Category Archives: Geology & Natural Formations

Introduction to the Geology of Death Valley

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Introduction to the Geology of Death Valley

Perhaps nowhere else on earth is geology better observed and studied than in Death Valley. The Valley may seem like a place where time has stood still for hundreds of millions of years, but the geologic story here is complex and reveals a land torn by great physical changes.

An introduction to the Geology of Death Valley by Michael Collier captures the drama of the processes that are constantly changing Death Valley’s landscape. He creatively weaves an account of Death Valley’s one-hundred-and-forty-year mining history into the one-and-a-half-billion-year geologic history of the Valley. Through these stories and his perceptive observations of a slowly evolving landscape, there emerges a fresh perspective on Death Valley.

Michael Collier describes flash floods which create broad, fan-shaped deposits of sand, gravel, and boulders; volcanoes blasting forth great volumes of ash that once blanketed the surrounding mountains and valleys; warm, shallow seas that extended over thousands of square miles. He describes a region rent by great earthquakes that pushed up mountain ranges and sand valleys; where thick sheets of solid rock have been pushed sideways for miles or gently slid down sloping mountain fronts; where the earth’s forces have folded, crushed, or moved great masses of rock. As he so well puts it, “The soil of Death Valley – tough scorched, and salt-ridden – has been very fertile for geologic thought.”

Commissioned by the Death Valley Natural History Association, Collier accomplished the goal of taking a complex, and sometimes controversial, geology and transforming it into a story, the essence of solid natural history writing.

AbeBooks.com — affiliates.abebooks.com/rn559R

Old Geology

Antelope Valley Physiography

Notes from: WATER RESOURCES OF THE ANTELOPE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA.
By Harry R. Johnson – 1911

The physiographic history of the buttes and heights of land east of the Antelope Valley is obscure. No such striking evidence of the origin of the region as that just presented for the Rosamond Buttes was found, yet erosion seems inadequate to fully explain the topography. It is tentatively suggested that this region of irregular buttes and shallow intervening valleys has been less deformed by depression or elevation than either Antelope Valley or the marginal ranges.

Figure 1 is a purely theoretic representation of what are believed to be the main blocks and faults involved in the production of the larger physiographic features of the Antelope Valley region. The small northwestward-dipping block in front of the Portal Ridge block, represents the Antelope Buttes near Fairmont. As the tuffs on the west side of these buttes dip at angles of 35° to 55° northwestward a direction at right angles to the San Gabriel fault system—it is assumed that the underlying granite has been tilted in accordance with the Tehachapi rather than the San Gabriel faults.


Vasquez Rocks – Photos

View of the principal formation from the west.
The typical, iconic side is on the east capturing the morning sun.
The entire look of the place may change in just a few footsteps.
This place is a maze with countless places to stay out of sight. If I were a movie director I would want to film here. If I were a robber I believe I should find this a good place to hideout.
Ample dining facilities–especially if you do not mind sharing–a table, or your sandwich.

Hole-in-the-Wall

***** PICNIC TABLE GEOLOGY PRESENTS *****
30-second seminars — by Some Guy

Hole-in-the-Wall – Mojave National Preserve

About 18.5 million years ago one day everything was blah, blah, blah and then all of a sudden . . . POOOM!

Hot, suffocating ash buried every living thing in the path of the blast. An area of over 600 km2 was covered with ash and rock fragments so hot that they welded together after they reached the ground. The toasted and fossilized remains of birds, mammals, and plants lie entombed beneath the volcanic tuff that forms the colorful cliffs of Hole-in-the-Wall.

https://digital-desert.com/a/hole-in-the-wall/

Technology Advancements in Wells

from; A Quick History of Water Wells

by Hanna Landis

Until the early 19th century, water wells were still dug by hand. In 1808 in the United States, mechanical drilling was invented by the Ruffner Brothers. The Ruffner Brothers successfully first used mechanical drilling in Charleston, West Virginia to access water and salt at Great Buffalo Lick. This invention allowed many more wells to be drilled efficiently all over America.

By the 1820s and 1830s, auger boring machines came on the scene. These machines allowed wells to be drilled deeper and for the water to remain uncontaminated as it came up through pipes made of the first iteration of steel. By the early 20th-century rotary drilling technology became standard after the invention of the roller cone drill bit in 1908 by Howard Hughes Sr. Hughes invention is still used today for many types of drilling.

The 1940s brought the invention of portable drilling tools – until then they were all platform-based. And that brings us to the technology that is still in use today.

Hodge, Ca.

End of the River

Sink of the Mojave River, Afton Canyon, Soda Lake

Rather than growing wider and emptying into the sea the Mojave River becomes smaller and smaller finding its way in the sand between the cobbles and rocks curling into crescent -shaped dark meanders and swales transitioning to dry sand and finally, collections of same sized stones.

Mojave River https://digital-desert.com/mojave-river/

A Striking Image

A survivor yucca grows out of a cleft appearing to be damaged from a high-speed contact. Taken during the last sliver of direct sunlight of the day. I thought the little shrub exquisite and beautiful. The granite, reddish and perfect–the light was a shear veil laid like a blessing. All the way from my birth and experiences and all the way from the time before time began when the stone was born and born again and again under oceans and earth and heat and wear. All the way from then through the life of the thing, growing its spikes like crazily splashed slashes of bold green paint contrasted on a red canvas, its sacred moment, its peak of existence. Pause, then slowly, deeply, exhale.

Rainbow Basin

It took me a bit before I realized I had not been breathing. . .

Rainbow Basin
https://digital-desert.com/rainbow-basin/

“There is sparse plant life here in the ancient soils. The land has been dropped and twisted and filled with sediments layered by lakes long ago. Several small faults run through the area yanking and grinding the basin into its current mismanaged buttonhole configuration.”

~ BLM

Geology of the Stoddard Ridge Area

WEST CENTRAL MOJAVE DESERT, SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY CALIFORNIA (Abstract)

Stoddard Ridge is a prominent landmark south of Barstow California in the west central Mojave Desert area.
 
The 35 square mile area was mapped in detail at a scale of 1:12,000. The geology is far more complex than depicted on all older published maps. The new mapping adds significant new data regarding the variety of rocks present, and adds new details on the geologic structure and complex geologic history of the area.
 
Several packages of rocks are exposed. At the east end of the ridge the oldest rocks are exposed and include PreCambrian basement gneiss complex, metamorphosed intrusive rocks, and possible Late Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks (schist units). The central part of the ridge exposes several sequences of steeply dipping Mid Jurassic Lower Sidewinder volcanic (JLSV) rocks, and younger (JLSV) rhyolite dome complex that includes extrusive, flow banded and massive hypabyssal intrusives. The western portion of Stoddard Ridge is largely heterogeneous Mid Jurassic plutonic rocks (post JLSV) which form a steeply dipping sheeted intrusive complex, that includes diorite, granodiorite, quartz monzonite and felsite. Plutonic and to a lesser degree volcanic rocks are cut by numerous younger mafic and felsic dikes correlated with the Independence dike swarm of Late Jurassic age. The eastern part of the ridge has been intruded by homogeneous Mid Jurassic plutonic rocks, and Cretaceous granitic intrusive rocks are exposed along the southwestern base of Stoddard Ridge. Several ages of Late Cenozoic alluvial units were also differentiated in mapping.

Geologic structure is complex, the result of several deformational events including shearing, folding, faulting, intrusion and metamorphism of pre Mid Jurassic age, followed by multiple Mid Jurassic age volcanic, intrusive and deformation (folding and faulting) events, and younger Cenozoic age faulting. Most bedrock units have a northwest trending structural grain which likely formed in Jurassic time. Suspected concealed faults are present under alluvium. Several prominant young northwest trending high angle faults are present on the south side of the ridge and can be seen to cut alluvium.

BROWN, Howard J.
Cordilleran Section – 109th Annual Meeting (20-22 May 2013)

geologic time scale

Defining the Garlock Fault

Step 1: Locate Garlock fault alignment

Garlock fault located and highlighted on geology map

Garlock fault located and highlighted on geology map

Step 2: Review alignment transfered to overlays

Garlock fault overlay on satellite image

Garlock fault overlay on satellite image

Garlock fault overlay on terrain map

Garlock fault overlay on terrain map

Garlock fault overlay on USGS topographic map

Step 3: Locate eastern end of fault.

By word of mouth and small scale maps the eastern end of the fault appears to be located just west of Salt Springs, which is on state highway 127 between Baker and Shoshone, California near Dumont Dunes.

(still working on it)

[huge_it_gallery id=”16″]

 

Stoddard Ridge (Sawtooth)

I had heard that the rocks in the Sawtooth area were of an unlikely composite origin.  So, I asked a friend to send me an abstract of the geology (as if I would understand it).

The following abstract seems to indicate that the geologic complexity of this area is more intricate than even geologists previously thought.  It looks as if there are several kinds of rocks introduced through widely varying events from as far back as 1.5 billion years up to as recently as 66 million years ago combining unlikely materials to form the obviously unique Stoddard Ridge.

Now, since I have mostly no idea on what I am talking about I will keep going out there and studying the area to see if I can ever understand it.

ABSTRACT
GEOLOGY OF THE STODDARD RIDGE AREA, WEST CENTRAL MOJAVE DESERT, SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY CALIFORNIA — BROWN, Howard J. – Omya -Lucerne Valley, CA – May 2013

Stoddard Ridge is a prominent landmark south of Barstow California in the west central Mojave Desert area. The 35 square mile area was mapped in detail at a scale of 1:12,000. The geology is far more complex than depicted on all older published maps. The new mapping adds significant new data regarding the variety of rocks present, and adds new details on the geologic structure and complex geologic history of the area.Several packages of rocks are exposed. At the east end of the ridge the oldest rocks are exposed and include PreCambrian basement gneiss complex, metamorphosed intrusive rocks, and possible Late Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks (schist units). The central part of the ridge exposes several sequences of steeply dipping Mid Jurassic Lower Sidewinder volcanic (JLSV) rocks, and younger (JLSV) rhyolite dome complex that includes extrusive, flow banded and massive hypabyssal intrusives. The western portion of Stoddard Ridge is largely heterogeneous Mid Jurassic plutonic rocks (post JLSV) which form a steeply dipping sheeted intrusive complex, that includes diorite, granodiorite, quartz monzonite and felsite. Plutonic and to a lesser degree volcanic rocks are cut by numerous younger mafic and felsic dikes correlated with the Independence dike swarm of Late Jurassic age. The eastern part of the ridge has been intruded by homogeneous Mid Jurassic plutonic rocks, and Cretaceous granitic intrusive rocks are exposed along the southwestern base of Stoddard Ridge. Several ages of Late Cenozoic alluvial units were also differentiated in mapping.

Geologic structure is complex, the result of several deformational events including shearing, folding, faulting, intrusion and metamorphism of pre Mid Jurassic age, followed by multiple Mid Jurassic age volcanic, intrusive and deformation (folding and faulting) events, and younger Cenozoic age faulting. Most bedrock units have a northwest trending structural grain which likely formed in Jurassic time. Suspected concealed faults are present under alluvium. Several prominant young northwest trending high angle faults are present on the south side of the ridge and can be seen to cut alluvium.

 

 

Victor Valley Volcano

The Wheeler map made in the 1880s shows a volcano between what is Victorville and Barstow.

The questions is; Is the “Volcano” either Stoddard Mountain or Bell Mountain?

Wheeler map 1880s Mojave Desert

Volcano location on 1880s map.

Stoddard Mountain and Bell Mountain (USGS map.

This USGS map shows the location of both Stoddard Mountain (yellow dot) and Bell Mountain (blue dot).

Both maps are superimposed and reconciled to critical match points.

The USGS map layer is replaced with the 1880s map layer and the layer with the location dots is turned on.

 So it looks as if the “Volcano” is nowadays known as Stoddard Mountain.

Stoddard Mountain

Stoddard Mountain

Maybe next time; Is Stoddard Mountain a real volcano?

The High Desert Illusion

Does this …
… Blow your mind?

profile of elevations in the cajon pass - chard walker
— Cajon Junction (el. 2950′) at I-15 and Hwy. 138 is actually at about a 300′ higher elevation than Victorville (el. 2650′). The slope from the summit to Victorville is gradual, not as noticeable, and provides us with the illusion that we are further up than we actually are.

 

Cushenbury Canyon

Mining History of Cushenbury Canyon
& its Impact on the Victor Valley

Kaiser Cement, Lucerne Valley, CA.

Mitsubishi Cement Corp.

The gold discovery in Holcomb Valley in 1860 brought a rush of fortune seekers to the Victor Valley including some foreign interests.  The English  family of Del Mar’s had a significant impact on Cushenbury Canyon. Holcomb Valley miners affected California history by participating in their own Civil War actions and may have left treasure in their wake.

World War II ended the golden era and Cushenbury Canyon but initiated another mineral rush. The postwar California population boom brought about the industrial minerals revolution fueled by the construction industry.

Kaiser Cement built a cement plant and Cushenbury Canyon as an indirect result of the decision by an American General during World War II. The facility was modernized in 1982 and Mitsubishi Cement Corp. purchased the plant 1988. Today Mitsubishi Cement Corporation Cushenbury Plant is one of the leading industries in the Victor Valley.

The industrial minerals boom has a direct impact on everyone’s lives here in the US. The industrial minerals mined in the Victor Valley fuel the economy in California. San Bernardino County provides largest source mineral commodities in the US. ” If it can’t be grown, it has to be mined!”  the mining industry provides the “stuff”  to make the “things” we need to continue our lifestyle.

The Mohahve Muse – Volume 4, Issue 3 – March 2001 – Mohahve Historical Society
Leo Lyman – President

Trona Pinnacles – Favorite Places

Favorite Places – Trona Pinnacles:
At one time, geologically speaking, not long ago, the Mojave had many large lakes fed by water from glacial melting. The Pinnacles show the most obvious evidence of this with its tufa towers extending to where the surface of the water once was.

Photo of Trona Pinnacles, Searles Dry Lake, Trona, California

Trona Pinnacles, Searles Dry Lake

Rose Quartz & Rice Grass

I’m not sure about the composition of the Kelso Dunes in the Mojave Preserve. The link I provide in the following states that the dunes are from different sources, stacked together. Now, I have a freind that seems more than knowledgeable about these things, and he told me the dunes were made primarily of rose quartz. That he had taken a microscope to the dunes once and examined a sample of the sand grains. He told me these grains of sand were curiously perfectly spherical, and that may account for the ‘booming’ quality of the dunes.

Maybe they are from several different sources as the link claims. I’m not a geologist or expert in eolian forces. It’s all interesting to me, but for now I’ve chosen to run with saying the dunes are composed generally of rose quartz. Why? Well, because it sounds cool, and, because I can.

photo of Kelso Sand Dunes

Kelso Dunes in the Mojave National Preserve

Desert People – Bob Reynolds

Bob Reynolds, the one-time earth sciences curator for the San Bernardino County Museum and lifelong explorer of the geology and paleontology of the Mojave Desert is the only dude I know that has had a mineral named after him–reynoldsite.

In this shot Bob is talking about fossil deer tracks and how they may have come to be at this undisclosed location in the Mojave Desert millions of years after they were made.
Bob Reynolds
Geology icon immortalized with mineral:
http://www.pe.com/articles/mineral-652961-reynolds-kampf.html

 

The Man who Mapped California

Thomas Wilson Dibblee, Jr. (1911-2004)

Tom Dibblee was born in 1911 in Santa Barbara, California. He first became interested in geology in 1929, when his father hired a geologist to investigate the oil potential on the family property. After Tom graduated from Stanford University, he spent 16 years working for oil companies and then 25 years working for the U.S. Geological Survey. Much of this time was spent alone in the field making geologic maps of California. Tom retired in 1977 and became a Research Associate with the University of California Santa Barbara, and, at the request of the U.S. Forest Service, he began mapping the 1.2 million acres of the Los Padres National Forest. During his career, he mapped over 40,000 square miles of  California (about a quarter of the state), a feat that probably will never be equaled. Tom was the first man to map the entire San Andreas Fault. In fact, his early work  on the fault indicated that it had moved more than  300 miles, and this became a critical piece to  understanding plate tectonics.

The nonprofit Thomas Wilson Dibblee Jr. Geological Foundation was created to publish and distribute his maps.

Tom received the U.S. Geological Survey Distinguished Service Award in 1967, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ Human Needs Award in 1981, and the Presidential Volunteer Action Award from President Reagan in 1983.

Tom passed away on November 24, 2004.

source – USGS

The San Andreas Fault

Malapai Hill

Malapai Hill, Geology Tour Road, Joshua Tree National Park
The twin peaks of Malapai Hill rise about 400 feet above the valley floor. The black basalt that composes the hill is …  click the photo for more information …

Malapai Hill - Joshua Tree National Park

 Malapai Hill

Genesis

Sometimes the genesis of a spring may not look like much because it may not be much.  The beginning point of a spring can be just a beginning, a wet spot with a little greenery and some crusty dried vegetation around it.

Genesis of Marl Spring

Genesis of Marl Spring

Ubehebe Crater

Ubehebe (yoo-bee-hee-bee) Crater is said to be the basket that the Paiute people emerged from during creation to populate the world. Geologically, Ubebehe is a maar volcano formed by a steam explosion roughly 3,000 years ago. Geographically, the crater is located 5 miles off of Scotty’s Castle road in northern Death Valley National Park.

More about the Ubehebe Craters

Ubehebe Crater