Geology
of California��������� ����������������������� ����������������������� ����������� ����������� Robert Lopez
Read
pp. 125-140 in Harden and browse the remaining portions of Chapter 7.
1)
In
what direction is the Basin and Range faulting migrating in California, what
kind of faults are most common, what is the stress environment, and what may be
the ultimate cause of Basin and Range faulting?
2)
How
much extension has there been in Death Valley, and approximately what is the
present rate of extension?
3)
Sketch
a graben and half graben.
4)
Briefly
discuss the 1872 Owens Valley earthquake (p. 128).� Mention its magnitude and the geological significance of the
fault (i.e. Range Front Faults).
5)
What
two major faults form the NW and SW boundaries of the Mojave Desert?
6)
Describe
the general geographic extent of the Basin and Range province (e.g. east to
Utah, south to Sonora, see fig. 7-2 in Harden).
7)
What
are fault scarps?
8)
What
are detachment faults (p. 132)?
9)
What
are Metamorphic Core Complexes?� What do
we call these in Death Valley (p. 135)?
10)
What
is mylonite?
11)
What
is the origin for recent volcanism along range-front faults in the Basin and
Range province (p. 137)?
12)
What
does the Basement Geology of the Basin and Range/Mojave provinces tell us about
California�s geologic history (two events)?
13)
What
does the Pahrump Group tell us about California�s geologic history?
14)
What
do the Noonday/Ibex Dolomites and Jonnies/Sterline Quartzites tell us about
California�s geologic history?
�Don�t miss� points in Death
Valley National Park:
Dante�s
View.� Finest view of the Valley and
Panamint Range.� Best in morning.
Titus
Canyon.� Drive through a deep canyon in
the Amargosa Range.� Off-road.� Need a high clearance vehicle but not
four-wheel drive.
Ubehebe
Crater. A maar volcano formed by steam explosions a few thousand years ago.
A few of the sights to see
in the Lone Pine area of the Owens Valley:
Whitney
Portals Road.� Drive to an elevation of
~8300 ft. and the Mt. Whitney trailhead.
Alabama
Hills.� Thousands of rounded granite
outcrops and boulders.� Site of many
famous movies and favorite location for photo workshops.
Owens
Dry Lake and the Alabama Gates of the Los Angeles Aqueduct.
Grave
site of the 1872 earthquake victims and the fault scarp (see Sharp and Glazner
below for location of scarp).
Manzanar.� Internment camp for Japanese-Americans
during World War II.� If your go, be
sure to go to the cemetery in the back of the camp.
Recommended Readings:
Walking California�s Desert
Parks: A Day Hikers Guide, by John McKinney
Geology Underfoot in Death
Valley and Owens Valley, by Robert Sharp and Allen Glazner
Deepest Valley: A Guide to
Owens Valley, Its Roadsides and Mountain Trails: by Genny Smith.� A classic on the area but may be out of
print.
Basin and Range, by John McPhee.�