozman

This is another example of a marble. This marble also has the dark streaks running through it. Marble starts out its life as a sedimentary rock called limestone. Limestone, which is also made of calcite crystals, commonly forms in warm, sha... Read more

Goslee-Mitchell

Although marble is a very attractive stone which can be easily carved into different shaped markers, it has one major problem. Calcite is a mineral which readily dissolves in the presence of acidic water. Unfortunately, rainwater is slightl... Read more

Kennerly

That doesn’t mean igneous rocks aren’t susceptible to weathering over time. The marker at this stop is made of granodiorite, but you can see the weathering process has stained it and moss is growing on it. Mosses and lichens can break r... Read more

Benedict

Now that we’ve discussed the basic principles of rocks, and discussed which types are used for markers, we’re going to explore some more examples of markers in Parsons. This pretty crypt is made of granite.

Chatham

At first, this marker may look like it is an igneous rock, but in fact this is another example of a gneiss. You can tell it is a gneiss because the minerals are lined up in large bands. In general, if you see a rock which is made of differe... Read more

Kane

This marker is a one-of-a-kind in Parsons. The blueish color is from a mineral called labradorite. Labradorite is a mineral which has a pretty, iridescent blue color when viewed from the right angle. This is what gives this igneous rock its... Read more

Bailey Mausoleum

This mausoleum is made of granite, but it has a unique feature that makes it different from the other granite markers in Parsons. To see what I mean, look at the west-facing side of the mausoleum and look for the large dark mass as shown ab... Read more

Nelson

This is another example of a gneiss. You can tell it is a gneiss because the minerals are lined up in bands.

May

Although this marker isn’t the most colorful, it has a most unusual feature. Just like at Stop 24, this marker also has labradorite minerals in it. As it so happens, one crystal is orientated in just the right way such that the bright blu... Read more

Kiley

This is a good example of a granite, and this particular granite has a light pink color which is not common in Parsons.

Smith

This is another example of a gabbro. This gabbro is unusual because it is made of flat, slender crystals of dark grey anorthite. There are also some black-colored crystals of hornblende.

Goodge

We have arrived at the final stop on this tour. This is yet another example of a gabbro. This gabbro is unusual because it has a mixture of different shaped crystals. There is no other marker like this in Parsons.

The End

We hope you have enjoyed this geologic tour and that you have gained a deeper appreciation for the markers in Parsons Cemetery and the variety of rocks they are made of. Below is a summary of the concepts we covered on this tour: What is a ... Read more