Please Session 2 Vagabonds Tramping through Geology California

Please. .

Session 2 Vagabonds Tramping through Geology: California

Session 2 Week 2: California Geology: weathering & erosion rock types & cycle folding & faulting WEEK 1: New Mexico & Arizona Geology: earth’s composition plate tectonics geologic time sacle

Geologic Processes Weathering&&Erosion - Weathering - Rock Types & Rock Cycle - Folding & Faulting

Weathering & Erosion Carving Landscapes: The Destruction of the Continental Crust Weathering: the destruction of rocks which creates soil & rock debris

Weathering & Erosion What are the products of weathering? Rock Debris & Soils Size classification: Boulders, cobbles, gravel, pebbles, sands, mud Composition: Quartz Sand (silica) Muds (clays: hydrous aluminum silicates) Solutions (mostly Calcium, Carbon, Oxygen)

Weathering & Erosion WEATHERING: How is it done? Water!!! Sun Light Heating and Cooling Acids TIME - TIME

Weathering & Erosion WEATHERING: How is it done? Water!!! Abrasion by. . falling rain flowing streams and rivers

Weathering & Erosion WEATHERING: How is it done? Water!!! Sun Light. . . radiation

Weathering & Erosion WEATHERING: How is it done? Water!!! Sun Light Heating and Cooling. . daily expansion and contraction

Weathering & Erosion WEATHERING: How is it done? Water!!! Sun Light Heating and Cooling Acids Acid Rain (natural) Humic Acid (plant decay)

Weathering & Erosion Carving Landscapes: WEATHERING: How is it done? The Destruction of the Continental Crust Water!!! Weathering: the of rocks Sundestruction Light which creates soil & rock debris Heating and Cooling Acids GEOLOGIC TIME -TIME! TIME

Weathering & Erosion Carving Landscapes: The Destruction of the Continental Crust Weathering: the destruction of rocks which creates soil & rock debris Erosion: the process of moving weathered debris to the oceans along the margins of the continents

Weathering & Erosion Carving Landscapes: The function streams & rivers Theprincipal Destruction of theof. Continental Crust: deliver erosional debris to the oceans Weathering: the destruction of rocks which creates soil & rock debris Erosion: the process of moving weathered debris to the oceans along the margins of the continents

Weathering & Erosion Let‘s see a local example…. The principal function of streams & rivers: deliver erosional debris to the oceans Erosion: the process of moving Austin weathered debris to the oceans along the margins of the continents

Weathering & Erosion Let‘s see a local example…. crosss ection Austin

Weathering & Erosion Liberty Hill Land surface 65 million years ago Taylor Present day Land surface Rocks are weathered & debris moved by ri ers 65 to th e Gulf oyears Layers of sedimentary rocks 145 vto million f Mexicold o Land surface Continental Crust – metamorphic & igneous rocks

Weathering & Erosion Let‘s look at the big picture…. The North American Continent

Weathering & Erosion rivers move rock debris to continental margins rock debris accumulates as layers of sediments Continents are destroyed by Weathering & Erosion

Geologic Processes - Weathering & Erosion - Rock Types & & Rock Cycle - Folding & Faulting

Rock Types & Rock Cycle Topographic Provinces Mountains, Plateaus, and River Low Lands

Rock Types & Rock Cycle Geologic Map strip away: - structures - vegetation - dirt/soils shows: - rocks at surface Topographic Provinces Colors Mountains, Plateaus, show and Riverrocks Low Lands of different: 1. ages 2. types

The Rock Types & Cycle Rock Cycle Colors. Crust show rocks Three Types of Rocks make up the Earth’s - Sedimentary of different: 1. ages Rocks 2. types - Metamorphic Rocks - Igneous Rocks

The Rock Cycle weathering, erosion seashells & shell debris sand clay (mud) Sediments Burial: heat pressure Sedimentary Rocks

The Rock Cycle weathering, erosion Sediments Shells & shell debris limestone Burial: heat pressure Sand sandstone Clay (mud) shale Sedimentary Rocks Common Sedimentary Rock Types

The Rock Cycle weathering, erosion Sediments to Sedimentary Rocks

The Rock Cycle weathering, erosion Sediments to Sedimentary Rocks limestone Sedimentary Rocks sandstone to Metamorphic Rocks shale Marble Quartzite Slate Partial Melting Common Metamorphic Rocks

The Rock Cycle weathering, erosion Sediments to Sedimentary Rocks to Metamorphic Rocks

The Rock Cycle at the surface: molten Lava Metamorphic Rocks to Igneous Rocks weathering, erosion at depth: molten Magmas complete melting Sediments to Sedimentary Rocks to Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks at/near surface: volcanic igneous rocks deeply buried: plutonic igneous rocks

Volcanic Igneous Rocks - dark color at/near surface: - heavy weight - fine grained volcanic igneous rocks Basalt deeply buried: from melted Oceanic Crust rocks plutonic igneous - light color - medium weight - fine grained Rhyolite from melted Continental Crust

Volcanic Plutonic Igneous Rocks at/near surface: volcanic igneous rocks deeply buried: plutonic igneous rocks

Plutonic Igneous Rocks The Rock Cycle Mantle rock Original rock below at/near surface: the earth’s crust volcanic igneous rocksweathering, volcanic igneous erosion Original Continental Crust or melted sandstone & shale Sediments to Sedimentary Rocks plutonic igneous Metamorphic Gabbro Rocks deeply buried: to plutonic. Igneous igneous Rocks rocks Sedimentary Rocks Granite to Metamorphic Rocks

Geologic Processes - Weathering & Erosion - Rock Types & Rock Cycle Folding & & Faulting - Folding

Folding & Faulting Tectonic plate movements, cause rock layers to: - compress - stretch convergent r l k oc s r e ay Anticline

Folding & Faulting Tectonic plate movements, cause rock layers to: - compress - stretch convergent Syncline

Folding & Faulting Tectonic plate movements, cause rock layers to: - compress - stretch convergent Anticline & Syncline

Folding & Faulting Tectonic plate movements, cause rock layers to: - compress - stretch convergent e n la fa p t ul Thrust Fault

Folding & Faulting Tectonic plate movements, cause rock layers to: - compress - stretch convergent u a f tl p e n la Thrust Fault

Folding & Faulting Tectonic plate movements, cause rock layers to: - compress The Normal Fault - stretch convergent divergent ? z i u q a t u o b a w o H e n a f l u a l p t

Folding & Faulting Remember the x-section from Liberty Hill to Taylor?

Folding & Faulting special case: horst & graben fault Is this - anticline - syncline - thrust fault - normal fault

Let’s go to Processes California! Geologic - Weathering & Erosion - Rock Types & Rock Cycle - Folding & Faulting

Let’s go to California! ns ai nt ou m le y t as co al lv ra nt ce de s er ts

ns ai nt ou m co y t as le al lv ra nt ce ts er de s

Mojave Desert: contains the lowest, hottest, driest places in North America rt av Moj se e D e r ve i R do a r o l o C Arizona

y Na lle a V pa e Lak Napa Valley: one of America’s top wine areas with oe > 300 vineyards h a T Yo P. . N ite m e s rt av Moj se e D e r ve i R do a r o l o C Arizona

s os R t or F y lle a V pa Na e ho a T e Lak Yo 1800’s Russian fort growing crops/livestock for Russia’s Alaskan settlements (more in Session 4) P. . N ite m e s rt av Moj se e D e r ve i R do a r o l o C Arizona

Oregon res o f od ts o w Red s os R t or F y Na lle a V pa e ho a T e Lak Yo P. . N ite m e s rt av Moj se e D e r ve i R do a r o l o C Arizona

Oregon res o f od ts o w Red s os R t or ou F m COAST y lle a V pa ns Lak nt ce MOUNTAINS ai nt Na e ho a T e le y t as co al lv ra Yo P. . N ite m e s rt se e D e av Moj de s r a r o l o C er ts ve i R do Arizona

We’re half way through… 51 Let’s stand up for a 2 minute stretch!

California - mountains e ho a T e rra Sie Yo P. . N ite m e s le y t as co al lv ra nt ce MOUNTAINS gh Hi Lak de s er ts

California - mountains e ho a T e rra Sie Yo P. . N ite m e s y t as le co Sierra Nevada Range al lv ra nt ce MOUNTAINS gh Hi Lak de s - 400 miles long er ts - 70 -80 miles wide - granite batholith, formed 225 -80 mya

California - mountains The Rock Cycle volcanic igneous plutonic igneous Igneous Rocks

California - mountains 70 mya 250 mya Mesozoic granite 220 mya 80 mya

California - mountains 70 mya 250 mya MOUNTAINS co - 400 miles long - 70 -80 miles wide 80 - granitic mya batholith t as Sierra Nevada Range

California - mountains N dip gh Hi ce y t as le co Sierra Nevada Range al lv ra rra Sie W nt MOUNTAINS dip - 400 miles long - 70 -80 miles wide - granitic batholith - uplift/tilt about 4 million years bp

California - mountains N gh Hi ce y t as le co Sierra Nevada Range al lv ra rra Sie W nt MOUNTAINS - 400 miles long - 70 -80 miles wide - granitic batholith - uplift/tilt about 4 million years bp

California - mountains from the crest, gh Hi rra Sie le y t as co al lv ra nt ce. . . water flows WEST toward the Pacific Ocean . . . water flows EAST into the Great Basin . . . eroding the Sierra Nevada mountain range

California - mountains North-South elevation gh Hi rra Sie le y t as co al lv ra nt ce

California - mountains North-South elevation gh Hi rra Sie le y t as co al lv ra nt ce

California - mountains North-South elevation S N dip 14, 491’

California - mountains North-South elevation

California - mountains West-East elevation Lake Tahoe Yosemite Mt. Whitney

California - mountains E dip W

California - mountains Mt. Whitney E dip W

California - Yosemite - third oldest national park: established 1890 - area is 1200 sq miles te i m e s o Y s ’ - World re Heritage Site e h W lley? Va - greatest concentration of granite domes in the world!

California - Yosemite Three Erosional Processes in Yosemite Valley. . . - river transport - glacial scouring - rock slope failure te i m e s o Y s ’ e r e h W lley? Va

California - Yosemite Merced River & tributaries

California - Yosemite CONTOUR MAP - each line represents a constant elevation - widely spaced lines = gentle slopes - closely spaced lines = steep slopes Merced River Yosemite Valley 4000’ elevation steep granite cliffs 6000 -8000’ elevation

California - Yosemite CONTOUR MAP - each line represents a constant elevation - widely spaced lines = gentle slopes - closely spaced lines = steep slopes Merced River Yosemite Valley 4000’ elevation steep granite cliffs 6000 -8000’ elevation

California - Yosemite geologic process: erosion

California - Yosemite Geology ROCKS our world!

California - Yosemite Three Erosional Processes in Yosemite Valley. . - River transport - glacial scouring

California - Yosemite CONTOUR MAP Le Capitan Half Dome steep granite cliffs 6000 -8000’ high

California - Yosemite years ago. . . - about deep 1 million U-shaped valleys - steep mountain sides - hanging valley waterfalls geologic process: glacial scouring

California - Yosemite u-shaped valleys steep mountains waterfalls

California - Yosemite geologic process: glacial scouring

California - Yosemite - Half Dome Hike elevation gain: 4800’ 17 miles, 10 -12 hours 1919: cables installed 50000 people/year

California - Yosemite Three Erosional Processes in Yosemite Valley. . Mirror Lake - river transport - glacial scouring -Elrock slope failure Capitan “one of most effective processes for re-shaping mountain landscapes” caused by: earth quakes climate events

California - Yosemite El Capitan Rock Fall 2009 scientific study of an ancient rock fallnose Nose Greg Stock: Nat’l Park Service Robert Uhrhammer : Berkeley Seismologic Laboratory

California - Yosemite El Capitan Rock Fall Nose

California - Yosemite El Capitan Rock Fall 40 m 500 m X 5 m 550 m X 15 m 470 m X 10 m

California - Yosemite El Capitan Rock Fall geologic mapping & age-dating analysis identified avalanche source area near summit

California - Yosemite STUDY RESULTS: El Capitan Rock Fall - massive rock avalanche from El Capitan - occurred about 3, 600 years ago - rock face fell 650 meters (~2000’) - more than 2, 190, 000 m 3 (1 square mile, 3’ deep) - probable cause: magnitude >7. 0 earthquake - hazard of rock avalanches remains present since 1857: > 600 rock slides-falls-avalanches in Yosemite Nat’l Park

California - Yosemite Mirror Lake

California - Yosemite th n o 1 m arrival! r u o e r o f be

California - Yosemite Geology ROCKS our world!

Three Geologic Processes California Yosemite in Yosemite Valley. . . glacial scouring rock slope failure river transport

California - mountains Mt. Whitney Lake Tahoe Basin Horst & Graben Yosemite

California - mountains E dip W

California – Lake Tahoe - 72 miles of shoreline - 22 miles long - 12 miles wide - 1, 645’ deep (second deepest lake in US) Geologic Processes Today: Earthquakes & Landslides

California – Lake Tahoe - 72 miles of shoreline - 22 miles long - 12 miles wide - 1, 645’ deep (second deepest lake in US) Geologic Processes Today: Earthquakes & Landslides

California – Lake Tahoe Earthquakes 2009 Study by Scripps Oceanographic Institute - new data on active faults - North Tahoe Fault - West Tahoe Fault - using seismic imaging: measured the throw (offset) of the fault - using sediment cores: Normal fault determined age of most recent quakes From: Dingler at al. , 2009, Geological Society Amer Bull. , v. 121. , no. 7/8

California – Lake Tahoe Earthquakes 2009 Study by Scripps Oceanographic Institute STUDY RESULTS: - Lake Tahoe quakes occur @ 2000 -3000 year intervals - West Tahoe fault is ‘near end of cycle’ “Lake Tahoe region is past due for a +7 earthquake”

California – Lake Tahoe Landslides large landslide on western shore >5000 ya 4. 5 miles 5. 5 s ile m large blocks withindistal debris area areisup about to 60‘ 45’high thick

California – Lake Tahoe Landslides A computer simulation of how this landslide would have looked. . . ACTION V I E W Click here to start simulation (internet must be available)

California – Lake Tahoe with earthquakes, landslides, & tsumamis driving the lakeshore. . . picnicing at the beach. . geology COULD ROCK hiking the trails. . . our world!

California - coast Redwood forests nt ce ra y er lle n. Ssi ahi va nitg t al r as ou. H m COAST co de se rt s

California - coast Redwood forests 10 -20’ diameter ra y er lle n. Ssi ahi va l nitg t as ou. H m over 350’ tall 2, 000 yr lifespan ra nt ce W co hy ? ? ? California-Oregon Coast: only place with giant redwoods de se rt s

California – Coast most recent 250 million years 25 150 Geologic Time Line ‘Golden age of redwoods’ evidence of fossil redwood cones

California – Coast glaciers advanced warm & humid mountains rose colder and drier only redwood 3 redwood species across survive northern global hemisphere cooling coastal redwoods giant sequoia dwarf redwood

California – Coast ? s u t s I s s hi io r e

California – Coast i? m a n u “most seismically active region in the s t United States. ” d e s s i th 1964 tsunami inundated Crescent City, Ca u a c - wavesat 20’ high h - 11 Wdeaths - $8 million damages

California – Coast er t n e c i p e e k a a k s u a q l A th r n a e er h 4 t 6 in 19 in sou i m a n su rnia t , r o f e i l t la n Ca s r 5 h rther no

California – Coast geology MIGHT ROCK our camper!

California – Coast

dreaming of geology. . California – Coast landslide geology erosion glacial scouring rocks! tsumani rock fall

Next week – Session 3 Vagabonds Tramping through Geology: Oregon & Washington

REFERENCES www. Wikipedia. com www. worldatlas. com http: //uregina. ca/~sauchyn/geog 323/weather. html http: //www. consrv. ca. gov/cgs_history/Publishing. Images/GMC_750 k_Map. Release_page. jpg http: //www. far-flung. co. uk/california/images/California_regions_map. jpg http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Mojave_Desert http: //www. sierranevadaphotos. com/geography/sierra_cross_section. asp http: //www. sierranevadaphotos. com/geography/sierra_crest. asp http: //www. inetours. com/Yosemite_Map. html http: //www. pickatrail. com/sun/y/america/topo_map/yosemite/map. html Gardner, et al. 1998. USGS Open File Report 98 -509 http: //www. millennium-ark. net/NEWS/09_Earth_Changes/090512. Tahoe. big. EQ. html http: //www. scotese. com/miocene. htm http: //books. google. com/books? hl=en&lr=&id=7 WOJe. AN_4 UEC&oi=fnd&pg=PR 11&dq=redwood+forest+in+miocene&ots=0 r. IWyd. I 8 D 4&sig=gq. NKOJd. FId Uii. Ce. Ng. Ma. MZg 7 pt 6 k#v=onepage&q=redwood%20 forest%20 in%20 miocene&f=false http: //mattebioreview. pbworks. com/f/geologic%20 time%20 scale. gif http: //www. redwood. forestthreats. org/forest. htm http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=D 8 Py 3 Xg. RMkk&feature=related http: //ceres. ca. gov/tcsf/tahoe-local/geology. html http: //geology. com/press-release/pacific-tsunami-threat/ http: //www. google. com/imgres? imgurl=http: //open. salon. com/blog/beverlyjraffaele/ http: //www. yosemitevacation. com/hd_gallery-images/halfdome-jc-06 -03 -08. jpg http: //www. dailynugget. com/images/half_dome_cables. jpg http: //icons-ecast. wunderground. com/data/wximagenew/y/Yosemite. Viewer/13. jpg http: //farm 1. static. flickr. com/81/265651959_ee 612 fd 6 c 0. jpg http: //www. terntec. com/hiking_half_dome. htm ‘Catastrophe Rock Avalanche from El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, California’, Stock & Uhrhammer, Earth Surface Process Landforms, Volume 35, 941 -951 (2010) ‘The Redwood Forest: History, Ecology, Conservation of the Coast Redwoods’ edited Reed Noss, copyright 2000, Save the Redwoods League ‘Redwood: the Story Behind the Scenery’ Richard Rasp, 2007, KC Publications ‘Fort Ross’, editors: Kalani, Rudy, Sperry. Fort Ross Interpretative Association