tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-162894692024-03-14T01:55:37.840-06:00The Geology P.A.G.E.Presenting Alternatives in Geoscience EducationJim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.comBlogger676125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-76892790049631018902023-11-30T09:46:00.006-07:002023-11-30T10:40:25.279-07:00Geology in Pop Culture - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs<p style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: large;"> Geology in Pop Culture: </span></b><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</i></b></span></span></u></p><p style="text-align: left;">When I started preparing my talk for the 2023 annual Geological Society of America conference (<a href="https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2023AM/webprogram/Paper394497.html">Finding Hidden Geological Lessons in the Media Around Us</a>), I knew that I wanted to talk about <i>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</i>. It is a movie that had been on my radar to write about for many years and I figured it would be a fairly easy one to throw into the talk. However, when I started to do my regular research into it, fascinating things started to pop up and I figured as part of my talk, I would give the audience a walk through of my process. And that is what I will do here as well....</p><p style="text-align: left;">When we first are introduced to the eponymous dwarfs of the movie, we discover them as workers in a mine. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg0bLNYIlg-8-wnJVO6UJdKXFCcfjpVJ1bawr9qUy79v9Sjo06d7kg_38gRWRIXJg7UyQulpHa59pziz36P2-qTM87hWohn5GP3AlTI8az-BdtetCMGGBfIJQmonjc5NETFlpSLr0n-WzctEf53PyOMCoVKzquTbKJRXqi2BnvZ4eiUtxu7oT/s1210/Screenshot%202023-11-30%20100741.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="883" data-original-width="1210" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg0bLNYIlg-8-wnJVO6UJdKXFCcfjpVJ1bawr9qUy79v9Sjo06d7kg_38gRWRIXJg7UyQulpHa59pziz36P2-qTM87hWohn5GP3AlTI8az-BdtetCMGGBfIJQmonjc5NETFlpSLr0n-WzctEf53PyOMCoVKzquTbKJRXqi2BnvZ4eiUtxu7oT/w640-h468/Screenshot%202023-11-30%20100741.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dwarfs working in <i>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />And it turns out they have vocal talent as well, but that's besides the point. To start my research I needed to verify what it was that they were actually digging for. I assumed it was diamonds but I could not recall if it was ever stated as such. <div><br /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LpPFW_A4eQk?si=1QmRoJ3H0yAJM9Ie" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As the lyrics of their song state: "where a million diamonds shine". So clearly this is a diamond mine, as I was led to believe. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">From here there are several avenues that one can take while looking at this. I first wanted to confirm my suspicions, not just about the diamonds, which we just did, but also about the placement of the story. Another assumption of mine that I wanted to confirm, was whether Snow White was German. The story was written by the German writing pair, the Brothers Grimm, in 1812 as <i>Sneewittchen</i>, indicating that she was likely German. And while this doesn't mean that the Disney version of the character is also German, you can currently meet <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/epcot/character-meet-snow-white/">Snow White in Germany at EPCOT</a>, pretty much confirming that Snow White is German (at least in the eyes of Disney).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Step 1: The original inspiration</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">But let us bring this back even further. What was the original inspiration for the character. Was she actually German? Did she live in a mining town? And if she did, did they mine diamonds?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzm35kCbxwhX1QUszZ56djhZe031Cpq-U6n4njxN0Zkqf8IZwWO6GoI_B_WPuEvjm5FatiW2sYLmh6XKXZPkE72DaSoFbK3us9DaV7RnI8-i9BFNqQDtL-kkqNgMfs9BbPoqISy3ZHa-ZlVnwdVf5vZb-G0qczRDJWKh9vKsaLPVIuDkrxEd3/s1019/Real%20Life%20Snow%20White.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1019" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzm35kCbxwhX1QUszZ56djhZe031Cpq-U6n4njxN0Zkqf8IZwWO6GoI_B_WPuEvjm5FatiW2sYLmh6XKXZPkE72DaSoFbK3us9DaV7RnI8-i9BFNqQDtL-kkqNgMfs9BbPoqISy3ZHa-ZlVnwdVf5vZb-G0qczRDJWKh9vKsaLPVIuDkrxEd3/w640-h514/Real%20Life%20Snow%20White.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The True Story Behind Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs article from <a href="https://curioushistorian.com/the-true-story-behind-snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs/2">Curious Historian</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">It is thought that the real life inspiration to the character of Snow White was Margarete von Waldeck, born to a prominent family in Waldeck, Germany in 1533. Many aspects of her life line up with the fairy tale per the article, but the most important one was that the town of Waldeck was a mining town. The only problem was that the mine was a copper mine, not a diamond mine. And those are two very different things in geology. So although the mine might still have sparkled with the light reflecting off the metal deposits, it is not a diamond mine. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So we move on. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Step 2: The Source for Diamonds</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Although the real life Snow White didn't live near a diamond mine, we still assume that the character of Snow White is German and lived near a German diamond mine, if such a thing exists. So let us look at real life diamond mine localities. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There are several ways that diamonds can form, and therefore there are several different types of deposits that they can be found in, but by far the most common types of deposits are known as kimberlites. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmU7PY2YN5DN2XqHiazAST0C3FCldTT-cJEUcazRXIs3nQOgKxE2rNjOuPjSvMhxk7idKDKns3G9ZVu1Uy5ecX-2X3JmlCHxI1vjZWHiX77UElwaXs0xrKVnnZyKQdqtaOicEsb53dr5R7bXhg870PPsRnyI8m7Bh1OHlZ93jkBQnj0IfvYAsC/s324/Fig2.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmU7PY2YN5DN2XqHiazAST0C3FCldTT-cJEUcazRXIs3nQOgKxE2rNjOuPjSvMhxk7idKDKns3G9ZVu1Uy5ecX-2X3JmlCHxI1vjZWHiX77UElwaXs0xrKVnnZyKQdqtaOicEsb53dr5R7bXhg870PPsRnyI8m7Bh1OHlZ93jkBQnj0IfvYAsC/s16000/Fig2.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kimberlite model. Image courtesy of the <a href="https://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/pic16/pic16_2.html">Kansas Geological Survey</a>. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Kimberlites are the result of magma from deep in the Earth's mantle that gets erupted on the surface in a rapid and violent type of eruption. Deep in the mantle is where the pressures are high enough for diamonds to form, which typically happens at 150 to 700 km deep in the Earth. The diamonds are then carried upwards in these kimberlite eruptions, where they can then be found on the surface of the Earth.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjPNnAu12p4-8Rp43Uv5BTi72x1aass_LDpKs7fUplsZkRT3dnkQxaWmZtTpOH3H57Y9qLzqCJDg2cW0mODtt4m46cRnRuo1ZRHCtXzm2AcOTfIE4awtlf_xvFkjdiNPk83bq2FnDKsvjOvds4Tk8ArH-b8pfSXAaWSM0-_YUR3rLwUOkO88o/s4369/Tappe2018-EPSL_Page_03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2199" data-original-width="4369" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjPNnAu12p4-8Rp43Uv5BTi72x1aass_LDpKs7fUplsZkRT3dnkQxaWmZtTpOH3H57Y9qLzqCJDg2cW0mODtt4m46cRnRuo1ZRHCtXzm2AcOTfIE4awtlf_xvFkjdiNPk83bq2FnDKsvjOvds4Tk8ArH-b8pfSXAaWSM0-_YUR3rLwUOkO88o/w640-h322/Tappe2018-EPSL_Page_03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Global kimberlite localities. From Tappe et al., 2018.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"> However, there is a problem when we look at the global distribution of kimberlite deposits.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRRqyHVeZGxqnRv1jY_PBOtYjemCn3NGPOBf4mpScvLlLw5DU7OxK7r0hSRMmBgiqHgkRGDBxjBz7QawLQ7KkJ9CzUYOLaZegso7TztPSUIjqTLxyayQxU5sSBEeEZk6I3aeSLhk1R6OBukqcNk9B2_E_JFYAAQoe6t9d5Ar9Q3FWKU1qCivE/s702/Screenshot%202023-11-30%20110117.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="702" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRRqyHVeZGxqnRv1jY_PBOtYjemCn3NGPOBf4mpScvLlLw5DU7OxK7r0hSRMmBgiqHgkRGDBxjBz7QawLQ7KkJ9CzUYOLaZegso7TztPSUIjqTLxyayQxU5sSBEeEZk6I3aeSLhk1R6OBukqcNk9B2_E_JFYAAQoe6t9d5Ar9Q3FWKU1qCivE/w400-h319/Screenshot%202023-11-30%20110117.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blow up of European kimberlite deposits. From Tappe et al., 2018.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There are no kimberlite deposits in mainland Europe. So unless Snow White was Scandinavian or Russian, we are at a dead-end here as well.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Step 3: Alternative Diamond Sources</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And this is where the story takes an interesting turn. During my research for diamonds in Germany, I did come across one fascinating story. It turns out that 15 million years ago the town of Nördlingen, Germany was struck by a meteorite. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgibtkHULFdydx6AJezG7FwyByXJdgkrt60x-cHsACDni6GnUQRQTqHc6tr5fOxBc8pl_cphGh0Zkd5yZfB_B1CxidziT3g2xFr0-9zdrlLgPN52itlpuJRBJKdWUFTMIW76jZHj6nwVTC_PNc77q7B2UujnctEzgXmwGS6aNtVK-au2DG_MeDT/s1165/Nordlinger_Crater.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="1165" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgibtkHULFdydx6AJezG7FwyByXJdgkrt60x-cHsACDni6GnUQRQTqHc6tr5fOxBc8pl_cphGh0Zkd5yZfB_B1CxidziT3g2xFr0-9zdrlLgPN52itlpuJRBJKdWUFTMIW76jZHj6nwVTC_PNc77q7B2UujnctEzgXmwGS6aNtVK-au2DG_MeDT/w400-h211/Nordlinger_Crater.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norlingen, Germany. Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.thetravel.com/what-to-know-about-nordlingen-in-germany-and-its-meteorite-diamonds/">The Travel</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Known as the Nördlinger Ries impact crater, the asteroid that struck the Earth was going at least 70,000 km/h forming an impact crater 25 km across and 500 m deep. When meteorites strike the surface of the Earth, they do so with tremendous speed, creating very high pressures. The pressures produced from this impact were large enough that they could potentially create diamonds, if the rock they are impacting has the proper carbon concentration (carbon being the element that diamonds are made out of). </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGEf0qI-V5Ur46EIpAZmtx_jdNN5iq7cGAsZXw9gyXu7XSgN9G18SLvOM2EESne_3xKUgV3iBwqcQ-2m5jKPVeSG8achzVZwXxOgR3mvZtK6yKRIUpM4IhChyZnHCM2sLJIygPGhCA5f8eSPLvfTSVL0YmQQAsJmZ5dsJl8BrlumtSnihPxkc/s1024/211222_30Geotope_Ries_Bild1-1024x641.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGEf0qI-V5Ur46EIpAZmtx_jdNN5iq7cGAsZXw9gyXu7XSgN9G18SLvOM2EESne_3xKUgV3iBwqcQ-2m5jKPVeSG8achzVZwXxOgR3mvZtK6yKRIUpM4IhChyZnHCM2sLJIygPGhCA5f8eSPLvfTSVL0YmQQAsJmZ5dsJl8BrlumtSnihPxkc/w640-h400/211222_30Geotope_Ries_Bild1-1024x641.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nördlinger Ries impact crater. Image courtesy of <a href="https://digitalgeology.de/en/nordlinger-ries-impact-crater">Digital Geology</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The rocks in the area of Nördlingen were mostly sedimentary rocks (limestones, shales, and sandstones) however there is also a significant amount of graphite-bearing gneissic rocks. Graphite is another mineral that is entirely made up of carbon and is often the source mineral for artificial diamond creations. The impact of the Nördlinger Ries meteorite was then able to transformed the graphite in these source rocks into tons and tons of microscopic diamonds. </div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7lDIC0tIEO17wvh1gH_sMdvEzWkJkaWL8Zg6kKGzm15Iyd4GXcES-3MUIEBlD5I09liCO8K3N_qf8k9pJcGfXPOO8cupmc6Vv6Wt_5ih-bugxAfNSI2APC0fuYv3OVDoDSL5F5HR_EzQc81oRJ-apKPvrEZBhtEEr3X9SQgWULfwh8V5ksOHx/s1297/Nordlinger.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1297" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7lDIC0tIEO17wvh1gH_sMdvEzWkJkaWL8Zg6kKGzm15Iyd4GXcES-3MUIEBlD5I09liCO8K3N_qf8k9pJcGfXPOO8cupmc6Vv6Wt_5ih-bugxAfNSI2APC0fuYv3OVDoDSL5F5HR_EzQc81oRJ-apKPvrEZBhtEEr3X9SQgWULfwh8V5ksOHx/w640-h504/Nordlinger.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Article highlighting all of the diamonds from the Nordlingen impact. Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.thetravel.com/what-to-know-about-nordlingen-in-germany-and-its-meteorite-diamonds/">The Travel</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On average the diamonds produced from the impact were less than 0.2 mm, however the total amount of diamonds is estimated to be 72,000 tons! That's a lot of diamonds. So it is my theory that Snow White and the seven dwarfs lived near the Nördlingen impact crater and mined the diamonds from a meteorite impact. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>References</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/history-of-snow-white">https://www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/history-of-snow-white</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/epcot/character-meet-snow-white/">https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/epcot/character-meet-snow-white/</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://curioushistorian.com/the-true-story-behind-snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs/2">https://curioushistorian.com/the-true-story-behind-snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs/2</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sebastian-Tappe/publication/321875917_Geodynamics_of_kimberlites_on_a_cooling_Earth_Clues_to_plate_tectonic_evolution_and_deep_volatile_cycles/links/613e26d811e9c168f2c9a8b9/Geodynamics-of-kimberlites-on-a-cooling-Earth-Clues-to-plate-tectonic-evolution-and-deep-volatile-cycles.pdf">Tappe, Sebastian, et al. "Geodynamics of kimberlites on a cooling Earth: Clues to plate tectonic evolution and deep volatile cycles." Earth and Planetary Science Letters 484 (2018): 1-14.</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2019-kimberlites-earths-diamond-delivery-system">https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2019-kimberlites-earths-diamond-delivery-system</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.thetravel.com/what-to-know-about-nordlingen-in-germany-and-its-meteorite-diamonds/">https://www.thetravel.com/what-to-know-about-nordlingen-in-germany-and-its-meteorite-diamonds/</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://digitalgeology.de/en/nordlinger-ries-impact-crater">https://digitalgeology.de/en/nordlinger-ries-impact-crater</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dieter-Stoeffler/publication/279723661_Distribution_and_origin_of_impact_diamonds_in_the_Ries_crater_Germany/links/561e2ad608aec7945a254194/Distribution-and-origin-of-impact-diamonds-in-the-Ries-crater-Germany.pdf">Schmitt, R. T., et al. Distribution and origin of impact diamonds in the Ries crater, Germany. Vol. 384. Geological Society of America, 2005.</a></span></div></div></div></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-81560102391888729622023-11-29T07:33:00.005-07:002023-11-30T09:46:42.844-07:00Geology in Pop Culture - The Rescuers Down Under<p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: large;"> Geology in Pop Culture</span></u></b></p><p style="text-align: left;">Released in 1990, <i>The Rescuers Down Under</i> continues the escapades started in 1977's <i>The Rescuers</i>. However, in this adventure our favorite mice, Bernard and Bianca, travel down to the Australian outback (not the steakhouse). Here, they find that the villain of the story, the poacher Percival C. McLeach has kidnapped a boy, Cody, while hiding out in some abandoned opal mines.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y6LHCOdbgvw?si=omTPvtvGWMUVo7Vg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </p><p style="text-align: left;">So what exactly is opal anyway?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8gxovlP0kMj88njnbkDhNLsHmqUWCVDxR1ufBW1xQ_l1PvfYDReGlkqEla7aWFBi-3d7PWx93urVOfwxOGGAWgKLc3Ge-n6DGfPTobTOAABaVgHiso89I-pgA4azqtFSSFkCHz3nN6LUE8ipnTrnj3Kv5VxHTX4CkCAdcoKIrJIcavvKsdYG/s800/Opal_Types_Final.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8gxovlP0kMj88njnbkDhNLsHmqUWCVDxR1ufBW1xQ_l1PvfYDReGlkqEla7aWFBi-3d7PWx93urVOfwxOGGAWgKLc3Ge-n6DGfPTobTOAABaVgHiso89I-pgA4azqtFSSFkCHz3nN6LUE8ipnTrnj3Kv5VxHTX4CkCAdcoKIrJIcavvKsdYG/w640-h360/Opal_Types_Final.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Different types of Australian opal varieties. Image courtesy of <a href="https://blackopaldirect.com/opal-types/">BlackOpal Direct</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: left;">Opal (SiO<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span>.H<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span>O) is a mineral that forms from the packed spheres of silica (SiO<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span>), also known as the mineral quartz. Opal is a hydrated form of silica where water has been shown to include between 3 and 9% of the total mineral structure. Unlike many minerals, because of how it is formed, opal is amorphous, or without form. This means that there is no crystal structure or cleavage that is seen in most other minerals. Opal forms through the processes of solidification of gelatinous or liquid silica within cracks and voids of other rocks. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Since the opals are created by spheres of silica and water, the size of the sphere's dictates the colors that are produced. These colors are refracted through the opal like a prism, with larger spheres yielding red or orange, and smaller ones radiating blue. However, this is only the case with precious opals, the more gem quality ones. Most opals, ~95%, are referred to as common opals. These are opals that do not have the "play-of-color" expected in opals as seen in the image above. Although still beautiful, they are harder to identify than the precious opals. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1r5Hyf9SE7DoGeoYISmn8VjEPX4eCUkP4yxat-O9HP7QEnoXwtTy4ug_MVDHLwizHs8NdEbwF_yRnkZVdZNddzSQ5zkXNU56gUrlGeRia6lskz7V2ZXYBnAhervEse3rFji-wWUVYcEnLWL9dMvLyrYQ1889r-aiAthuxFJNDXUOyl3Kf9Z4/s567/fieldmap.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="567" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1r5Hyf9SE7DoGeoYISmn8VjEPX4eCUkP4yxat-O9HP7QEnoXwtTy4ug_MVDHLwizHs8NdEbwF_yRnkZVdZNddzSQ5zkXNU56gUrlGeRia6lskz7V2ZXYBnAhervEse3rFji-wWUVYcEnLWL9dMvLyrYQ1889r-aiAthuxFJNDXUOyl3Kf9Z4/s16000/fieldmap.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Location of Australian Opal Mines. Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.opalsdownunder.com.au/learn/australian-opal-mining-fields/">Opals Down Under</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br />Despite being found around the world, it turns out that ~95% of the world's supply of precious opals comes from Australia. The opals started to form during the Cretaceous period when there was a large inland sea across Australia. During this time silica rich sands were deposited along the shorelines, then 30 million years ago, during the Tertiary, deep weathering of these sediments within the Australian Artesian Basin released large amounts of soluble silica into the groundwater. This silica traveled into the cracks and fissures in the Cretaceous age rocks where it was stopped by an impermeable layer below. Staying in the cracks and fissures, the opal deposits formed veins, often trapping fossils that also happen to be in the sedimentary rocks such as leaves, dinosaurs, small mammals, and marine reptiles such as <a href="https://www.opalauctions.com/learn/opal-information/eric-the-opalized-pliosaur">Eric the Pliosaur</a>. <div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18l2RXM72bin8ERSyMkDvz0WrQVtMIM8VSwYWyIoS88GxHUR9WZYGYfzu36Ng4ryRwEjnGQUfUWyM7fiz9L8pOOrrP1u-dsTTnK4RlUGD3bSBZ9IzkSxCsdsbh6IqZz52Tx3JdR6KDDyT6BItW_YAHDt0Z_R5AnXm1UBXxhCEuFNFl3dtKa2X/s648/5b84b3c5e7c04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18l2RXM72bin8ERSyMkDvz0WrQVtMIM8VSwYWyIoS88GxHUR9WZYGYfzu36Ng4ryRwEjnGQUfUWyM7fiz9L8pOOrrP1u-dsTTnK4RlUGD3bSBZ9IzkSxCsdsbh6IqZz52Tx3JdR6KDDyT6BItW_YAHDt0Z_R5AnXm1UBXxhCEuFNFl3dtKa2X/w640-h480/5b84b3c5e7c04.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric the opalized pliosaur. Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.opalauctions.com/learn/opal-information/eric-the-opalized-pliosaur">Opal Auctions</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br />Most of the opal mines in Australia are a type known as open-cut. This means that they basically dig down to the source of the deposit, in this case opal, and clear out anything above it, forming a quarry or pit. This limits the dangers of enclosed mine spaces, allows you to find smaller deposits easier, is much faster with heavy machinery, but is also much, MUCH, more damaging to the environment, destroying literally everything to get to the deposits. </div><div><br /></div><div>In <i>The Rescuers Down Under</i> though, they are clearly not in an open-cut mine, they are underground mines. There are some underground opal mines that are found within Australia. One of these locations is the town of Mintabie, found near the north-central portion of the South Australian state. And although they did use open-pit mining in Mintabie, they also had quite a number of underground mines as seen in the picture below.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCB0CYxQ6bVV8TL4IknjwqX8P5hwwee63IJvRBMxFKMCla3LEqBYD9F7wrnGZeN9VmFNLwdVT1jHchqi6RJI0mNDN85vImnzjODfhC3nMqhnIzG5ZQIU8hE4z_LZUtcy32Ze_-Hqggp9dad0M4iZOIzhpo1Xl9vA8Lf7l-hbCeSMck3pu6iQa/s1024/5ab9848dcc57d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCB0CYxQ6bVV8TL4IknjwqX8P5hwwee63IJvRBMxFKMCla3LEqBYD9F7wrnGZeN9VmFNLwdVT1jHchqi6RJI0mNDN85vImnzjODfhC3nMqhnIzG5ZQIU8hE4z_LZUtcy32Ze_-Hqggp9dad0M4iZOIzhpo1Xl9vA8Lf7l-hbCeSMck3pu6iQa/w640-h426/5ab9848dcc57d.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mintabie Opal Mines. Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.opalauctions.com/learn/news/mintabie-town-to-close">Opal Auctions</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br />What makes Mintabie interesting is that the mining heyday here was in the 1980's. Even though opals had been know from here since the 1920's, production increased starting in 1976 with the addition of mining equipment able to break through the hard sandstone. During the 1980's, production here was the largest in all of Australia with a peak during 1988. However, after 1988, production quickly declined resulting in lots of abandoned opal mines. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDoGKTY-vm0rffFpdVS34O1cbq77efRF7cwzpHwuc1UrLl6zNMZhcEJ8J6Lgs-CMiTVVfP0Ysy_WNFPEdxk9zgCBmazZzDvv8WDuny9Y6qqFrIxLlhYHHOXXtUL4CHqXWjNN2qmiSRr7T1meQ214fB6QhXXgdW4SaMkyYKl2quLXF9FNw2-WDW/s1517/Screenshot%202023-11-28%20101336.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1517" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDoGKTY-vm0rffFpdVS34O1cbq77efRF7cwzpHwuc1UrLl6zNMZhcEJ8J6Lgs-CMiTVVfP0Ysy_WNFPEdxk9zgCBmazZzDvv8WDuny9Y6qqFrIxLlhYHHOXXtUL4CHqXWjNN2qmiSRr7T1meQ214fB6QhXXgdW4SaMkyYKl2quLXF9FNw2-WDW/w640-h382/Screenshot%202023-11-28%20101336.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warning sign in <i>The Rescuers Down Under</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>This timing of the opal mines being abandoned during the late 1980's correlates strongly with <i>The Rescuers Down Under</i>, which would have been starting to be in production probably ~1988. Seeing these abandoned opal mines pop up all over the place would have been a good impetus to a setting for their movie. </div><div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>References<br /></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blackopaldirect.com/opal-types/">https://blackopaldirect.com/opal-types/</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.opal.academy/opal-basics">https://www.opal.academy/opal-basics</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.opalsdownunder.com.au/learn/what-is-opal/">https://www.opalsdownunder.com.au/learn/what-is-opal/</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://jasonree.com.au/blogs/news/why-are-australian-opals-so-expensive">https://jasonree.com.au/blogs/news/why-are-australian-opals-so-expensive</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.opalsdownunder.com.au/learn/australian-opal-mining-fields/">https://www.opalsdownunder.com.au/learn/australian-opal-mining-fields/</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.opalsdownunder.com.au/learn/how-is-opal-formed/">https://www.opalsdownunder.com.au/learn/how-is-opal-formed/</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.ga.gov.au/education/minerals-energy/australian-mineral-facts/opal">https://www.ga.gov.au/education/minerals-energy/australian-mineral-facts/opal</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.nationalopal.com/opals/precious-opal-formation.html">https://www.nationalopal.com/opals/precious-opal-formation.html</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.opalauctions.com/learn/opal-information/eric-the-opalized-pliosaur">https://www.opalauctions.com/learn/opal-information/eric-the-opalized-pliosaur</a></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.opalauctions.com/learn/news/mintabie-town-to-close">https://www.opalauctions.com/learn/news/mintabie-town-to-close</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.uniqueopals.ch/opal-origin.htm">https://www.uniqueopals.ch/opal-origin.htm</a></span></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-52336466570592735872023-11-27T09:53:00.000-07:002023-11-27T09:53:03.574-07:00Geology of the National Parks in Pictures - New River Gorge National Park & Preserve<p>My next post about the <a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/search/label/National%20parks">Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures</a> is from my undergraduate years when we traveled the national parks during spring break. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/s2048/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/w328-h208/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" width="328" /></a></p><p>You can find more Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures as well as my Geological State Symbols Across America series at my website <a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica.html">Dinojim.com</a>.</p><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>New River Gorge National Park & Preserve</u></b></span></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div>Another park that is within the Appalachian Mountains, the New River Gorge has a similar geological history as other nearby parks like <a href="https://www.thegeologypage.com/2023/11/geology-of-national-parks-in-pictures_20.html">Shenandoah National Park</a> to the east and the <a href="https://www.thegeologypage.com/2023/11/geology-of-national-parks-in-pictures_10.html">Great Smoky Mountains</a> to the south. It also traverses some of the same rock types as the <a href="https://www.thegeologypage.com/2023/11/geology-of-national-parks-in-pictures_23.html">Gauley River National Recreation Area</a> a short distance to the north, however since the New River Gorge is much larger and deeper than the Gauley River valley, the rocks exposed are slightly older (although they also overlap). </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuIWwL51O4EHmPOj9ZQn0sUeMqZdt3t9iI0q-ubkgA9yTrMlM-J6ghIsWhRPIMXMNakalWQX3Ebm29Mg22Vn61KeIAx7J3SlWJp1IdL7TEHx10a2Bt07aNRgDHDmvjYvgmFsQThAx-pjdg-PlU35PwVGZqJzvt5lFP9UDkC5eD-5TF3_YZCfd/s858/Misty%20Morning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="858" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuIWwL51O4EHmPOj9ZQn0sUeMqZdt3t9iI0q-ubkgA9yTrMlM-J6ghIsWhRPIMXMNakalWQX3Ebm29Mg22Vn61KeIAx7J3SlWJp1IdL7TEHx10a2Bt07aNRgDHDmvjYvgmFsQThAx-pjdg-PlU35PwVGZqJzvt5lFP9UDkC5eD-5TF3_YZCfd/w640-h438/Misty%20Morning.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The New River Gorge cuts through Carboniferous Age deposits from the Upper Mississippian age Bluefield Formation (~325 million years old) up through the Middle Pennsylvanian Allegheny Formation (~312 million years old). </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_Eu7axfutQ3ICHZYc0JgVzqSCd8W6qomnYgjBGOQiqXzSei0V4r-UOQ30zpR1J9FcD5uA5Uhg4pSGl7-PMEQoC3pZ6sfFDrPZwzVGndn1S581PBLdopFRuFPBVPwI9dcduLHDSa841rhr4AI45HoNTaGGLmjj3KwqfMtAAgOYJeEYvHqP3VC/s10000/NRG_GeologyMap.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="10000" data-original-width="6243" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_Eu7axfutQ3ICHZYc0JgVzqSCd8W6qomnYgjBGOQiqXzSei0V4r-UOQ30zpR1J9FcD5uA5Uhg4pSGl7-PMEQoC3pZ6sfFDrPZwzVGndn1S581PBLdopFRuFPBVPwI9dcduLHDSa841rhr4AI45HoNTaGGLmjj3KwqfMtAAgOYJeEYvHqP3VC/w400-h640/NRG_GeologyMap.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geology of the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve. Map courtesy of the <a href="https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2251616">NPS</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br />The different formations are groups of rocks made up of members that were deposited in similar environments. Although the water levels fluctuate up and down during this time interval, overall North America is moving towards Africa in this time period as the Iapetus Ocean was closing up towards the east. Eventually North America will meet up with Africa to form the supercontinent Pangea, but we haven't gotten there yet when these rocks were deposited.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTkh6k8yhUrCGJAp-8vkLoxGsQGTjFGCvSfVsNOi7YpWMGLVpLfZT-k1q1nS969C45r3E0Fs-2c1exh0rZpICKm8e29JJOo_rgDoJiUk_5jpjJPsus7Y-zXHMmMYXukH4ew5VGPdnkBXxJA9KjkXX6bmKTggp4v56vKlmsdxhftlQtVP0FtVG/s705/NRG_GeologyUnits.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="698" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTkh6k8yhUrCGJAp-8vkLoxGsQGTjFGCvSfVsNOi7YpWMGLVpLfZT-k1q1nS969C45r3E0Fs-2c1exh0rZpICKm8e29JJOo_rgDoJiUk_5jpjJPsus7Y-zXHMmMYXukH4ew5VGPdnkBXxJA9KjkXX6bmKTggp4v56vKlmsdxhftlQtVP0FtVG/w634-h640/NRG_GeologyUnits.png" width="634" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geological map units for the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve. Courtesy of the <a href="https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2251616">NPS</a>. <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>The rock units here, as well as at Gauley River NRA, dip towards northwest in a direction that essentially follows the course of the river. One of the oldest formations, the Hinton Formation, was deposited along the coast, with both marine and freshwater deposits represented. It is made up of shales and siltstones, with lesser amounts of sandstones and limestones. It gets up to 1,000 feet thick within the gorge. </div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUzRJ9cDW2XZwqu3c12Nh4TJG4DO4vulZTRYesxBRSOEH2DdIV98R1S4lD-AqC-f_wZVMRQM2iHezGZQpzLNXbniEVNW4tY487fQ3zECwdYPQenBH_lxBf1Nk8qGEc4KvE7UZhX0Xa1Ww1A6CGHqcsKeI6Oo5z4ZpYSlsw8xHlk4XN8kbpVnM/s620/nr10490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="620" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUzRJ9cDW2XZwqu3c12Nh4TJG4DO4vulZTRYesxBRSOEH2DdIV98R1S4lD-AqC-f_wZVMRQM2iHezGZQpzLNXbniEVNW4tY487fQ3zECwdYPQenBH_lxBf1Nk8qGEc4KvE7UZhX0Xa1Ww1A6CGHqcsKeI6Oo5z4ZpYSlsw8xHlk4XN8kbpVnM/w640-h288/nr10490.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geologic Profile of the New River Gorge. Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.wvgs.wvnet.edu/www/geology/geoles01.htm">WVGES</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Above the Hinton Formation, the Bluestone Formation is what is known as a regressive sequence, where the sea level slowly went downwards until there is a paleosol (ancient soil) deposited before the Pocahontas Formation starts to be deposited. The paleosol represents an unconformity, which is a buried erosional surface, and signifies the transition from the Mississippian to the Pennsylvanian. Above the Pocahontas Formation is the New River Formation, which is partially seen at the Gauley River NRA. This again represents a coastal environment and the last coastal environment deposited within the region.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxvR1OkQfBIyIZblJPS-PJSAQ8cgEhvtocNin6UC5RAQv4WeIq7JbGsU97kz9C8F_Ecq9I_nzczkg4rL8e4Ylo0vBVzNZi6iB3BA_5K_Jw6b-MxgKnu-4-C_ZH-g6sWc2l32KYnKkg1r2TurN2lB09GLXX0Tz9KXA0oRAK3MuBommx_oypYMN/s870/Across%20the%20River.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="870" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxvR1OkQfBIyIZblJPS-PJSAQ8cgEhvtocNin6UC5RAQv4WeIq7JbGsU97kz9C8F_Ecq9I_nzczkg4rL8e4Ylo0vBVzNZi6iB3BA_5K_Jw6b-MxgKnu-4-C_ZH-g6sWc2l32KYnKkg1r2TurN2lB09GLXX0Tz9KXA0oRAK3MuBommx_oypYMN/w640-h430/Across%20the%20River.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The New River itself is often designated the "second oldest river in the world," however this is difficult thing to actually determine. We know that the oldest rocks that the New River erodes through are ~310 million years old, so the river must be younger than that. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsd_gIEAQ8LSSdn2yn-nFI-1WUgzp-ONI4apkKU-nfnNoJJDmF-ZRbhvQ56LVEeqVnGPL_GTL88Ho5yeE1_e3uP7IST159ieNyx56JGuTaeJtLiFACGdvAs4kopldpzSUCi6cJsvOLNMBrXT5GLvkBBte4eXh5UvDQJumpfphCXkoQFeOaN_tw/s857/Up%20River.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="857" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsd_gIEAQ8LSSdn2yn-nFI-1WUgzp-ONI4apkKU-nfnNoJJDmF-ZRbhvQ56LVEeqVnGPL_GTL88Ho5yeE1_e3uP7IST159ieNyx56JGuTaeJtLiFACGdvAs4kopldpzSUCi6cJsvOLNMBrXT5GLvkBBte4eXh5UvDQJumpfphCXkoQFeOaN_tw/w640-h442/Up%20River.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It is also estimated that the river is at least 3 million years old based on glacial evidence that the New River follows the same course as the pre-glacial Teays River a river that used to flow towards the northwest and eventually was the ancestor to the lower reaches of the Illinois River. The Teays River, and eventually the New River, is the only river to cut across the Appalachian Mountains. This is because it predated the mountains and was able to cut down through them as they were lifted up, much like the <a href="https://www.thegeologypage.com/2013/03/geology-of-national-parks-in-pictures.html">Colorado River cutting out the Grand Canyon</a> or the <a href="https://www.thegeologypage.com/2016/11/geology-of-national-parks-in-pictures.html">Black Canyon of the Gunnison</a>. Estimates for the age of the New River therefore fluctuate between 3 and 310 million years, quite a variance. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWnr4K9ZamEdjsJoAPo_Lvz9NMx212bJ2WUOdAhMFidNdDFjGw2hnpeH5LKxHQ5PjcZb_J5xWyIGodV3Gx-xPmFGfATkJs9Ry1fBnB3JWbSH5XTbbgS5YuhvSH7zCHTlzqQ1cSwaEKDhYoAyWZtpJlc3W8jROllBAPw1k27F30WCgcYisfYt9/s865/Hike%20Under%20the%20Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="584" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWnr4K9ZamEdjsJoAPo_Lvz9NMx212bJ2WUOdAhMFidNdDFjGw2hnpeH5LKxHQ5PjcZb_J5xWyIGodV3Gx-xPmFGfATkJs9Ry1fBnB3JWbSH5XTbbgS5YuhvSH7zCHTlzqQ1cSwaEKDhYoAyWZtpJlc3W8jROllBAPw1k27F30WCgcYisfYt9/w432-h640/Hike%20Under%20the%20Falls.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Along the New River Gorge, with the steep sided cliffs due to the abundance of sandstone deposits forming ledges, there are a number of picturesque waterfalls. I believe this is Cathedral Falls, which starts far above me in the picture, tumbling over the New River Formation's Upper Nuttall Sandstone. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRc0PZQlAoHhOknpl5JHadYiRAhlhRevHKUKArXwta2plaiNIAPtFDjWFXyGbpzod5eH3mKkoBwm8kgMR68MMqbVy4X_cw0rZTJ2AsVskOP4pR1t2vTeSQXEXQRMCdj4Ztf7PHEdVNA3CkZ24qa9es8LJwq_V9Hbd29lgW1nCBhnM5SiwUKJq8/s863/Three%20Split%20Waterfall%20and%20Veronica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="863" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRc0PZQlAoHhOknpl5JHadYiRAhlhRevHKUKArXwta2plaiNIAPtFDjWFXyGbpzod5eH3mKkoBwm8kgMR68MMqbVy4X_cw0rZTJ2AsVskOP4pR1t2vTeSQXEXQRMCdj4Ztf7PHEdVNA3CkZ24qa9es8LJwq_V9Hbd29lgW1nCBhnM5SiwUKJq8/w640-h434/Three%20Split%20Waterfall%20and%20Veronica.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But while there are some of the largest waterfalls in West Virginia within the New River Gorge, there are also smaller waterfalls, that flow down many of the shale deposits along the gorge's depth. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAK52aQaDg0tnA6UXyYRhqci7qfckknUY48ly2IPr_WEBzM75QA7yJOblm4j7aYpZSmNuuzpxCgUxFGEEtmyI7DIeloClMWAFduaJgWT7Ay5qAS1ZqgehDW04-gOJFhzFrTfbWFrHCHbHh1DVA62VRxxd6mVAe7wtGGCG1VEDbSGrU6BULzdJw/s865/Random%20Waterfall%20and%20Veronica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="865" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAK52aQaDg0tnA6UXyYRhqci7qfckknUY48ly2IPr_WEBzM75QA7yJOblm4j7aYpZSmNuuzpxCgUxFGEEtmyI7DIeloClMWAFduaJgWT7Ay5qAS1ZqgehDW04-gOJFhzFrTfbWFrHCHbHh1DVA62VRxxd6mVAe7wtGGCG1VEDbSGrU6BULzdJw/w640-h432/Random%20Waterfall%20and%20Veronica.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>References</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2251616">https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2251616</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2010NE/webprogram/Paper168707.html">https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2010NE/webprogram/Paper168707.html</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/40533/ETDMaynard.pdf?sequence=1">https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/40533/ETDMaynard.pdf?sequence=1</a></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.wvgs.wvnet.edu/www/geology/geoles01.htm">https://www.wvgs.wvnet.edu/www/geology/geoles01.htm</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/nature/geology.htm">https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/nature/geology.htm</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/nature/geologicformations.htm"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/nature/geologicformations.htm</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jack-Beuthin/publication/277680062_Deciphering_the_mid-Carboniferous_eustatic_event_in_the_central_Appalachian_foreland_basin_southern_West_Virginia_USA/links/57dd801c08ae5292a37cb472/Deciphering-the-mid-Carboniferous-eustatic-event-in-the-central-Appalachian-foreland-basin-southern-West-Virginia-USA.pdf">https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jack-Beuthin/publication/277680062_Deciphering_the_mid-Carboniferous_eustatic_event_in_the_central_Appalachian_foreland_basin_southern_West_Virginia_USA/links/57dd801c08ae5292a37cb472/Deciphering-the-mid-Carboniferous-eustatic-event-in-the-central-Appalachian-foreland-basin-southern-West-Virginia-USA.pdf</a></span></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-16497697320411256472023-11-23T13:09:00.000-07:002023-11-23T13:09:07.908-07:00Geology of the National Parks in Pictures - Gauley River National Recreation Area<p>My next post about the <a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/search/label/National%20parks">Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures</a> is from my undergraduate years when we traveled the national parks during spring break. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/s2048/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/w328-h208/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" width="328" /></a></p><p>You can find more Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures as well as my Geological State Symbols Across America series at my website <a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica.html">Dinojim.com</a>.</p><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><a href="https://www.nps.gov/gari/index.htm">Gauley River National Recreation Area</a></u></b></span></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div>The first couple of national parks that my future wife and I visited were in West Virginia, hence the reason I don't have many geologically themed photographs. Gauley River National Recreation Area is located within the Appalachian Mountains, much like <a href="https://www.thegeologypage.com/2023/11/geology-of-national-parks-in-pictures_20.html">Shenandoah National Park</a> to the east and the <a href="https://www.thegeologypage.com/2023/11/geology-of-national-parks-in-pictures_10.html">Great Smoky Mountains</a> to the south, so the geological formation of the region would follow a similar path.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9GE2utQ6eFsf4gNLkt7ZZcdTl1IciE_MbkfWgYOqiBTphp5Dqw3qKO9T8goIbOajIde5qFHrrMHWBORR8sg-By4fjHafc8CLJoK84Yv4EeY47vnr6eZ8lLfntw7ZRh8rt9L51ij044uOUYtVekvmlSutSHUeM0S4Q8TanEPtBjG-lJTc-Fkt/s863/Gauley%20River%20NRA%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="863" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9GE2utQ6eFsf4gNLkt7ZZcdTl1IciE_MbkfWgYOqiBTphp5Dqw3qKO9T8goIbOajIde5qFHrrMHWBORR8sg-By4fjHafc8CLJoK84Yv4EeY47vnr6eZ8lLfntw7ZRh8rt9L51ij044uOUYtVekvmlSutSHUeM0S4Q8TanEPtBjG-lJTc-Fkt/w640-h388/Gauley%20River%20NRA%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking downstream the Gauley River from the Summersville dam<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Gauley River flows from east to west across West Virginia until it eventually meets up with the New River. Within the Gauley River NRA, the river cuts through Lower Pennsylvanian (~320 million years old) New River Formation rocks, specifically the Upper Nuttall Sandstone and some undifferentiated deposits below the Upper Nuttall and above the Upper Raleigh Sandstone. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxo2uGFQQQ2f2QKdmUTZMbAve9BXkl7ZuQ9VVNAQ5fmp_mkmVBqz_Iad69TKsDkKLLa752597fhaAsEqB-HSWMIsOYNQHnoLyd801K2IfZwJJZCbOMGbEF76iR6PhGuoTXgrwLJAxrq503ONvPhE6IObySaGka-DzUZY59HwEbYpfUMtEQ4dXM/s1249/Gauley_River_Bedrock.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="1249" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxo2uGFQQQ2f2QKdmUTZMbAve9BXkl7ZuQ9VVNAQ5fmp_mkmVBqz_Iad69TKsDkKLLa752597fhaAsEqB-HSWMIsOYNQHnoLyd801K2IfZwJJZCbOMGbEF76iR6PhGuoTXgrwLJAxrq503ONvPhE6IObySaGka-DzUZY59HwEbYpfUMtEQ4dXM/w640-h406/Gauley_River_Bedrock.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedrock Geologic Map of the Gauley River NRA. Image courtesy of the <a href="https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2250332">NPS</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The Upper Nuttall Sandstone, along with the rest of the New River Formation, was deposited along the western coastal edge of the Iapetus Ocean as Pangea was slowing being formed and North America and Africa were barreling towards each other. The sandstone deposits themselves represent the beach/barrier island complex of the region. The sandstone layers are mixed with shale layers that are intermingled with several coal seams. These coal seams represent areas where lagoons formed when the barrier islands were located further to the east, allowing abundant live to thrive in a swamp-like environment. The New River Formation is the final gasp of coastal deposits in the area as the ocean fully closed up shortly after this. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jtug2qj-mc3Eq-mWnxeWLuszyxCNZGsoE_qpbDaWjPzJPp2CmgopzkoRn_mHXlr9SKw8fWu9nEEiLZAyyc8Np15pZXk4gFHMcJs0CduHtPOiA8Li6-_pwlRZlKp0Zj_s8JmnDiJjZuM5xipPpcW8s1eqZbwUUNk52_dSOVT48xvYC74lf330/s862/Gauley%20River%20NRA%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="862" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jtug2qj-mc3Eq-mWnxeWLuszyxCNZGsoE_qpbDaWjPzJPp2CmgopzkoRn_mHXlr9SKw8fWu9nEEiLZAyyc8Np15pZXk4gFHMcJs0CduHtPOiA8Li6-_pwlRZlKp0Zj_s8JmnDiJjZuM5xipPpcW8s1eqZbwUUNk52_dSOVT48xvYC74lf330/w640-h434/Gauley%20River%20NRA%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summersville Dam</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The Summersville Dam, seen here, is actually located just upstream of the National Park boundary along the Gauley River, however because of that it has a tremendous impact on the water flow through the park. Dam's have historically not been the best for the environment, completely disrupting the traditional flow of water, sediment, and wildlife that thrives in such an environment. However the construction of such dams also provide a much needed service for the people that live in the region. The construction of the Summersville Dam helps control flooding that was destroying nearby communities as well as provide a renewable source of energy through their hydroelectric plant. </div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Also, interesting item of note, dams are typically named after the nearest town, however the nearest town was called "Gad" and it was agreed upon that the second closest town's name would be used instead. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>References</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.summersvillewv.org/city-government/hydro-electric-project/">https://www.summersvillewv.org/city-government/hydro-electric-project/</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2250332">https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2250332</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://csmgeo.csm.jmu.edu/geollab/vageol/vahist/LatPalenvir.html">https://csmgeo.csm.jmu.edu/geollab/vageol/vahist/LatPalenvir.html</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://summersvillecvb.com/dam">https://summersvillecvb.com/dam</a></span></div></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-68139910160525851852023-11-20T08:35:00.000-07:002023-11-20T08:35:58.861-07:00Geology of the National Parks in Pictures - Shenandoah National Park<p>My next post about the <a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/search/label/National%20parks">Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures</a> is from my undergraduate years when we traveled the national parks during spring break. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/s2048/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/w328-h208/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" width="328" /></a></p><p>You can find more Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures as well as my Geological State Symbols Across America series at my website <a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica.html">Dinojim.com</a>.</p><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><u><a href="https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm">Shenandoah National Park</a></u></b></span></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Much like the <a href="https://www.thegeologypage.com/2023/11/geology-of-national-parks-in-pictures_10.html">Great Smoky Mountains</a> to the south, Shenandoah is formed by a small part of the Appalachian Mountains. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif42AHJVhFS7BI_zB7-RhUF0KzevMuFfah83kDRHqkvcMTXn5hkp-u9vz6E0nnXQ54plqd7mTblTrbtSzOCXDYdMPuRRKOtRSmFMs1C_7wYrkuOfzPyTV3BNCM6pCQqabuChALlYMtDmHjhu0eSggf2ryIpSH0Kdc8sIg0D1Y-XtI6CbGaT7W-/s882/Shenandoah%20(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="882" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif42AHJVhFS7BI_zB7-RhUF0KzevMuFfah83kDRHqkvcMTXn5hkp-u9vz6E0nnXQ54plqd7mTblTrbtSzOCXDYdMPuRRKOtRSmFMs1C_7wYrkuOfzPyTV3BNCM6pCQqabuChALlYMtDmHjhu0eSggf2ryIpSH0Kdc8sIg0D1Y-XtI6CbGaT7W-/w640-h426/Shenandoah%20(4).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Appalachian Mountains are an amazing mountain belt because you can easily see the geology any time you pull up an aerial image of the region (like in Google Earth).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9c2uPPqO3HtaBL64ji7pooDVsIpmsNWWx61krcr8-3Ldk9nb3EGuUXo4FeexTsfvWxw_8WLjiSFffw9SJk44MRvwlVKl1RLcZNm2iTggn_PwphJ5rmII5zlWK-wThLdqCHdzYq5cKYg08mhLaIt7lMJChEajUOmMJsPrwqEar5mj3s9rbj0Ka/s801/Aerial_EasternUS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="801" height="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9c2uPPqO3HtaBL64ji7pooDVsIpmsNWWx61krcr8-3Ldk9nb3EGuUXo4FeexTsfvWxw_8WLjiSFffw9SJk44MRvwlVKl1RLcZNm2iTggn_PwphJ5rmII5zlWK-wThLdqCHdzYq5cKYg08mhLaIt7lMJChEajUOmMJsPrwqEar5mj3s9rbj0Ka/w640-h588/Aerial_EasternUS.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Earth aerial imagery of the central eastern US</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The flow of the mountains from central Pennsylvania through western Virginia (where Shenandoah is located) to eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina is a perfect visual for the impact that produced them when North America collided with Africa. However, there are some events that took place before the Appalachian Mountains were formed. </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhUJM30_7vtc1UJVcKWhgt4LcGpGMsSNeJ-RbT0ABOx0pOXnlhVoL56efrG__3dRf2wLKc0Ds8Y5Du_j1KEVyqRWnZ5BtMuW8V55V73S26QFK_CUVi2oDsr-1TDJOcX6m0yvNkgmzArH30lQ4NGkNpaXZ5VfZiMcwysIg2N0dtXRRi9eYXhyphenhyphenK/s876/Shenandoah%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="876" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhUJM30_7vtc1UJVcKWhgt4LcGpGMsSNeJ-RbT0ABOx0pOXnlhVoL56efrG__3dRf2wLKc0Ds8Y5Du_j1KEVyqRWnZ5BtMuW8V55V73S26QFK_CUVi2oDsr-1TDJOcX6m0yvNkgmzArH30lQ4NGkNpaXZ5VfZiMcwysIg2N0dtXRRi9eYXhyphenhyphenK/w640-h426/Shenandoah%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granodiorites of the Pedlar Formation at the Hazel Mountain Overlook</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">As was the case for the Great Smoky Mountains, the oldest rocks within Shenandoah National Park are about 1.1 billion years old. These rocks formed during what is known as the Grenville Event and are known in the park as the Old Rag Granite and a gneiss called the Pedlar Formation (pictured above), The Grenville Event was the mountain building event (orogeny) which occurred during the formation of the Rodinia Supercontinent. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1153/"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="684" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4R4sPv1pvdCu653SwUQy6DUezOvP9QHOEVody2wU9ld_lfvPiy7MdQQEK7wT7jE3IOPN38mdZMzO-pMCAyjbg9smG75ysSL9-DxWE_NuE3J9u0lpQ8RRbsIY4bWLUfZh3Dlb0eLXTs06YMPgcXhBo1x73ohSYishZaoT81T44o_Yeypm-4I-/w492-h640/Shenandoah_Geology.png" width="492" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1153/">Geological map of Shenandoah National Park. Full size available on the USGS website.</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The Pedlar Formation and the Old Rag Granite make up the majority of the outcrops through the central portion of the park.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXONvxNYnkwBeyE0d9dT0OhcK_KC2w3VOk6Hznv4mRox0B9tWLcXDuZysTTPXIflc8CIWqSiTbI5NTuiquCEGo0MJVBC4iuQidBJtC3PVcQTnlfjdgHOntx38vjgFsj-GxFzxVT5sWfL-6akxyj53EiZMAQlHpLCbpyATg3QYvIFURGz9FU9X/s876/Shenandoah%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="876" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXONvxNYnkwBeyE0d9dT0OhcK_KC2w3VOk6Hznv4mRox0B9tWLcXDuZysTTPXIflc8CIWqSiTbI5NTuiquCEGo0MJVBC4iuQidBJtC3PVcQTnlfjdgHOntx38vjgFsj-GxFzxVT5sWfL-6akxyj53EiZMAQlHpLCbpyATg3QYvIFURGz9FU9X/w640-h428/Shenandoah%20(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Meadows</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">As Rodinia started to split apart, or rift, lava poured out, forming the Catoctin Formation which is made up primarily of a metamorphosed basalt known as greenstone. The rifting continued until there was an ocean separating North America from Africa, much like today. This ocean is known to geologists as the Iapetus Ocean. Because of the hardness of the Catoctin Formation and its location within the park, many of the waterfalls are formed flowing over this formation. Big Meadows, as seen in the picture above, is located right atop 1,800 feet thick deposits of the Catoctin Formation. Along the edge of Big Meadows is Dark Hollow Falls, which drains the meadows as it falls over the Catoctin Formation. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-18q7A3-gkz14bmLaBwLuntxIK8HRErwWv2DFZze8ydn2OB376c3ffh5mZm2a36dhWgKzTAO1_d1BHph6aobdgzvZdoHKQg9iWG369EqC8Cg2bWnxr7xhlaj3L-FjmuVEvxmOSuBd3_aeJiiS-7CX7SM3kPYHwoS5Y7z0zsedGHSasBsph1I/s879/Shenandoah%20(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="879" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-18q7A3-gkz14bmLaBwLuntxIK8HRErwWv2DFZze8ydn2OB376c3ffh5mZm2a36dhWgKzTAO1_d1BHph6aobdgzvZdoHKQg9iWG369EqC8Cg2bWnxr7xhlaj3L-FjmuVEvxmOSuBd3_aeJiiS-7CX7SM3kPYHwoS5Y7z0zsedGHSasBsph1I/w640-h426/Shenandoah%20(3).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Erosion of the Grenville Mountains produced sediments that were deposited within the Iapetus Ocean, forming the rocks that would later make up much of the Appalachian Mountains. These include Cambrian and Ordovician age limestones, sandstones, and mudstones. Then around 470 million years ago, during the Ordovician, the continents took an about face and started to head towards one another again. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lBYkq63-e-NXAIGe_XQGT6z5pTyNM-x7rlGwWUFE69GiUMBVtcR-YYGCr-fQhCZpyPSdPk2HpBbouHnI9H35Cg-ZIY1qyFUmtmQWNLRXPr6m7ubsWq4szgLrIpvsOis2fvU45AUo_ryWHAP-7Lg3Hw9o-LrJHi1yLA4WCMkgoapS4F5BZHPF/s501/usageolmap-allllr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="487" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lBYkq63-e-NXAIGe_XQGT6z5pTyNM-x7rlGwWUFE69GiUMBVtcR-YYGCr-fQhCZpyPSdPk2HpBbouHnI9H35Cg-ZIY1qyFUmtmQWNLRXPr6m7ubsWq4szgLrIpvsOis2fvU45AUo_ryWHAP-7Lg3Hw9o-LrJHi1yLA4WCMkgoapS4F5BZHPF/w622-h640/usageolmap-allllr.jpg" width="622" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geologic map of the eastern US. Image courtesy of <a href="https://geologictimepics.com/2020/03/27/touring-the-geologic-map-of-the-united-states/">geologictimepics.com</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div>This eventually ended when North America plowed into Africa creating Pangea, the next in the supercontinent line. This collision uplifted the Appalachian mountains and created the great mountain imagery as we can see in the aerial and geological map above. Around 200 million years ago, in the Jurassic, Pangea started to break apart, creating the Atlantic ocean as well as eventually putting the continents in the configuration as we know them today. During the breakup, several Jurassic age dikes, volcanic intrusions, were formed and can also be seen in various locations within the park. Over time the Appalachian Mountains had slowly eroded to shadows of their former glories but the former grandeur of of them can still be glimpsed in the aerial imagery. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span><b>References</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/geology-shenandoah-national-park">https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/geology-shenandoah-national-park</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_the_Appalachians#/media/File:Mid-Atlantic_Appalachian_rock_types.gif">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_the_Appalachians#/media/File:Mid-Atlantic_Appalachian_rock_types.gif</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://geologictimepics.com/2020/03/27/touring-the-geologic-map-of-the-united-states/">https://geologictimepics.com/2020/03/27/touring-the-geologic-map-of-the-united-states/</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.virginiaplaces.org/geology/rocksdui2.html">http://www.virginiaplaces.org/geology/rocksdui2.html</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://npshistory.com/publications/geology/state/va/vdmr-bul-86/appendix.htm">http://npshistory.com/publications/geology/state/va/vdmr-bul-86/appendix.htm</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1153/">https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1153/</a></span></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-62264870788082683762023-11-17T15:12:00.001-07:002023-11-18T11:05:10.487-07:00Geology of the National Parks in Pictures - San Antonio Missions National Historical Park<p>My next post about the <a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/search/label/National%20parks">Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures</a> is from when I lived in Texas and we drove around exploring the national parks of the state. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/s2048/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/w328-h208/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" width="328" /></a></p><p>You can find more Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures as well as my Geological State Symbols Across America series at my website <a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica.html">Dinojim.com</a>.</p><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/saan/index.htm"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>San Antonio Missions</u></b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span><b><u> </u></b></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><b><u>National Historical Park</u></b></span></span></a></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>San Antonio Missions is comprised of four missions that stretch out to the south of San Antonio along the San Antonio River. Starting north to south the missions are Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada. A fifth mission in the area, Mission San Antonio de Valero, better known as the Alamo is not part of the park but likely has a similar building history.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPndDCxOwZi9dTH81xetodPZ_Co9OJ0gm_TzQf2JnuCH3QTh7nqKIR6KUCLN2bt1SQjTRyH6bvFTuNyC6Sf3WeD0lPtDxDDEse9cHWTaEzKMY5CXS4lL5zuIcLU5NqT1dtk7HEs7qfdMUB9bteDrs72_PYcI7LFHMDqz3cFa7N_UFu9Sr2as2/s2304/Mission%20Concepcion.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPndDCxOwZi9dTH81xetodPZ_Co9OJ0gm_TzQf2JnuCH3QTh7nqKIR6KUCLN2bt1SQjTRyH6bvFTuNyC6Sf3WeD0lPtDxDDEse9cHWTaEzKMY5CXS4lL5zuIcLU5NqT1dtk7HEs7qfdMUB9bteDrs72_PYcI7LFHMDqz3cFa7N_UFu9Sr2as2/w640-h480/Mission%20Concepcion.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Mission Concepción</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Built in the late 1700's, all of the missions seemed to have been built from the same building stones that were all available within the region. It appears that there were three primary stones chosen in the construction. Near the Mission Concepción is a quarry that was used to obtain the walls for the missions. The stones found here are a calcareous sandy tuffaceous limestone. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMA_STWGsdkgu4xx7ATMsKnDeVaHjKJ6PW8EwKB8tdtS7WSRP1IJcEXRSfQC3Ip0KUwlI8doLrCWP46tYzRTY0hNOPl4pr_JFXJjZoqkX947wFFxEljC-ABFguBVtJNz7igADkFIRqXFTVqY8bnMfZhS8hN8zDuIb9BSxBgtsmiRXdn3pdXnV/s2304/Mission%20Concepcion%202.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMA_STWGsdkgu4xx7ATMsKnDeVaHjKJ6PW8EwKB8tdtS7WSRP1IJcEXRSfQC3Ip0KUwlI8doLrCWP46tYzRTY0hNOPl4pr_JFXJjZoqkX947wFFxEljC-ABFguBVtJNz7igADkFIRqXFTVqY8bnMfZhS8hN8zDuIb9BSxBgtsmiRXdn3pdXnV/w640-h480/Mission%20Concepcion%202.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Mission Concepción</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/76382277.pdf">McDowell, 1997</a> recounts the historic observations of these building stones from Ferdinand Roemer when he traveled to the San<span style="text-align: left;"> José</span> Mission in 1846. He stated that one of the stones is ...<br /><div><i><blockquote>"... a light, porous, tufaceous limestone or travertine, which is also found in many parts of Germany, ... where it is valued highly as a building material on account of its lightness. This stone formation finds its particular origin in the deposits of springs containing lime. The cupolas and arched ceiling of the churches in the Missions are built of this material."</blockquote></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspCC8UVWHxYMjVSlNp6GWkKcProWWcKq1JTBd17kSbJb2AzWQmBdH81JQ5pra8Nbzf4XzBlDwVrXL046r73kFUDGI84Rqki6hvWTYIF_9nDZ6sHDoLIL4PLxtKG0p2Ai-kv6dzWjJvElBoD9h4sqtt7zS-hA_qKkhP1qpF-Pfznt_G2j57f5Y/s2304/Mission%20San%20Jose%202.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspCC8UVWHxYMjVSlNp6GWkKcProWWcKq1JTBd17kSbJb2AzWQmBdH81JQ5pra8Nbzf4XzBlDwVrXL046r73kFUDGI84Rqki6hvWTYIF_9nDZ6sHDoLIL4PLxtKG0p2Ai-kv6dzWjJvElBoD9h4sqtt7zS-hA_qKkhP1qpF-Pfznt_G2j57f5Y/w640-h480/Mission%20San%20Jose%202.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Mission San José</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">The carved elements of the building however come from a limestone that is much softer and purer. Romer stated this about that stone:</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><i>"The other stone used is a greenish gray limestone, containing clay, which has the peculiar property of being almost soft enough to be cut with a knife when taken from the quarry, but later hardens when exposed to the air. This peculiar mineralogical product is mentioned in several writings as being found in the region of San Antonio. This limestone, whose geological age can be determined by the numerous fossils, - particularly species of the family </i>Exogyra<i>,-enclosed in it, belongs to the Cretaceous formation and is found in several places in the neighborhood of San Antonio."</i></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-7mJEvhTXZohWZN6w66DyouqJsZ3wJAuyjSGXuc11r5h_6ScSPxEb6cUdS-As-qCbuMR-NboUI87TenStrK4P2PUpKJ1atHL3PHdjs29jIEQXyrLagQ3Gpn6gFDJ0G0q7IHGguCPlgpK4yo3DOwoLiQz2qfjOdPHwIiPdNGOnZ5tUWgAang3/s2304/Mission%20San%20Jose%204.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="1728" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-7mJEvhTXZohWZN6w66DyouqJsZ3wJAuyjSGXuc11r5h_6ScSPxEb6cUdS-As-qCbuMR-NboUI87TenStrK4P2PUpKJ1atHL3PHdjs29jIEQXyrLagQ3Gpn6gFDJ0G0q7IHGguCPlgpK4yo3DOwoLiQz2qfjOdPHwIiPdNGOnZ5tUWgAang3/w480-h640/Mission%20San%20Jose%204.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Mission San José</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="text-align: left;">Based on the inclusion of </span><i style="text-align: left;">Exogyra </i><span style="text-align: left;">(a Cretaceous age oyster) as well as other factors and fossils within the limestone, it can be assumed that this ornamental limestone was from the Austin Chalk Group, an Upper Cretaceous formation deposited between 89 and 84 million years ago. Formed in the shallow to deep marine deposits along the northern edges of the Gulf of Mexico, the Austin Chalk Group is a series of different formations of which the chalk itself is only part. In the chalk, the majority of the rock is almost solid fossils with </span><i style="text-align: left;">Exogyra</i><span style="text-align: left;"> only being a small percentage. The majority of the fossils are those of coccoliths, which are the microscopic shells of organisms called coccolithophores.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpv2b9-2hbtTcWcYwA4QtGPlXnxpw1QlC5HKvtYF0HFyappucf1F0aA5IEOSICS5hA1WxxNwfYc0nkriXORnBtvkgBAXWPmyasR5III8xET9VTvW0lbcpc_nEnN0HaFmZq6c7aCKYiGwaa09s5yctc3iup1zUeNouxGWPxnU3jhzJrn7Wxvbf2/s2304/Mission%20San%20Juan.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpv2b9-2hbtTcWcYwA4QtGPlXnxpw1QlC5HKvtYF0HFyappucf1F0aA5IEOSICS5hA1WxxNwfYc0nkriXORnBtvkgBAXWPmyasR5III8xET9VTvW0lbcpc_nEnN0HaFmZq6c7aCKYiGwaa09s5yctc3iup1zUeNouxGWPxnU3jhzJrn7Wxvbf2/w640-h480/Mission%20San%20Juan.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mission San Juan<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The limestone that had been used for the majority of the building's construction was also used as a mortar to cement the building blocks together since when wetted, the limestone dust dried hard as concrete.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAytn2DqFHBMyVcuf2NB9v5sTQUTAZnFSic5a1y55DLFS_oK5qa34nB7NUby3T_IZgtp8anSj74pjG1lA_hS6m2lOM_hkblDBqgvxzeRykFj_9cy6mhhTi54uKA8e5hPiDKmu0ylDquwntDdPj6Q5_24ihhyi_mRkPRoZy-YIIAJTlcJgzQgLG/s2304/Mission%20San%20Juan%204.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="1728" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAytn2DqFHBMyVcuf2NB9v5sTQUTAZnFSic5a1y55DLFS_oK5qa34nB7NUby3T_IZgtp8anSj74pjG1lA_hS6m2lOM_hkblDBqgvxzeRykFj_9cy6mhhTi54uKA8e5hPiDKmu0ylDquwntDdPj6Q5_24ihhyi_mRkPRoZy-YIIAJTlcJgzQgLG/w480-h640/Mission%20San%20Juan%204.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mission San Juan</td></tr></tbody></table><br />There is a possibility that other local stones were also used including the local Anacacho Limestone, Pecan Gap Chalk, and Edwards Limestone.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCY1QVL7r7GJUUzWQGHVSrz2mBzqBn_o62pRJp5mbiouEMKvo9O9euvh7GIjCamHoTJ63Urw1pferbmTBs8O955K8EpLTy4j9Mu-T2gq2I4TIoA0mfoc2IxLGMmxqoP6fLbTab94bCIOfIZFeE5CTLSi61UBO0YxRs_e2f2dVW7x7iCQDaRLI/s2304/Mission%20Espada.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCY1QVL7r7GJUUzWQGHVSrz2mBzqBn_o62pRJp5mbiouEMKvo9O9euvh7GIjCamHoTJ63Urw1pferbmTBs8O955K8EpLTy4j9Mu-T2gq2I4TIoA0mfoc2IxLGMmxqoP6fLbTab94bCIOfIZFeE5CTLSi61UBO0YxRs_e2f2dVW7x7iCQDaRLI/w640-h480/Mission%20Espada.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Mission Espada<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The final distinct building stone is a red sandstone. Although I can't find a positive identification for the sandstone, the sandstone used in the building is strongly cross bedded and may perhaps be the local Escondido Sandstone or Indio formation.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27x92wJ4Ei_VtA-t6wbcX75OVfTi54mS85sQ0qhOT-iB9ryDBR_ift9BnJDEd0nj2_aeJeWMWPKxcbhy6doQppsm3T1J-WXYecJ9K_ECEYlSC0uc6Phn7O9QSD80sS1AruDiZbJWfEokDfVdovAHtYNPpiryPmo2SjiWTc5jaR714pjEnarST/s2304/Mission%20Espada%203.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="1728" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27x92wJ4Ei_VtA-t6wbcX75OVfTi54mS85sQ0qhOT-iB9ryDBR_ift9BnJDEd0nj2_aeJeWMWPKxcbhy6doQppsm3T1J-WXYecJ9K_ECEYlSC0uc6Phn7O9QSD80sS1AruDiZbJWfEokDfVdovAHtYNPpiryPmo2SjiWTc5jaR714pjEnarST/w480-h640/Mission%20Espada%203.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Mission Espada</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Regardless, there is a lot of geology embedded in this park.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>References</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/76382277.pdf">https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/76382277.pdf</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.smu.edu/-/media/Site/Dedman/Academics/InstitutesCenters/ISEM/Images/Ocean-Dallas/oceandallas.pdf">https://www.smu.edu/-/media/Site/Dedman/Academics/InstitutesCenters/ISEM/Images/Ocean-Dallas/oceandallas.pdf</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/geology/publications/bul/845/sec9.htm">https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/geology/publications/bul/845/sec9.htm</a></span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.searchanddiscovery.com/pdfz/documents/2019/51598godet/ndx_godet.pdf.html">https://www.searchanddiscovery.com/pdfz/documents/2019/51598godet/ndx_godet.pdf.html</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/mapview/?center=-98.481,29.417&zoom=14">https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/mapview/?center=-98.481,29.417&zoom=14</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://npplan.com/parks-by-state/texas-national-parks/san-antonio-missions-national-historical-park-park-at-a-glance/san-antonio-missions-national-historical-park-mission-concepcion/">https://npplan.com/parks-by-state/texas-national-parks/san-antonio-missions-national-historical-park-park-at-a-glance/san-antonio-missions-national-historical-park-mission-concepcion/</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/places/mission-concepcion.htm">https://www.nps.gov/places/mission-concepcion.htm</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/76382308.pdf">https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/76382308.pdf</a></span></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-62460367666601671182023-11-15T06:00:00.003-07:002023-11-16T09:06:09.470-07:00Geology of the National Parks in Pictures - Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument<p>My next post about the <a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/search/label/National%20parks">Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures</a> is from my move back from Texas to live in Buffalo for a few years. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/s2048/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/w328-h208/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" width="328" /></a></p><p>You can find more Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures as well as my Geological State Symbols Across America series at my website <a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica.html">Dinojim.com</a>.</p><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/alfl/index.htm"><span style="text-align: left;"><span><b><u>Alibates Flint Quarries </u></b></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><b><u>National Monument</u></b></span></a></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>The Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument is nestled up right next to the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, so it is an easy two for one National Park stop. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgieSuR2MrCaKLRjvrhj7bYcxlK8sP5XdWBfGi8jAjho7D4iF74TztgaeXwaIada-DngsoW7x41KI7rQmgIPwQpG2Be1S43Ale894AOn2rnDAnzuXLFnYOi-_pxGF2viaw5x3LGb43rTS9ydNaYFNl1dfpjOA_HvCvqe6llMpGgJpRC74ME32/s2304/Flint%20Quarries.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgieSuR2MrCaKLRjvrhj7bYcxlK8sP5XdWBfGi8jAjho7D4iF74TztgaeXwaIada-DngsoW7x41KI7rQmgIPwQpG2Be1S43Ale894AOn2rnDAnzuXLFnYOi-_pxGF2viaw5x3LGb43rTS9ydNaYFNl1dfpjOA_HvCvqe6llMpGgJpRC74ME32/w640-h480/Flint%20Quarries.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Located in the panhandle section of Texas, this area is known for it's extensive plains and the hard caprock that covers most of the region. The Red Beds of the region were deposited during the Permian Period, approximately 260 million years ago. The rocks deposited in these two parks include sandstones, siltstones, and mudstones, as well as gypsum and dolomite deposits. The red beds are made up of the Whitehorse Sandstone, Cloud Chief Gypsum, and Quartermaster Formation. The red in these red beds are produced by small amounts of iron oxide, AKA rust, mixed into the rock units. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXJtxXNO-EhnCqkAjZaHrKzuJNhFRYvKNCdhew4TCxLOG8UqMWkQLnWBh-Mo3WowcPdoGX7EN8ftZyS0hvwb0rTnNm_E56X-lwxRmYTavDjaQ89V0Sxhgx_Lo8RQdNNV7bCXTfgKm8v3DtJkzBnIhVhGWcoikUB_9vXk_WMJ3HVK_rDsyFxMI/s612/Schematic-drawing-of-geologic-stratigraphy-across-panhandle-of-Texas_W640.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="612" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXJtxXNO-EhnCqkAjZaHrKzuJNhFRYvKNCdhew4TCxLOG8UqMWkQLnWBh-Mo3WowcPdoGX7EN8ftZyS0hvwb0rTnNm_E56X-lwxRmYTavDjaQ89V0Sxhgx_Lo8RQdNNV7bCXTfgKm8v3DtJkzBnIhVhGWcoikUB_9vXk_WMJ3HVK_rDsyFxMI/w640-h346/Schematic-drawing-of-geologic-stratigraphy-across-panhandle-of-Texas_W640.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upper geology layers found at Alibates Flint Quarries. Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/pan.2011.020">Quigg et al., 2011</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The red beds, ending with the Whitehorse Sandstone on the top, are all very soft deposits where any significant amount of rain can easily erode away the rocks. However the arid environment of the region helps preserve these softer beds, as well as the harder, more erosion resistant "caprock" that was deposited on top of the red beds. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BQ1A-yU6BLPC_rmPQ56ebNInQ4n_CdqsUvM1BERlzPfWHqh3MDDH0WHmZbQILAwzv4e4x-gQ4SpNnC4kMDLtIGGQ2_7wLliILwNm_4mzjqUrzFQfVgRYBRZ9vWrSTHMZvlZIqXf3JZXlbTEvDC6SvsnLjiy8ysZIzi4QYwVtPG3sI7jBUMEW/s2304/Flint%20Quarry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BQ1A-yU6BLPC_rmPQ56ebNInQ4n_CdqsUvM1BERlzPfWHqh3MDDH0WHmZbQILAwzv4e4x-gQ4SpNnC4kMDLtIGGQ2_7wLliILwNm_4mzjqUrzFQfVgRYBRZ9vWrSTHMZvlZIqXf3JZXlbTEvDC6SvsnLjiy8ysZIzi4QYwVtPG3sI7jBUMEW/w640-h480/Flint%20Quarry.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Over time the sea level slowly rose, eventually inundating this region under a shallow sea. Once the sea transgressed into the region, deposition of the Alibates Dolomite started and was produced from the plant and animal life living in the water (plankton, shelled animals, algae, corals). Dolomite is a variety of limestone where the primary mineral is dolomite (CaMg(CO<span style="font-size: xx-small;">3</span>)<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span>) instead of calcite (CaCO<span style="font-size: xx-small;">3</span>). While calcite and dolomite for the most part are nearly indistinguishable to the naked eye, dolomite is generally less dissolvable than calcite, has a slightly higher hardness, and the crystals of dolomite typically have a slight curve to them while calcite surfaces as generally flat. The deposition of the dolomite layer created a "caprock" to the softer red beds below and can be seen in the photo above towards the top of the red slope surface. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8vhua2yDrPgeOILdKtyiYR9NY-NinnTy2NHUTO3qAlHY1fGx-Dkls4GgJShTiDSjC5ptJ3X9DHkxfNiBLURk2WqNYHMQAVHXxKEl_eu6CuZCpxS3CCu-gYh4z2YTtob7zviSoZ2vInK_1DMIMbD18WdnpgdMSuStU1tid33gSAQvEr9wlRk7/s2304/Flint.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8vhua2yDrPgeOILdKtyiYR9NY-NinnTy2NHUTO3qAlHY1fGx-Dkls4GgJShTiDSjC5ptJ3X9DHkxfNiBLURk2WqNYHMQAVHXxKEl_eu6CuZCpxS3CCu-gYh4z2YTtob7zviSoZ2vInK_1DMIMbD18WdnpgdMSuStU1tid33gSAQvEr9wlRk7/w640-h480/Flint.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Alibates Dolomite caprock creates flat areas known as mesas (Spanish for table), which are periodically broken up by cracks in the dolomite and stream erosion. Over time some parts of the dolomite had slowly been altered to flint. Flint is a rock where the host mineral, here dolomite, has slowly been replaced molecule by molecule by a microcrystalline quartz known as silica. Flint, chert, and jasper are all microcrystalline quartz rocks that are produced in similar ways. The naming differences are often subjective to the uses for the particular rock where rocks with known archeological significance are called flints, as in this instance. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ig34njZZZEbaPWSHSgN8mOnjUEDmfwjhf1Fi6NsHwMzSGKDC4pl0-eFagGs7V1cM3XQanzeqTEwQt6udL97q-OVolJ-qAvguYkQayVRmYID5srfuxlG4sUfJhTZ4iZUAPxh6AZEKc0VwXZrcoxFelFJasVNeGYozEUUSfpvQDA7HFnMD8D9O/s2304/Flint%20Rock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ig34njZZZEbaPWSHSgN8mOnjUEDmfwjhf1Fi6NsHwMzSGKDC4pl0-eFagGs7V1cM3XQanzeqTEwQt6udL97q-OVolJ-qAvguYkQayVRmYID5srfuxlG4sUfJhTZ4iZUAPxh6AZEKc0VwXZrcoxFelFJasVNeGYozEUUSfpvQDA7HFnMD8D9O/w640-h480/Flint%20Rock.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The source of the silica for the flint is partially a mystery though. There are several hypotheses for where it could have come from. One theory is that an eruption from the Yellowstone supervolcano dropped ash in the area 675,000 years ago. Ash is predominantly silica (quartz) and has been found in several areas of the park in beds up to three feet thick. It is also possible silica was brought in during deposition of the overlying Ogallala Formation which brought in sediment from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and New Mexico around 10 million years ago. And a third theory is that immediately after the formation of the dolomite, the dolomite was then replaced by the silica nearly instantaneously in a geological sense. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIpb3XZhPouH1ugPNaI6mwhC7ENKjDvUebm3tz1r6BhH3qBIObaZuKqEm0MyjECCAIUfPo63BcU6qQXWPPNFBnefQUK7RTqvnJfSbEHXD23hPbjpQizZSdE62PPpaUKUMf1_VQsRhYh-tJD0s0I7_O7i8ycDisGzyTG-LFsd_Q-qbL_D15Fgj/s2304/Flint%20Pit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIpb3XZhPouH1ugPNaI6mwhC7ENKjDvUebm3tz1r6BhH3qBIObaZuKqEm0MyjECCAIUfPo63BcU6qQXWPPNFBnefQUK7RTqvnJfSbEHXD23hPbjpQizZSdE62PPpaUKUMf1_VQsRhYh-tJD0s0I7_O7i8ycDisGzyTG-LFsd_Q-qbL_D15Fgj/w640-h480/Flint%20Pit.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span>The quality of the flint is heavily dependent on the size of the quartz crystals. While in modern day, large quartz crystals may be more visually appealing, large crystals were considered "garbage" and were thrown away by Indigenous people because it reduced the effectiveness of the flint as a cutting tool. Larger crystals were produced along cracks of the dolomite, similar to a geode, where the space allows the crystal to grow with the groundwater. The finer the quartz crystals, the sharper the edge that was possible in the flint. Flint pits, as is seen here, were dug up to try and harvest the fresh flint that had not been weathered. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><b>References</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/alfl/learn/nature/geology.htm">https://www.nps.gov/alfl/learn/nature/geology.htm</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/pan.2011.020">Michael Quigg, J., Matthew T. Boulanger, and Michael D. Glascock. "Geochemical characterization of tecovas and alibates source samples." Plains anthropologist 56.219 (2011): 259-284</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://geology.com/rocks/flint-chert-jasper/">https://geology.com/rocks/flint-chert-jasper/</a></span></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-51545430392592017242023-11-14T07:00:00.010-07:002023-11-14T07:00:00.131-07:00Geology through Literature - Walden<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTD9zsE8SMq-bgPU7qyrc3yL_mgS8fj8cxqw4lVYD5ZSQAJVogEDaPDBlkL1JXo1jb7bbR5oZeiaRzqEmMYMdYXKRqno4UAyP5xMerJgCqYGgOyJHQJvopgMDwkkB9eq19upb/s1600-h/Walden_NoColor.jpg"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.dinojim.com/geologythroughliterature.htm"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311404168103990658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgx8kk0DOS1HxX8YBk9AsK_as1lo8jIoiik-WkqrN88rhJhGL4d0dP0v2M0PE4yMer3hyphenhyphenQzGBtKrthbHfGWt31dVm8DUWSONS8Z6LBY0HGEalvQIwBc96_mZIDY377XF8vQHE/s320/GTL.gif" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 282px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 152px;" /></a></div><br />
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<strong><u>Using <em>Walden</em> by Henry David Thoreau</u></strong><br />
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Science is not a new invention. People have been performing science for many thousands of years. Often they build on the research of those before them and sometimes they start from scratch. The purpose of this project is to use a scientific study from the 19th century to produce a current contour map of lake depth.<br />
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The study being described is in <em>Walden</em> by Henry David Thoreau, written before 1854. The book is typically considered “philosophical” literature but in this case he performs the basis of science. He identified a problem, determined how to solve the problem, and then executed the research. Below are a series of assignment questions and directions, however I have also included my answers and some additional information. There is a link at the bottom to the assignment itself without the answers intermingled. <br />
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<strong>His Problem:</strong><br />
Often people would describe the depth of Walden Pond as bottomless. He wished to prove them wrong and determine the actual depth.<br />
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<strong>His Method</strong><br />
<strong> </strong>To determine the actual depth of the lake he used the simple method of a rock and string.<br />
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<strong>His Solution:</strong><br />
That’s where you come in.<br />
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<strong><u>Project Directions</u></strong></div><b>
1. Read the “The Pond in Winter” chapter of Walden by Thoreau.</b> For reference the important excerpts from the chapter are provided here:<div></div><blockquote><div><i>"As I was desirous to recover the long lost bottom of Walden Pond, I surveyed it carefully, before the ice broke up, early in '46, with compass and chain and sounding line. There have been many stories told about the bottom, or rather no bottom, of this pond, which certainly had no foundation for themselves.... Many believed that Walden reached quite through to the other side of the globe.... But I can assure my readers that Walden has a reasonably tight bottom at a not unreasonable, though at an unusual, depth. I fathomed it easily with a cod-line and a stone weighing about a pound and a half, and could tell accurately when the stone left the bottom, by having to pull so much harder before the water got underneath to help me. The greatest depth was exactly one hundred and two feet; to which may be added the five feet which it has risen since, making one hundred and seven feet."</i> </div></blockquote><blockquote><div><i>"...this one, which is so unusually deep for its area, appears in a vertical section through its centre not deeper than a shallow plate."</i> </div></blockquote><blockquote><div><i>"As I sounded through the ice I could determine the shape of the bottom with greater accuracy than is possible in surveying harbors which do not freeze over, and I was surprised at its general regularity. In the deepest part there are several acres more level than almost any field which is exposed to the sun, wind, and plow. In one instance, on a line arbitrarily chosen, the depth did not vary more than one foot in thirty rods; and generally, near the middle, I could calculate the variation for each one hundred feet in any direction beforehand within three or hour inches."</i> </div></blockquote><blockquote><div><i>"... Having noticed that the number indicating the greatest depth was apparently in the centre of the map, I laid a rule on the map lengthwise, and then breadthwise, and found, to my surprise, that the line of greatest length intersected the line of greatest breadth exactly at the point of greatest depth, notwithstanding that the middle is so nearly level, the outline of the pond far from regular, and the extreme length and breadth were got by measuring into the coves...."</i> </div></blockquote><blockquote><div><i>"Of five coves, three, or all which had been sounded, were observed to have a bar quite across their mouths and deeper water within, so that the bay tended to be an expansion of water within the land not only horizontally but vertically, and to for a basin or independent pond, the direction of the two capes showing the course of the bar.... In proportion as the mouth of the cove was wider compared with its length, the water over the bar was deeper compared with that in the basin."</i></div></blockquote><div><div><br />
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2. Write down all important sentences and phrases that have to do with the depth and shape of the pond.</b></div><div align="left"><b><br />
3. Summarize these into only the important points (like the location and depth of the deepest point).</b></div><div align="left"><div align="left"><ul><li>The deepest point of the lake is 102-107 feet deep and is located at the intersection of the greatest breadth and the greatest width lines.</li><li>There are sandbars that surround the coves creating mini lakes.</li><li>The pond is regular, meaning that the contours are evenly spaced apart.</li><li>The base of the pond is relatively flat.</li></ul></div></div><div align="left"><b>4. Use one of the outlines of Walden Pond provided to start and outline the important features (deepest point, sand bars, etc.) in pencil.</b></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">In order to provide a map that is usable for this exercise, I first took an aerial image of Walden Pond. </div><div align="left"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFBE75ZEhwfmVJY6HgMSJYgDP691oOOBEVnBz0h26Q0CFQK1uUwbTuzc5o6-UUakH22PE6oi6D5IQ8YAQZF_iplXPuuFQUn1QYiXwosEC9YGJCf0Tv3sDOz24a0sgeFpRSZCOvt5Sbmrem1kUpxHmC-DfMkRDexfK3rSQkBSTe6aOGzIICMWF/s6600/Walden%20Directions_Page_3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="6600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFBE75ZEhwfmVJY6HgMSJYgDP691oOOBEVnBz0h26Q0CFQK1uUwbTuzc5o6-UUakH22PE6oi6D5IQ8YAQZF_iplXPuuFQUn1QYiXwosEC9YGJCf0Tv3sDOz24a0sgeFpRSZCOvt5Sbmrem1kUpxHmC-DfMkRDexfK3rSQkBSTe6aOGzIICMWF/w640-h494/Walden%20Directions_Page_3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was then traced and the aerial image was removed with the approximate location of Thoreau's cabin added for context.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsH-WrxavOztOrWrMgtHtcJquDMoeVg7z0GGlsR3yLHeHya-3fiZTxugX7fCRLNYvrV209bKJx2FNxvxs5D5pee06fN95NUyVfAWN7kPf4GgBa81P1AUUCC_DvlG-3RO5GUCP7-WfA7HvbP8OyHjrkFdoB6XyWUeDuBgrCeQ4-gUzh7lYvC0os/s6600/Walden%20Directions_Page_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="6600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsH-WrxavOztOrWrMgtHtcJquDMoeVg7z0GGlsR3yLHeHya-3fiZTxugX7fCRLNYvrV209bKJx2FNxvxs5D5pee06fN95NUyVfAWN7kPf4GgBa81P1AUUCC_DvlG-3RO5GUCP7-WfA7HvbP8OyHjrkFdoB6XyWUeDuBgrCeQ4-gUzh7lYvC0os/w640-h494/Walden%20Directions_Page_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div align="left"><b>
5. Make a contour depth map (bathymetric map) with 20ft contours. The shore of the lake will be your 0 contour (provided). Then erase all of the mistakes and non-important items on the map so you just have a finalized contour map left.</b></div>
<div><br /></div>Following these directions, as well as directions on how to make a contour (bathymetric) map, people should be able to make a fairly accurate Walden Pond bathymetry map.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4wDwoQA9op8CzC-Q3UOhykz44gnjmLtRIynBeMCNMMR0PLUGy289e3EdvzLGkYzK4h8eqsJp8vDa6DLDgktc6HRqxXuWYvE5RLIhlxYZzfHpBV4NshS_0Gzd5haI7iSxk3mQIwDBuXFJzuDm_IBg6m6NSiDvAz7YbCe9nl3nSA0VOxJg7FOp/s6600/Step%204%20-%20Walden%20Solutions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="6600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4wDwoQA9op8CzC-Q3UOhykz44gnjmLtRIynBeMCNMMR0PLUGy289e3EdvzLGkYzK4h8eqsJp8vDa6DLDgktc6HRqxXuWYvE5RLIhlxYZzfHpBV4NshS_0Gzd5haI7iSxk3mQIwDBuXFJzuDm_IBg6m6NSiDvAz7YbCe9nl3nSA0VOxJg7FOp/w640-h494/Step%204%20-%20Walden%20Solutions.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RYhXE2m68EkbFYK9crMyp1Ss6qqIZ8DtobP_HDGe3Sghz0Km9bE4skawKFtdl2FETpOck_VGWz74DOVtZ6nmxpGDtdEH2OpvsqCxsd7ueeQvmFBmzol9ZSS1F2opfJAiL75Lm3YAMUTUsBRZUjO-VT624sSpmPrXjNM_HRB1Fq1dfIEkFZPg/s6600/Step%205%20-%20Walden%20Solutions.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="6600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RYhXE2m68EkbFYK9crMyp1Ss6qqIZ8DtobP_HDGe3Sghz0Km9bE4skawKFtdl2FETpOck_VGWz74DOVtZ6nmxpGDtdEH2OpvsqCxsd7ueeQvmFBmzol9ZSS1F2opfJAiL75Lm3YAMUTUsBRZUjO-VT624sSpmPrXjNM_HRB1Fq1dfIEkFZPg/w640-h494/Step%205%20-%20Walden%20Solutions.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then students can compare their results with a professional map result called <a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri014153/report.pdf"><i>Hydrology and Trophic Ecology of Walden Pond, Concord, Massachusetts</i> by Paul J. Friesz and John A. Colman, 2001</a> seen below:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOO4LZStTltngavTOhkuXDhcep6avMOBDO2mCwPzN_8ecPjxhNAgYIua2Gy_bPulDstWy7Z6PRsG3bSq982e9sV3M1U12BfiryilNM9UBahR675AXZEdPB1GUBCqrxaszS6NVA08jhSfOH8WoUm7qh8cJJp6UX8mA3jFsTNTanfclsyCtqKi8/s4165/Walden_Pond_Professional.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4165" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOO4LZStTltngavTOhkuXDhcep6avMOBDO2mCwPzN_8ecPjxhNAgYIua2Gy_bPulDstWy7Z6PRsG3bSq982e9sV3M1U12BfiryilNM9UBahR675AXZEdPB1GUBCqrxaszS6NVA08jhSfOH8WoUm7qh8cJJp6UX8mA3jFsTNTanfclsyCtqKi8/w640-h400/Walden_Pond_Professional.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>
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You can also get a zip file with a complete set of directions as well as a step by step solution over at my site - <a href="https://www.dinojim.com/Geology/GeoEducation/GeologyThroughLiterature.html#Using_Walden_by_Henry_David_Thoreau">http://www.dinojim.com/Geology/GeoEducation/GeologyThroughLiterature.html</a>. </div></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-30261286391578217202023-11-13T08:41:00.000-07:002023-11-13T08:41:22.049-07:00Geology of the National Parks in Pictures - Independence National Historical Park<p>My next post about the <a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/search/label/National%20parks">Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures</a> is from when we lived in Buffalo, NY and were touring possible residency programs for the wife. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/s2048/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/w328-h208/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" width="328" /></a></p><p>You can find more Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures as well as my Geological State Symbols Across America series at my website <a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica.html">Dinojim.com</a>.</p><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/inde/index.htm"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Independence National Historical </u></b></span><b><u>Park</u></b></a></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Driving to the locations of possible residency programs for the wife we ended up touring Philadelphia and the sites of Independence NHP. This is one of those parks where at first glance there are very limited geology around however there's always geology to be found. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPkMwXoOWwqX2GgmkTNpnWrsPixTSPaNC0XQC7rNcBAeXEP8Xu91gFZSaIRv_A3P7AlEHsMqoqgVyFSU1HM2DgnB5Cn7KRpwyUgMwlt99AtsY0Gu1CzoUwaYDV7BEbxCqVHzeeUhvVlKWP1oOLrgo5JpzzooQ5jcuQSKsxQbYh1He-2ax3fML/s849/Independence%20Hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="849" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPkMwXoOWwqX2GgmkTNpnWrsPixTSPaNC0XQC7rNcBAeXEP8Xu91gFZSaIRv_A3P7AlEHsMqoqgVyFSU1HM2DgnB5Cn7KRpwyUgMwlt99AtsY0Gu1CzoUwaYDV7BEbxCqVHzeeUhvVlKWP1oOLrgo5JpzzooQ5jcuQSKsxQbYh1He-2ax3fML/w640-h408/Independence%20Hall.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of the most important buildings in United States history, the Pennsylvania State House, more commonly known as Independence Hall today. It was built between 1732 and 1748 primarily of brick and wood. However, there are some more geologically related pieces in the construction. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7GsMtWrQA4aHY7n0r1Vk6qpQMSalALUnCNRDvuNkhESEYGPy1FjrQu1ByJpJkzWhXCnCt4I2aiSHLZzK_WYJC-GeGm63HX_J2f_wVWYyI_mUCNwxPJittNnRvjrY-JSvbpp90LNrC8qt645BN70jHDTGKvbGyWEf5B_2rV1_mRaPv25wpKwrX/s2304/Independance%20Hall%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="1728" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7GsMtWrQA4aHY7n0r1Vk6qpQMSalALUnCNRDvuNkhESEYGPy1FjrQu1ByJpJkzWhXCnCt4I2aiSHLZzK_WYJC-GeGm63HX_J2f_wVWYyI_mUCNwxPJittNnRvjrY-JSvbpp90LNrC8qt645BN70jHDTGKvbGyWEf5B_2rV1_mRaPv25wpKwrX/w480-h640/Independance%20Hall%202.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Between the first and second story windows are a series of stone panels. The source of these panels seems to be from an abandoned "marble" quarry from Conshohocken, PA known as Potts' Quarry. The stone itself has many names, mostly because people at the time would call a building stone different names depending on the quarry from which it originated and not necessarily the formations where it came from. These rocks were known as "King of Prussia marble,” “Conshohocken blue,” “Schuylkill gray”, and "Pennsylvania Clouded Limestone". The clouded limestone seems to be the most prevalent name because of the description of the rock, calling the rock "clouded" or white. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The rock is also not a marble at all, but a limestone. Although the chemistry would be similar, marble is a metamorphosed variety of limestone where the limestone underwent increased heat and pressure. This increase in heat and pressure would eliminate many things about the original limestone including any fossils and original sedimentary structures that would have been found in the rock. Pennsylvania Clouded Limestone is also not the geological term for the rock, however there isn't much I can find that ties this stone back to the original geology. From what I can tell the Pennsylvania Clouded Limestone found at the Potts' Quarry is from the Conestoga formation, a Middle Cambrian to Early Ordovician age deposit which has an abundance of limestone beds within it. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDggNSzuG8XqpQNMEsdYhtLOOT02TqSKwOmWgySkFjIcYUsYRqxdFfK-Fz_JShxfjhVqdFFtriaO_3RNd58CSdzd3OjNs0C_sBIcy17o9ClfUf_OuwytWgUj7oh1R0LDaoh0z3wc9yex2Szhloz1Z5rx79He_kFTR-EWpVCM3GXlptSKjtkKO/s799/Independence%20Hall%20and%20Washington.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="544" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDggNSzuG8XqpQNMEsdYhtLOOT02TqSKwOmWgySkFjIcYUsYRqxdFfK-Fz_JShxfjhVqdFFtriaO_3RNd58CSdzd3OjNs0C_sBIcy17o9ClfUf_OuwytWgUj7oh1R0LDaoh0z3wc9yex2Szhloz1Z5rx79He_kFTR-EWpVCM3GXlptSKjtkKO/w436-h640/Independence%20Hall%20and%20Washington.jpg" width="436" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The limestone panels can easily be seen behind the statue of Washington, which also happens to stand on a granite and marble base. The source of the stone I can not find but it comes from the Richmond Granite Co. This bronze version of the Washington statue was a replacement for the original Washington statue, which was made of Italian marble, and moved in 1910 to preserve it to Conversation Hall, on the second floor of Philadelphia's City Hall. </div><div><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZ3b-wP0Req_6pFGrv5s02O7ULDnXpIEMmvQhvuCdZAvpTFS9h44sr4KE8OB4MxJGnHAmjC7TinYqk8hg3mpNU4P9Ej6AuYPNJ49CiAUv8resNdyHkzhozXtmJhd2UPontULgNLl1UovuZVe6oVjke5w-antpf4VGo__Miac3koMVl4vMPzEu/s2304/Back%20of%20Independance%20NHP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZ3b-wP0Req_6pFGrv5s02O7ULDnXpIEMmvQhvuCdZAvpTFS9h44sr4KE8OB4MxJGnHAmjC7TinYqk8hg3mpNU4P9Ej6AuYPNJ49CiAUv8resNdyHkzhozXtmJhd2UPontULgNLl1UovuZVe6oVjke5w-antpf4VGo__Miac3koMVl4vMPzEu/w640-h480/Back%20of%20Independance%20NHP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The back, or south, side of Independence Hall boasts a statue of Commadore John Barry standing atop a piece of granite from the Harrison Granite Co. of Barre, VT. This is most likely a Devonian age granite:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><blockquote><i>"The Barre granite quarries expose a three-dimensional view of a small, well-studied pluton of the New Hampshire Plutonic Series. It is a Devonian talc-alkaline pluton formed by partial melting of Siluro-Devonian sedimentary rocks that had been folded and regionally metamorphosed during the Acadian orogeny and thus illustrates that the orogeny occurred rather suddenly in the region." </i>(<a href="https://www.uvm.edu/~gdrusche/Classes/GEOL%20110%20-%20Earth%20Materials/Richter%20-%20Barre%20quarry%20field%20guide.pdf">Richter, 1987</a>)</blockquote></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXKmJuNMWHY-awls5P3753lz27hJGa41CYBzZfKuW5KwupNlDIo6-Y-ZMyTZGdWr98PIfi_FG_exzeYX1gX1LLTq7D0KkaXwCIC6RmzLrLqkD8EtmgOPA7NQoUfCt2rXJm4fcBILUHbLn96LCfEHVnfqp-SsATOLG8cAHZXu3-Bhm-TIDdY_k/s861/Carpenter's%20Hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="861" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXKmJuNMWHY-awls5P3753lz27hJGa41CYBzZfKuW5KwupNlDIo6-Y-ZMyTZGdWr98PIfi_FG_exzeYX1gX1LLTq7D0KkaXwCIC6RmzLrLqkD8EtmgOPA7NQoUfCt2rXJm4fcBILUHbLn96LCfEHVnfqp-SsATOLG8cAHZXu3-Bhm-TIDdY_k/w640-h416/Carpenter's%20Hall.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Carpenter's Hall (seen here) does not have much geological context, however the Second Bank of the United States (which unfortunately I do not have pictures of) and is located generally between Independence Hall and Carpenter's Hall has Ordovician fossils in the floor panels. It had been determined that based on the fossils, the floor panels were derived from Isle La Motte Fisk Quarry which excavated the Crown Point Formation in Vermont. The quarry is now a part of the Chazy Fossil Reef National Natural Landmark. Identifiable fossils include gastropods, crinoids, corals, and cephalopods.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMyfJwFsPOZKlVq2tzFflYBmRAv7R7TtrSlwp7e1EImGvZB4MRzxTsJYDXBqvMTE58cUHyaWbFDOpIY1s4K3q0jLBeqEt0lfQQOYpIKprtT0ARrUh4ITWFHYgI6-U5WP6riw4DIzHAQTj6CI9x4UAErh4mp784RuL4Ag2mfbXMe7xWuLdfpsp/s2304/Tomb%20of%20the%20unknown%20soldier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMyfJwFsPOZKlVq2tzFflYBmRAv7R7TtrSlwp7e1EImGvZB4MRzxTsJYDXBqvMTE58cUHyaWbFDOpIY1s4K3q0jLBeqEt0lfQQOYpIKprtT0ARrUh4ITWFHYgI6-U5WP6riw4DIzHAQTj6CI9x4UAErh4mp784RuL4Ag2mfbXMe7xWuLdfpsp/w640-h480/Tomb%20of%20the%20unknown%20soldier.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution located in Washington Square, also a part of the national park. The wall behind the statue of George Washington is made of Indiana Limestone. The "Indiana Limestone" as it is officially called is likely the Salem Limestone, a Middle Mississippian age (335-340 million year old) light-grey to bluish-grey pure calcarenite limestone that crops out between Bloomington and Bedford in the south-central portion of Indiana. It is also the <a href="https://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica/Indiana.html">State Rock of Indiana</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In front of the statue and the wall is a marble sarcophagus that hold the remains of an unknown Revolutionary War Soldier. The square itself is set upon a mass of "... unmarked graves within this square lie thousands of unknown soldiers of Washington's Army who died of wounds and sickness during the Revolutionary War." One of those graves was dug up, the remains determined to be that of a soldier and that soldier placed within the sarcophagus. I am unable to determine the source of the marble however, or even verify if the sarcophagus is actually made of marble and not granite. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSi4tCvTQLxjnih_p3E8cGUe7Sb7w9pUTW22DoG-sObCJwW1ZbAavog9ZH2yYq8HBjrjDVTy6W1nJLoaE0hSDRsyqh3fkEi5u1JqHnBkWCcgRMzClSFkNaj5kv7xmeNPxwVwYiVBTMA4haJvYHgdGOS77cu7RVBBeyWB9Q5ek5jLxf-utDEwo_/s846/Liberty%20Bell%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="541" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSi4tCvTQLxjnih_p3E8cGUe7Sb7w9pUTW22DoG-sObCJwW1ZbAavog9ZH2yYq8HBjrjDVTy6W1nJLoaE0hSDRsyqh3fkEi5u1JqHnBkWCcgRMzClSFkNaj5kv7xmeNPxwVwYiVBTMA4haJvYHgdGOS77cu7RVBBeyWB9Q5ek5jLxf-utDEwo_/w410-h640/Liberty%20Bell%202.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another of the famous United States objects is the Liberty Bell. While not directly geological there is a geological story associated with the bell. Back in 1811, the New Madrid Fault, located along the western border of Tennessee produced one of the largest earthquakes along the eastern half of North America. The magnitude 7.2 earthquake is reported to have cause bells to ring all the way to Boston including the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DIWLo9h-otN181FY_7hfmwfKdopE-mLFNTOxKVvLTGMsv7n9ry0wlCKlLm0QI38_1Om_9V-AAvseGJbhHb-hYa4ykRRzEuRlCHOrg06Vil6dEmE0-mKhXPv1fXh3fAp9PO0DUUH9kj5Vuq7cNQhQDkIaIUvtL6ZZCE40ltuOrQTsw7BqMP1F/s1800/earthquake-damage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1301" data-original-width="1800" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DIWLo9h-otN181FY_7hfmwfKdopE-mLFNTOxKVvLTGMsv7n9ry0wlCKlLm0QI38_1Om_9V-AAvseGJbhHb-hYa4ykRRzEuRlCHOrg06Vil6dEmE0-mKhXPv1fXh3fAp9PO0DUUH9kj5Vuq7cNQhQDkIaIUvtL6ZZCE40ltuOrQTsw7BqMP1F/w640-h462/earthquake-damage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Earthquake impact of the December 1811 New Madrid Fault. Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.purdue.edu/uns/x/2009a/090313CalaisSteinMadrid.html">Perdue University.</a> </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Earthquakes in the east coast are often felt as far greater distances than those along the western coast of North America. This is because the rocks are older and the individuals faults within the older rocks have had time to heal. While in the west coast, since the area is still undergoing active deformation, the many faults located across the west absorb the seismic activity from the various earthquakes that are constantly occurring. This is why an earthquake which occur nearly 1,000 miles away from Philadelphia was able to be felt while in the western states it would be nearly unheard of to feel an earthquake that far away. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><b>References</b></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/buildings/section3">https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/buildings/section3</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.chipstone.org/html/publications/2002AF/Chinnici/2002ChinniciIndex.html">https://www.chipstone.org/html/publications/2002AF/Chinnici/2002ChinniciIndex.html</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/mapview/?center=-75.307,40.088&zoom=12.886406103039675">https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/mapview/?center=-75.307,40.088&zoom=12.886406103039675</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.chipstone.org/html/publications/2002AF/Chinnici/2002ChinniciIndex.html">https://www.chipstone.org/html/publications/2002AF/Chinnici/2002ChinniciIndex.html</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://morethanthecurve.com/throwback-thursday-independence-hall-made-with-conshohocken-blue-marble/">https://morethanthecurve.com/throwback-thursday-independence-hall-made-with-conshohocken-blue-marble/</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.conshohockenhistoricalsociety.org/sherry-lake">https://www.conshohockenhistoricalsociety.org/sherry-lake</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/plaques-and-statues-in-the-park.htm">https://www.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/plaques-and-statues-in-the-park.htm</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.uvm.edu/~gdrusche/Classes/GEOL%20110%20-%20Earth%20Materials/Richter%20-%20Barre%20quarry%20field%20guide.pdf">https://www.uvm.edu/~gdrusche/Classes/GEOL%20110%20-%20Earth%20Materials/Richter%20-%20Barre%20quarry%20field%20guide.pdf</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/the-second-bank-of-the-united-states-ordovician-fossils-in-19th-century-flooring.htm">https://www.nps.gov/articles/the-second-bank-of-the-united-states-ordovician-fossils-in-19th-century-flooring.htm</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/inde/washington_square_clr.pdf">https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/inde/washington_square_clr.pdf</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/tomb-of-the-unknown-revolutionary-war-soldier.htm">https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/tomb-of-the-unknown-revolutionary-war-soldier.htm</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.ushistory.org/tour/tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier.htm">https://www.ushistory.org/tour/tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier.htm</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/east-vs-west-coast-earthquakes">https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/east-vs-west-coast-earthquakes</a></span></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-43824333278325832162023-11-10T10:17:00.007-07:002023-11-10T15:21:47.017-07:00Geology of the National Parks in Pictures - Great Smoky Mountains National Park<p>My next post about the <a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/search/label/National%20parks">Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures</a> is from even further back to my undergraduate days when we traveled the east coast hitting up National Parks. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/s2048/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/w328-h208/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" width="328" /></a></p><p>You can find more Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures as well as my Geological State Symbols Across America series at my website <a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica.html">Dinojim.com</a>.</p><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><a href="https://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm">Great Smoky Mountains National Park</a></u></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>Way back in 2003, we visited the Great Smoky Mountains and camped out in the park, as we traversed the eastern states. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvpH6zRBcS-a6lmrdP7oToOVtELObO5Ug52q51XZy_WQmbracK9Lru4nafezbjL9ccvrwNtLXZYjiuok6LGe3Mv4GXWwy35F5xbl6NZSyhjUZ4rT7uqqiUvg9U56j4BywMuKgHuHB8oCyn3oZGqvRZ53KU3hcx282BF5wkt2F1rH8s92VX4N1/s869/GreatSmokys%20(3).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="869" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvpH6zRBcS-a6lmrdP7oToOVtELObO5Ug52q51XZy_WQmbracK9Lru4nafezbjL9ccvrwNtLXZYjiuok6LGe3Mv4GXWwy35F5xbl6NZSyhjUZ4rT7uqqiUvg9U56j4BywMuKgHuHB8oCyn3oZGqvRZ53KU3hcx282BF5wkt2F1rH8s92VX4N1/w640-h442/GreatSmokys%20(3).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Obligatory entrance sign shot. The history of the Great Smoky Mountains begins long ago.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAE8QHllGo0GEgJ1HJwuJS4rV9pO0Qn45u5omQYDaooGHCsGHgy-5FaHXJbnIRoStNRNFppV8SCLGJh_Do5QPYLAvq0KEbPYBs1vaT9Jvkhv2LCfmu2Lq9_ps3kSoCU-pOpZo9AzeMT3uYu-641rCfpcQaVsLanai7Mf864_d0gzsJdPFQai1i/s869/GreatSmokys%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="869" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAE8QHllGo0GEgJ1HJwuJS4rV9pO0Qn45u5omQYDaooGHCsGHgy-5FaHXJbnIRoStNRNFppV8SCLGJh_Do5QPYLAvq0KEbPYBs1vaT9Jvkhv2LCfmu2Lq9_ps3kSoCU-pOpZo9AzeMT3uYu-641rCfpcQaVsLanai7Mf864_d0gzsJdPFQai1i/w640-h250/GreatSmokys%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Prior to the formation of the supercontinent Pangea, there were other supercontinents, one of which was named Rodinia. It was during the continental collisions that formed Rodinia (around 1.3 to 1.0 billion years ago) that much of the bedrock of the Great Smoky Mountains was formed due to the incredible compressional forces. During this time many of the sedimentary rocks that had previously been deposited were turned into the over billion year old metamorphic and igneous rocks that forms the core of the park. These rocks can be found outcropping in the southeastern parts of the park. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DdugDDYcoy1YoFs7FSc7YfD37EDmKjkWrLIewyoUbQD_049QOBjn1NeEQFcHUZ_K8_r4AXrFOiM2wDgW9D9iPxGeEm183OFfm-lPPeL8-qwb_ZwMv3VMCfqrlqUElJ2kEssub9QtLhSsGrW0o9VLP8Wsp2J3aIShIPMXrxLlN3ZVAb8knOJ8/s600/geology_rodinia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DdugDDYcoy1YoFs7FSc7YfD37EDmKjkWrLIewyoUbQD_049QOBjn1NeEQFcHUZ_K8_r4AXrFOiM2wDgW9D9iPxGeEm183OFfm-lPPeL8-qwb_ZwMv3VMCfqrlqUElJ2kEssub9QtLhSsGrW0o9VLP8Wsp2J3aIShIPMXrxLlN3ZVAb8knOJ8/s16000/geology_rodinia.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The supercontinent Rodinia. Image courtesy of <a href="http://public-water.com/2020/05/">Public Water</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br />During the formation of Rodinia, the Great Smoky Mountains were located between the North America continent (known as Laurentia) and the Amazonia continent (seen above in the orange stripe). These proto-Great Smokys were formed during the mountain building event known as the Grenville Orogeny. Rodinia then started to break up around 750 million years ago. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRgDJh-lbnh-x8pABkE9zU-yzFJ0QY8m98Aq0eSQyIY2boCT8Tfw6iqMwvXEvVbVdynErkweVhMJ9llE79w1JSLRF35KU1tPl40-naOUPWcLfHC6GIAh_HLIDkJulztuu3vcFoXedrT90doB_sDRJ72A44AhPA0ru9Yjlcd4D_Dazs0BtL6_f/s861/GreatSmokys%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="861" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRgDJh-lbnh-x8pABkE9zU-yzFJ0QY8m98Aq0eSQyIY2boCT8Tfw6iqMwvXEvVbVdynErkweVhMJ9llE79w1JSLRF35KU1tPl40-naOUPWcLfHC6GIAh_HLIDkJulztuu3vcFoXedrT90doB_sDRJ72A44AhPA0ru9Yjlcd4D_Dazs0BtL6_f/w640-h440/GreatSmokys%20(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Following the break up of Rodina, a wide sea opened up between what will become North America and Africa. This was known as the Ocoee Basin and was formed near present-day western Carolinas, eastern Tennessee, and northern Georgia, where the Great Smokies sit today. Within this ocean basin sedimentary rocks started to be formed. These sandstones, shales, limestones, and other sedimentary rocks formed a huge group of rocks known as the Ocoee Supergroup. More sedimentary rocks were then deposited on top, including large amounts of limestones filled with fossils of crustaceans and worm burrow trace fossils.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Aj_9um3SY02rrA73WiZyJCSt_Y1xwTew8C-6v6IhNXNFiVCswOo6mnlCLuPIzufVKHP6V-u5xC0UWbFGEt6eJxPTW6KIejHnJNXQJ8pAdgadXcJ7nkX6zUXvIXrrkAEs5toc8TXTVylzIxlyT_-Gt7jTZPf0jB5W_4MfzibcDZC-K4cZru9l/s864/GreatSmokys%20(4).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="864" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Aj_9um3SY02rrA73WiZyJCSt_Y1xwTew8C-6v6IhNXNFiVCswOo6mnlCLuPIzufVKHP6V-u5xC0UWbFGEt6eJxPTW6KIejHnJNXQJ8pAdgadXcJ7nkX6zUXvIXrrkAEs5toc8TXTVylzIxlyT_-Gt7jTZPf0jB5W_4MfzibcDZC-K4cZru9l/w640-h438/GreatSmokys%20(4).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Following the deposition of the sedimentary rocks, the continents took an about face and started to head back towards each other once again about 470 million years ago to create another super continental "bounce". This time the eastern edge of North America once again crashed into Africa, forming Pangea 310 to 245 million years ago. It was during this collision that the Great Smoky Mountains, or at least the massive mountains they originated as, were formed, along with most of the Appalachian mountains along the eastern coast of North America. These mountains were said to be even bigger than the present day Rocky Mountains. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrJ5rxgNX93Wnmt87HhviQ5lp6kQifSNoTISquoe9lJ8EadSfarR6GpeI1m9VuQOL5AdbqlrdMNHXkp0ZMNh_YZuSMCu0Zjbu532bg1AKxE_TibPiXzUfNmwTiBL4RQM8F9EpYh87Wbl2Xh1rbNmY7sNzz7fVU_cO2MVeJId9aw0F7iGW1ycc/s866/GreatSmokys%20(5).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="866" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrJ5rxgNX93Wnmt87HhviQ5lp6kQifSNoTISquoe9lJ8EadSfarR6GpeI1m9VuQOL5AdbqlrdMNHXkp0ZMNh_YZuSMCu0Zjbu532bg1AKxE_TibPiXzUfNmwTiBL4RQM8F9EpYh87Wbl2Xh1rbNmY7sNzz7fVU_cO2MVeJId9aw0F7iGW1ycc/w640-h436/GreatSmokys%20(5).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Around 240 million years ago, Pangea began to break apart, continuing the continental bounce, eventually forming the Atlantic Ocean. During this time, the erosion of the Great Smoky Mountains continued, depositing sediment from the mountains off the coasts towards the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean basins. Over time, erosion greatly reduced the mountains from the once giants that had filled the area, producing the mountains as we see them today. </div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>References</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/geology-great-smoky-mountains-national-park"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/geology-great-smoky-mountains-national-park</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/geology.htm#10/35.6238/-83.5757"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/geology.htm#10/35.6238/-83.5757</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://public-water.com/2020/05/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://public-water.com/2020/05/</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/grenvillian-orogeny"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/grenvillian-orogeny</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://npshistory.com/publications/grsm/nrr-2008-048.pdf"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://npshistory.com/publications/grsm/nrr-2008-048.pdf</span></a></div></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-34153231936820061712023-11-09T11:17:00.000-07:002023-11-09T11:17:45.318-07:00Geology of the National Parks in Pictures - White Sands National Park<p> My next post about the <a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/search/label/National%20parks">Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures</a> is from when I had lived in Texas during the early 2000's. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/s2048/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/w328-h208/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" width="328" /></a></p><p>You can find more Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures as well as my Geological State Symbols Across America series at my website <a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica.html">Dinojim.com</a>.</p><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><a href="https://www.nps.gov/whsa/index.htm">White Sands National Park</a></u></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">On a separate trip from our trip to Carlsbad Caverns, we hit up White Sands National Park back in 2004. It is hard to not have geologically themed photographs here since the entire park is a geology wonderland. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3wMLjJfgfm-dBHQyUM5D9hgyOzwmZ_5zoB-MeqAeF0TOT-yjXSQ6UkzHqSAeDdbyN6FWU9lXkJ7c04V3CgEv37kG7pWxgRvlagP2c2F0tyqwCvTE2CqDUVy5K03GoCDwJVSPtMxSk-ASdr1ScUSpNeKVjhyphenhyphenOKvllinusc7IOn5lpdoJWMAKsk/s2032/WhiteSands%20(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1524" data-original-width="2032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3wMLjJfgfm-dBHQyUM5D9hgyOzwmZ_5zoB-MeqAeF0TOT-yjXSQ6UkzHqSAeDdbyN6FWU9lXkJ7c04V3CgEv37kG7pWxgRvlagP2c2F0tyqwCvTE2CqDUVy5K03GoCDwJVSPtMxSk-ASdr1ScUSpNeKVjhyphenhyphenOKvllinusc7IOn5lpdoJWMAKsk/w640-h480/WhiteSands%20(5).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">When you think of "sand", you often think of the gritty, rough grains you find on a beach or in the desert. Sand is actually a size determination. The definition of sand is that it is particles that are from 0.05 to 2.0 mm in diameter. Size of particles go from mud/clay, silt, sand, and gravel. These can further be broken down but that is the general gist of it. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZE-1QMt4a_NfuB7gi-Lgelt9XjbYLcxHEP3o4HhUuUwP7afIq-8Rei7ogNVNb3hVeo1bXY2OA5jP_CqTcf_4ChfCP3u5Ev1QbY_35AwtAYqep07FF566wk8R1S8TuSeOX2R3KFX3wAlE8K5dsoZD3rAHHDo-2exyfzoqJRYRv9f-CF9_9DZQ/s2032/WhiteSands%20(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1524" data-original-width="2032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZE-1QMt4a_NfuB7gi-Lgelt9XjbYLcxHEP3o4HhUuUwP7afIq-8Rei7ogNVNb3hVeo1bXY2OA5jP_CqTcf_4ChfCP3u5Ev1QbY_35AwtAYqep07FF566wk8R1S8TuSeOX2R3KFX3wAlE8K5dsoZD3rAHHDo-2exyfzoqJRYRv9f-CF9_9DZQ/w640-h480/WhiteSands%20(6).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Most beach and desert sands are made of the mineral quartz (SiO<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span>). This is because quartz is a very, very abundant mineral on the surface of the Earth, and it also has some special features that allows it to remain around long enough to become sand. For one, it is a very hard mineral (a 7 out of 10 on the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/mohs-hardness-scale.htm">Mohs Hardness Scale</a> below). </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WuoXGwxj3kcg9XkJZFP8GRWBtFj0s9zEJ_-zN4_az2kYwppQs88U6mG7ilyZyW84O_j5x0kOBNlNReQ15BTLRMOkYc5Z02PMw2iJ-LSqphVXd5wIjtpLHMtn-bEVtxjPMo0MCUuWddFmDY-BnbDjRcIm6EOZcWGbcchGXkyGEUCEEE0-jSaB/s1289/Mohs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="1289" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WuoXGwxj3kcg9XkJZFP8GRWBtFj0s9zEJ_-zN4_az2kYwppQs88U6mG7ilyZyW84O_j5x0kOBNlNReQ15BTLRMOkYc5Z02PMw2iJ-LSqphVXd5wIjtpLHMtn-bEVtxjPMo0MCUuWddFmDY-BnbDjRcIm6EOZcWGbcchGXkyGEUCEEE0-jSaB/w640-h444/Mohs.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mohs Hardness Scale showing the relative hardness, or ability to be scratched, of minerals. Minerals shown are the reference minerals and don't cover every mineral on Earth. Image courtesy of the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/mohs-hardness-scale.htm">NPS</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Another mineral property that quartz does not have is called cleavage, meaning that the mineral breaks along planes of weakness. Both of these combine means that quartz has a tendency to erode slowly and into tiny little smooth balls, hence sand grains. But these sand grains are also typically gritty feeling because of the hardness of quartz. And even though quartz grains at that scale are clear, tiny amounts of rust (or hematite) dust color the sand grains a pale orange/yellow color. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">As is sometimes the case, not all beach and/or desert sands are made of quartz. White Sands is one of those special types of places where the sand dunes are = made up of a completely different mineral. The mineral here is called gypsum (CaSO<span style="font-size: xx-small;">4</span>.2H<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span>O). As can be seen in Mohs Hardness Scale above, gypsum is by far softer than quartz. So soft in fact that the mineral itself is softer than your fingernails (meaning you can scratch a gypsum crystal with your nail). This creates sand dunes that are very, very soft and quite fun to play in. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJruL3st0V2Blb_wTO-kRFcyNNzAEIafSRrEh9ll9Qmueo-CX0NuJuf8eaOgK6OEpgATKndKTTH12mcGt_nj_Sl5Me3FwMEM90JQLMfzOmD3JufbQDJfkDfiQ04VmVNuwCgeixLqrx9ze2LgHGYeM_UVz427RepMfvaEbulyKzDdT7u54SJtLH/s2032/WhiteSands%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1524" data-original-width="2032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJruL3st0V2Blb_wTO-kRFcyNNzAEIafSRrEh9ll9Qmueo-CX0NuJuf8eaOgK6OEpgATKndKTTH12mcGt_nj_Sl5Me3FwMEM90JQLMfzOmD3JufbQDJfkDfiQ04VmVNuwCgeixLqrx9ze2LgHGYeM_UVz427RepMfvaEbulyKzDdT7u54SJtLH/w640-h480/WhiteSands%20(2).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Gypsum is an evaporite mineral, meaning that it is often left behind in areas where water evaporation are high. Places like the Great Salt Lake are evaporation basins, where as the water evaporates it leaves behind the salt that had been gathered from the surrounding environment. Depending on the chemistry of the surrounding rocks different evaporative minerals would be left behind in different evaporite basins. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDsKSSEJUCPgvALLsYh6YLkwcSsZLYCMTPyXoES6Vq0nr7QTpWVRsQabzi6REvIT1lEza3thX-hM1b0VhU9IyyXKIP8oRXVvOkv_BzlnzaOZ3bsiO9Jkihy6cST-kLJM4xsiZNTBZO9rs2GbDp7JBfgAcVFgoX3E8a7SaEhm8INK0msleE7lN/s638/Graben.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="638" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDsKSSEJUCPgvALLsYh6YLkwcSsZLYCMTPyXoES6Vq0nr7QTpWVRsQabzi6REvIT1lEza3thX-hM1b0VhU9IyyXKIP8oRXVvOkv_BzlnzaOZ3bsiO9Jkihy6cST-kLJM4xsiZNTBZO9rs2GbDp7JBfgAcVFgoX3E8a7SaEhm8INK0msleE7lN/w640-h440/Graben.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horst and graben. Image courtesy of the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/horst-and-graben.htm">NPS</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">The gypsum from which these sand dunes originated first formed back in the Permian (280 to 250 million years ago), when a large shallow sea known as the Permian Sea covered the region. Rising and falling levels produced a large amount of evaporite deposits of the gypsum. </span>These gypsum deposits were then buried over time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Around 70 million years ago mountain building events, known as the Laramide Orogeny, started to push up the Rocky Mountains, including this region of New Mexico. Around 30 to 10 million years ago the region then started to pull apart. This pull apart created a horst and graben structure, which is where a valley drops down along two sets of faults on either side (pictured above). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCdh6e7jiJbKvfBqefDtLElc3h-yv3nvP2m7sTUcm_Y6CgmALJuYgqqPUHE1DYwaU2UBCPSV2cpb6Q99zqokb4x7w8ab9enFlLhnXWYkBpaBm44I5S630jcjz3Dhq8F7xZ17V73WecUbelc23_6Q9sgCZkiAu63Vsg1jUj1fmHglxpc1gDhCU/s2032/WhiteSands%20(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1524" data-original-width="2032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCdh6e7jiJbKvfBqefDtLElc3h-yv3nvP2m7sTUcm_Y6CgmALJuYgqqPUHE1DYwaU2UBCPSV2cpb6Q99zqokb4x7w8ab9enFlLhnXWYkBpaBm44I5S630jcjz3Dhq8F7xZ17V73WecUbelc23_6Q9sgCZkiAu63Vsg1jUj1fmHglxpc1gDhCU/w640-h480/WhiteSands%20(3).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The graben here is known as the Tularosa Basin, and is where White Sands NP currently resides. The horsts are the mountain ranges that run along the eastern, the Sacramento Mountains, and western, San Andres mountains (seen here), edges of the basin. These are the bounding mountains which create an enclosed, or end, basin that has no outlet for water. So all water and minerals that get washed into the valley off of the neighboring mountains eventually evaporates away, leaving behind the mineral deposits. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVxdnmps-BOMgW4_8c38dZ8w2ZA_LNEEm8x16uG840mAmoiZNxbZAM7yvjfAcdqP7qIeZdJHqhSMkz8m22b5he95vHv4C0dnVbwBWDexS5Pknw7XrEi7NjrvXW1Cr03eq86e76MEmojczkTMGb3C0SQb9PSF75-QMGMGAX46pi76I-ffTTBNN/s2032/WhiteSands%20(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1524" data-original-width="2032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVxdnmps-BOMgW4_8c38dZ8w2ZA_LNEEm8x16uG840mAmoiZNxbZAM7yvjfAcdqP7qIeZdJHqhSMkz8m22b5he95vHv4C0dnVbwBWDexS5Pknw7XrEi7NjrvXW1Cr03eq86e76MEmojczkTMGb3C0SQb9PSF75-QMGMGAX46pi76I-ffTTBNN/w640-h480/WhiteSands%20(4).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Winds then aid in the transportation of the gypsum across the valley. Since gypsum is a lighter and softer mineral than quartz, lower wind speeds are needed to produce the sand dunes. Ripples, as are seen here, are produced at lower wind speeds with every increasing speeds moving the sand grains up the sides of the dunes, aiding in their movement across the desert. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvnx9muezGCZRoroBZrfYIuSenwBhp8ZrH3BTnnWJ44zOYk4dczi85GwnkYEZYh7FLhAxaKQkAsHP06efftnKPPDm95TC010SOB9ZC3eXTfHuX09l3ei-iQGQEFOGg9FI0crAhokut981af3EDuuuuBgplj3NCMpM3xlpS8cTrgf6aqJW9kII/s1982/sanddunemovement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1982" data-original-width="1490" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvnx9muezGCZRoroBZrfYIuSenwBhp8ZrH3BTnnWJ44zOYk4dczi85GwnkYEZYh7FLhAxaKQkAsHP06efftnKPPDm95TC010SOB9ZC3eXTfHuX09l3ei-iQGQEFOGg9FI0crAhokut981af3EDuuuuBgplj3NCMpM3xlpS8cTrgf6aqJW9kII/w482-h640/sanddunemovement.jpg" width="482" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration of how a sand dune moves. Image courtesy of the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery-item.htm?id=e75f59a7-6a9e-4da0-badd-52bc2c8233fe&gid=E73EC817-6CB4-4619-BEEA-B76F2F43573C">NPS</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sand dunes actually move as well. Sand is pushed up one side of the dune, known as the stoss or windward side. And the grains will then drop down the steeper leeward, or slipface, of the dune. As more and more sand grains are moved from the windward side to the slipface side, the dune will appear to migrate in the direct the wind is blowing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkL9zyICfnkF_M5RYAXLgLFz2mUEnLoUZTeLwrll-WbZzT9BuC0oV6VG-Wg4Gf19n1lcL26yKVLBGxuYTVDPARYBC4CDQhoosYTiwZRiBJZgS-kvN2eZp7jnT_9wvn23qbZGFE0XYdzC0wGzIoVcIHG4nDD7HBUQa60N3z_Vtm_owaDG__f7-u/s2032/WhiteSands%20(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1524" data-original-width="2032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkL9zyICfnkF_M5RYAXLgLFz2mUEnLoUZTeLwrll-WbZzT9BuC0oV6VG-Wg4Gf19n1lcL26yKVLBGxuYTVDPARYBC4CDQhoosYTiwZRiBJZgS-kvN2eZp7jnT_9wvn23qbZGFE0XYdzC0wGzIoVcIHG4nDD7HBUQa60N3z_Vtm_owaDG__f7-u/w640-h480/WhiteSands%20(1).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As the dunes move they can actually cross roads, meaning that the roads need to constantly maintained in the park otherwise they would quickly become inundated with sand. The wind's direction during major sandstorms will also rotate steadily clockwise starting from the western direction and dying out as it reverses directions to be from the east.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56e6b3gIDYJYXUTxpx8cLaHM97-1MqnlALB_b7fIdsfy2wdEdJG15NLAU4eLXWPDF5ek5cerF18FXUfM00SzdNRJxmPgOazZSyGMiTt0b_JICNmNtKPn7XSTalGBduMQ302w3sxZ_beF4iu_UAWGQ4HqCW2SVllVkNGN_UxD61IBJohh6h1tG/s1200/Sand%20DuneTypes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56e6b3gIDYJYXUTxpx8cLaHM97-1MqnlALB_b7fIdsfy2wdEdJG15NLAU4eLXWPDF5ek5cerF18FXUfM00SzdNRJxmPgOazZSyGMiTt0b_JICNmNtKPn7XSTalGBduMQ302w3sxZ_beF4iu_UAWGQ4HqCW2SVllVkNGN_UxD61IBJohh6h1tG/w640-h360/Sand%20DuneTypes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Types of sand dunes found at White Sands NP. Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.newmexicomagazine.org/blog/post/how-sand-dunes-move-at-white-sands-national-park/">New Mexico Magazine</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Depending on the amount of sand, the local vegetation, topography, and the consistency of wind direction, different types of sand dunes can be produced. The primary types produced in the park are barchan, dome, transverse, and parabolic dunes, as seen in the image above. The shifting wind direction would also shift the direction that the dunes tended to migrate as well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>References</b><div><a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/mohs-hardness-scale.htm"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.nps.gov/articles/mohs-hardness-scale.htm</span></a></div><div><a href="https://www.nps.gov/whsa/learn/geology-of-white-sands.htm"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.nps.gov/whsa/learn/geology-of-white-sands.htm</span></a></div><div><a href="https://geoinfo.nmt.edu/tour/federal/parks/whitesands/geology.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://geoinfo.nmt.edu/tour/federal/parks/whitesands/geology.html</span></a></div><div><a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/horst-and-graben.htm"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.nps.gov/articles/horst-and-graben.htm</span></a></div><div><a href="https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery-item.htm?id=e75f59a7-6a9e-4da0-badd-52bc2c8233fe&gid=E73EC817-6CB4-4619-BEEA-B76F2F43573C"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery-item.htm?id=e75f59a7-6a9e-4da0-badd-52bc2c8233fe&gid=E73EC817-6CB4-4619-BEEA-B76F2F43573C</span></a></div><div><a href="https://www.newmexicomagazine.org/blog/post/how-sand-dunes-move-at-white-sands-national-park/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.newmexicomagazine.org/blog/post/how-sand-dunes-move-at-white-sands-national-park/</span></a></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-30416358450496027292023-11-08T09:33:00.003-07:002023-11-09T08:31:05.301-07:00Geology of the National Parks in Pictures - Carlsbad Caverns National Park<p>My next post about the <a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/search/label/National%20parks">Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures</a> is from when I had lived in Texas during the early 2000's. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/s2048/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/w328-h208/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" width="328" /></a></p><p>You can find more Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures as well as my Geological State Symbols Across America series at my website <a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica.html">Dinojim.com</a>.</p><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><a href="https://www.nps.gov/cave/index.htm">Carlsbad Caverns National Park</a></u></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is another park that we had visited a long time ago (2003) and I don't have the most geologically themed photos as compared to some of the newer parks that we have visited however the geology is obvious at this park.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vHzH6FucCRD5Thb4xqdSmfzvtyvdtzT6P5f4fdwk0riTyXsjkvRqHny-S4XsQxHP2i3tOxIjuySS_c7Eg_DZtDOyKN7ilscNtatR3NrVeLetiolud2OH_g-izppUUz-hFFfG-iUuMQcZKd3vtcIwZDTLARvC9jVFS0M03PraJ3DWtFCFI2o0/s1600/Carlsbad%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vHzH6FucCRD5Thb4xqdSmfzvtyvdtzT6P5f4fdwk0riTyXsjkvRqHny-S4XsQxHP2i3tOxIjuySS_c7Eg_DZtDOyKN7ilscNtatR3NrVeLetiolud2OH_g-izppUUz-hFFfG-iUuMQcZKd3vtcIwZDTLARvC9jVFS0M03PraJ3DWtFCFI2o0/w640-h480/Carlsbad%20(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our standard entrance photo shot, even way back then. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxqst2M1xWfkkdwMUcEa6UShKABJc8aj3dUscmHq28HAYUvXOrLCIv-agin7TWzui0Vi3k1nn0wHV-xbqGSjc71XYo2Xsqa5aqdhKfBlJoMQ5dILDHSgLtvyShocHZ4HF3z5uVel80gYpJPmZYvDO1nEPOsFR7X671kkLM8jb9h-by55Ga7Bf/s1600/Carlsbad%20(4).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxqst2M1xWfkkdwMUcEa6UShKABJc8aj3dUscmHq28HAYUvXOrLCIv-agin7TWzui0Vi3k1nn0wHV-xbqGSjc71XYo2Xsqa5aqdhKfBlJoMQ5dILDHSgLtvyShocHZ4HF3z5uVel80gYpJPmZYvDO1nEPOsFR7X671kkLM8jb9h-by55Ga7Bf/w640-h480/Carlsbad%20(4).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">View of the surrounding grounds from near the cave entrance. The modern environment sort of mimics the ancient environment in which the limestone was initially formed. The cave system itself was formed mostly within a formation known as the Capitan Limestone. The Capitan Limestone formed back in the Permian (~276 million years ago) as a reef along the edge of the Delaware Basin, which contained the Delaware Sea, to the east. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5x6ThYShwk-t_oiQVtI8Uo5wact5Jh7dG9K8Pfi69-DadeOqX-KoqEWsJoixzVhOt-W0fkp8tTGM5itpK-1n7tTYILi038IKk0d7JMtEhCH2STsVdB6jWUeEDGQb5XO6omRQUOtTxtm47bS9kdKVdoZg512GOBDBgir8gTrw64_3t4Zpo3RK/s809/Map-of-Delaware-Basin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="457" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5x6ThYShwk-t_oiQVtI8Uo5wact5Jh7dG9K8Pfi69-DadeOqX-KoqEWsJoixzVhOt-W0fkp8tTGM5itpK-1n7tTYILi038IKk0d7JMtEhCH2STsVdB6jWUeEDGQb5XO6omRQUOtTxtm47bS9kdKVdoZg512GOBDBgir8gTrw64_3t4Zpo3RK/w362-h640/Map-of-Delaware-Basin.jpg" width="362" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of the Delaware Basin. Carlsbad Caverns are "CB" on the map. Image courtesy of <a href="https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=geology">Stafford et el., 2009</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Following deposition of the Permian Reef, the area was eventually uplifted into the Guadalupe Mountains starting 80 million years ago and accelerating 20-30 million years ago as faulting exposed the once buried reef eventually forming the mountains as we see them today. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwszSorjXBhEMRDNSnE2mBXy92_6stS2mCvYBqT6C4Ob2byaUdfCkXHlPwL32Eimf7dHfBvo6Bt2o7V49Y6yK0mj0vyCRQ2kFOC5IYF-3D5L3ta6OZFElB8BBfJw3SQh1ytZT8N-8X9F2KqpS1FC8_A05cPK1RgEnRhEFleHJxMNqidx3k_O4X/s1600/Carlsbad%20(3).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwszSorjXBhEMRDNSnE2mBXy92_6stS2mCvYBqT6C4Ob2byaUdfCkXHlPwL32Eimf7dHfBvo6Bt2o7V49Y6yK0mj0vyCRQ2kFOC5IYF-3D5L3ta6OZFElB8BBfJw3SQh1ytZT8N-8X9F2KqpS1FC8_A05cPK1RgEnRhEFleHJxMNqidx3k_O4X/w640-h480/Carlsbad%20(3).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>While the dissolution of the caverns started prior to the uplifting of the Guadalupe Mountains, it was the faulting and uplift that prompted the major episodes of cave formation. <div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4XCI9OHSj6cTYr1q_gjKozZPbAh3h8yprd4fgY_N0Fr4GhU_4aE-EiC7kXvdbkjyCQQ5x0l7dPUzvxz-0Btf4Dx5sI4f1OacPbSUhDZ_KGycQaWEVvTMOIWtQjFf7SOGr2DfBqFzgivDYIuM66-xPQTbh8_Icyh0_-ubv5dYeewit4okqUAj/s1000/carlsbadmappostcard.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4XCI9OHSj6cTYr1q_gjKozZPbAh3h8yprd4fgY_N0Fr4GhU_4aE-EiC7kXvdbkjyCQQ5x0l7dPUzvxz-0Btf4Dx5sI4f1OacPbSUhDZ_KGycQaWEVvTMOIWtQjFf7SOGr2DfBqFzgivDYIuM66-xPQTbh8_Icyh0_-ubv5dYeewit4okqUAj/w640-h400/carlsbadmappostcard.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carlsbad Caverns postcard depicting a map of the caves. Image courtesy of <a href="https://carlsbadnewmexico.com/places/carlsbad-caverns-maps/">Visit Carlsbad</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Cave systems are typically formed by the slow dissolution of limestone by a weak carbonic acid. The calcium carbonate (CaCO<span style="font-size: xx-small;">3</span>) that forms the limestone reacts with the weak acid (H<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span>CO<span style="font-size: xx-small;">3</span>) that forms when rain water reacts with carbon dioxide. This acid will then slowly dissolve the limestone as rain water percolates through the limestone along cracks and fissures working it's way to the underground water table. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_xleT1icbLrhJC2bTONXQk2EyxhL_eQkILFuDixT2whwIaaUKBmObIM-QBLcDAl-kMNKZfAMpcWh7VG3EO00ttJHnc_91hyphenhyphenFyV2cXV3TOShxnrtKfLzuiuMysTWDm3cRdCBn9yz-VPk-6trtCePG3w24dRbfoQVYTeZH4a8nustHAq690Gbc/s1600/Carlsbad%20(1).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_xleT1icbLrhJC2bTONXQk2EyxhL_eQkILFuDixT2whwIaaUKBmObIM-QBLcDAl-kMNKZfAMpcWh7VG3EO00ttJHnc_91hyphenhyphenFyV2cXV3TOShxnrtKfLzuiuMysTWDm3cRdCBn9yz-VPk-6trtCePG3w24dRbfoQVYTeZH4a8nustHAq690Gbc/w640-h480/Carlsbad%20(1).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div><br /></div><span style="text-align: center;">This is somewhat different than what happened at Carlsbad Caverns. Here a "very aggressive sulfuric acid bath" played a prominent role in cave formation, dissolving the limestone from the water table upwards. The hydrogen sulfide was the result of the regional petroleum reserves that started leaking into the area an estimated 12 million years ago. These sulfuric acid baths are what created the enormous caverns that are a hallmark of the Carlsbad Cavern system.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9bSesOve7jTZfm1i01YCB1TuoDXve-NiXvctxbuBVLHZO9dhpoSAEILqk2pbqnZnXMjkdII2scEzqoVHqmH0LCfbEA2HbCRQhkossMWHULfO_LMAib1TVnlx5GwOApRiGsM0zyvTr7GSjI2WdDp1nxjwf53I7S6AaOnsWzeZim2InU-cEQtV/s1600/Carlsbad%20(5).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9bSesOve7jTZfm1i01YCB1TuoDXve-NiXvctxbuBVLHZO9dhpoSAEILqk2pbqnZnXMjkdII2scEzqoVHqmH0LCfbEA2HbCRQhkossMWHULfO_LMAib1TVnlx5GwOApRiGsM0zyvTr7GSjI2WdDp1nxjwf53I7S6AaOnsWzeZim2InU-cEQtV/w640-h480/Carlsbad%20(5).JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The natural entrance to the caves then formed once the sulfuric acid baths had retreated ~one million years ago and erosion and gravity force the the ground surface to start to collapse in. At this point "normal" cave development took place with the formation of typical speleothems occurring </div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>References</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://npshistory.com/publications/geology/state/nm/1987-117/sec7-1.htm"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://npshistory.com/publications/geology/state/nm/1987-117/sec7-1.htm</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/geology-guadalupe-mountains-national-park"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/geology-guadalupe-mountains-national-park</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://npshistory.com/publications/cave/nrr-2007-003.pdf"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://npshistory.com/publications/cave/nrr-2007-003.pdf</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisit/upload/cave_geology.pdf"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisit/upload/cave_geology.pdf</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=geology"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Stafford, Kevin W., et al. "The Pecos River hypogene speleogenetic province: a basin-scale karst paradigm for eastern New Mexico and west Texas, USA." (2009)</span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://carlsbadnewmexico.com/places/carlsbad-caverns-maps/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://carlsbadnewmexico.com/places/carlsbad-caverns-maps/</span></a></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-27074215096384447452023-11-06T09:48:00.003-07:002023-11-06T09:49:25.355-07:00Geologic State Symbols Across America - Iowa<p> <span>The next state up for the </span><a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/search/label/State%20Symbols">Geological State Symbols Across America</a><span> is:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><font size="5"><b><u>Iowa</u></b></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwYycrhi0ovxkgY0h3Iv1orALTJ1MLZDwGX8yY2qQjFZqYdIYblgrkYSeJ-xvf_Y_zB5z_pN1HtoKwPTrNL0DD1nltw-Zpz3havzWhQdYy-tvgeN64Mwqvy4cFMhU8il9YnSZ/s1600/GeologyAcrossAmerica_Logo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwYycrhi0ovxkgY0h3Iv1orALTJ1MLZDwGX8yY2qQjFZqYdIYblgrkYSeJ-xvf_Y_zB5z_pN1HtoKwPTrNL0DD1nltw-Zpz3havzWhQdYy-tvgeN64Mwqvy4cFMhU8il9YnSZ/s1600/GeologyAcrossAmerica_Logo.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: center;">You can find any of the other states geological symbols on my website here: </span><a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica.html" style="text-align: center;">Dinojim.com</a><span style="text-align: center;"> (being updated as I go along).</span></span><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;"> </span><b style="text-align: left;"><u>Year Established</u></b><br style="text-align: left;" /><b style="text-align: left;">State Rock:</b><span style="text-align: left;"> Geode </span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">1967</span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: large;">State Rock: Geode</span></u></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div></div></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div><i>S.J.R. 20, February 2, 1967</i></div><div><i> A Joint Resolution designating the Iowa geode as the official </i><i>state rock for the state of Iowa.</i></div><div><i>WHEREAS, it is common practice for states to adopt specific </i><i>flowers, birds, and trees as the official state flowers, state </i><i>birds, and state trees, and</i></div><div><i>WHEREAS, it is also the practice among a number of states to </i><i>adopt certain rocks as the official state rock of the state, and</i></div><div><i>WHEREAS, the state of Iowa does not at the present time have </i><i>a rock as the official rock of the state, and</i></div><div><i>WHEREAS, Iowa has natural deposits of one of the rarest and </i><i>most beautiful rocks in the example of the Iowa geode, and</i></div><div><i>WHEREAS, the Iowa geode is a much sought after brightly colored </i><i>rock of a crystal formation and one of the finest geodes located </i><i>in the nation, and</i></div><div><i>WHEREAS, Iowa is one of the few places where the geode formations </i><i>are plentiful and found in some abundance, and</i></div><div><i>WHEREAS, a survey conducted through the use of questionnaires </i><i>mailed to rock collectors in the state has indicated that the </i><i>Iowa geode is the first choice for the official state rock of</i></div><div><i>Iowa; NOW THEREFORE</i></div><div><i>Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa:</i></div><div><i>Section 1. The Iowa geode is hereby designated and shall </i><i>hereafter be officially known as the state rock of Iowa.</i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><i>Sec. 2. The curator of the department of history and archives</i><i> is hereby directed to obtain samples of the Iowa geode adequate</i><i> to represent a fair sampling of the rock as found in this state</i><i> and display the samplings 1n an appropriate place in the state</i><i> historical library.</i></div><div><i>Sec. 3. The editor of the Iowa Official Register is hereby</i><i> directed to include an appropriate picture with an appropriate</i><i> commentary of the Iowa geode in the Iowa Official Register</i><i> along with pictures of the state flower, state bird, and state</i><i> tree.</i></div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2K7GHNZdLcRG2XX2M2HdYBR1Z5E1lriVWtBGUxnzSgLGuFbdrwFNGHfOd2J-FALtHd442LPsUaYHwZ7ciZYLm3bDOcNksu0qU922iQOfxti23tqT81Z8V7R0D0H0TTxylrYhLEEUFZWpBAvpD0qoWod0L3P6k3qQWX8tXf3DQfD3KIZgxXhJD/s495/IowaGeode.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="495" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2K7GHNZdLcRG2XX2M2HdYBR1Z5E1lriVWtBGUxnzSgLGuFbdrwFNGHfOd2J-FALtHd442LPsUaYHwZ7ciZYLm3bDOcNksu0qU922iQOfxti23tqT81Z8V7R0D0H0TTxylrYhLEEUFZWpBAvpD0qoWod0L3P6k3qQWX8tXf3DQfD3KIZgxXhJD/s16000/IowaGeode.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Iowa Geode. Image courtesy of the <a href="https://iowageologicalsurvey.uiowa.edu/iowa-geology/popular-interest/iowa-geodes">Iowa Geological Survey</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">A geode is a hollow, or void, that is roughly spherical in shape in a rock in which minerals precipitate, forming (oftentimes) beautiful crystal displays. The voids in which geodes form are commonly found in limestones or volcanic rocks, and, although rarely, other rock varieties. These are then filled with mineral crystals that have slowly grown as water passes through the voids, depositing the minerals molecule by molecule. The minerals crystals are usually quartz (and all its varieties like amethyst) or calcite, but may be found as many other mineral varieties like barite or celestite. One of the notable features of a geode is that they are separable from the rock in which they occur and the crystals are notably different than the surrounding rock, making them more easily collectable than a lot of crystals or minerals that need to be dug out of place. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3PONN23WG6Dr6IHsTAhpnWkY19otnXbN4_qXVvXuANxKITM-tCs8oIl6Ocgg01M0YEOzNMx1LprwxzoJO24_Gba8K9cFodb0daObHH_vZnUIFD0BRW4qix8VfyA489wIk3kO1yRJ3sF0EevpHlIEMDJKh9QCs3gETeqm1pXg559mZw5lN3t0/s807/GeodeMap.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="762" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3PONN23WG6Dr6IHsTAhpnWkY19otnXbN4_qXVvXuANxKITM-tCs8oIl6Ocgg01M0YEOzNMx1LprwxzoJO24_Gba8K9cFodb0daObHH_vZnUIFD0BRW4qix8VfyA489wIk3kO1yRJ3sF0EevpHlIEMDJKh9QCs3gETeqm1pXg559mZw5lN3t0/w604-h640/GeodeMap.png" width="604" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of Keokuk Geode localities. Image courtesy of<a href="https://www.mindat.org/photo-540814.html"> Mindat.org</a> and (C) William W. Besse</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The beauty and abundance of the geodes found in Iowa were one of the reasons that they were named the State Rock, where they were even known globally as some of the best geodes on Earth. The identification of them as the State Rock was also to improve tourism with the goal in getting people into the state to go rock hunting. Geodes in Iowa are most notably found in the 35-miles surrounding Keokuk, prompting the name for these geodes, the "Keokuk geodes". Keokuk is found in the southeastern corner of Iowa, near the borders of Illinois and Missouri. These geodes formed in the Mississippian (353.8 - 342.8 Ma) lower Warsaw Formation, which is an amalgamation of shales, shaley dolomites, dolomites, and dolomitic limestones. The geodes are comprised of an outer shell of chalcedony, a microcrystalline variety of quartz. Chalcedony also coats the interior surface of many of the Keokuk geodes, forming a variety of colors including white, pink, grey, blue, yellow, and orange. And while most of the Keokuk geodes contain mainly quartz crystals, calcite is also common, as well as 17 other minerals. <div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4XkJ0OazQh4T4dsoz7OBF3gcz7hfrwKgdi_BBLUHgNSkz50O-KV50vponbS9UezyEikyQ7MILztNnLDuIlNGacRres5-T0QMPkROz5eeQKnwPZQo3XrK5OK2C-jpAqw1hhBPcyC7qTZ2nQCgkdKGI2rwi0vgSVjEdLD8QmTlrS_zQIhkyj7s/s700/GeodeStatePark.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="700" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4XkJ0OazQh4T4dsoz7OBF3gcz7hfrwKgdi_BBLUHgNSkz50O-KV50vponbS9UezyEikyQ7MILztNnLDuIlNGacRres5-T0QMPkROz5eeQKnwPZQo3XrK5OK2C-jpAqw1hhBPcyC7qTZ2nQCgkdKGI2rwi0vgSVjEdLD8QmTlrS_zQIhkyj7s/w640-h479/GeodeStatePark.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geode display at Geode State Park. Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/iowa/geode-lake-ia/">Onlyinyourstate.com</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>There are also many places to find geodes in the area. There is even a state park named after the geodes: Geode State Park, however you are not allowed to collect geodes there. The park offices do have some displays with locally found geodes though. In the surrounding areas, there are <a href="https://rockhoundresource.com/iowa-rockhounding-location-guide-map/">many locations</a> that can be found so that you can search for your very own geodes, however collecting should only be done on public land where collecting is approved or on private land with the permission of the landowner. </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>References</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://iowageologicalsurvey.uiowa.edu/iowa-geology/popular-interest/iowa-geodes">https://iowageologicalsurvey.uiowa.edu/iowa-geology/popular-interest/iowa-geodes</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://publications.iowa.gov/25569/1/2015-10-16_11-10-17_em-43.pdf">https://publications.iowa.gov/25569/1/2015-10-16_11-10-17_em-43.pdf</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.mindat.org/photo-540814.html">https://www.mindat.org/photo-540814.html</a></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/iowa/geode-lake-ia/">https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/iowa/geode-lake-ia/</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://rockhoundresource.com/iowa-rockhounding-location-guide-map/">https://rockhoundresource.com/iowa-rockhounding-location-guide-map/</a></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-58250117681624862652023-11-05T11:30:00.008-07:002023-11-05T11:33:15.475-07:00Geology in Art - The Far Side<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: left;">Gary Larson is most well-known as the comic artist who created <i>The Far Side</i>, which ran from December 31, 1979, to January 1, 1995. <i>The Far Side</i> was a series of one-off single panel comics that basically poked fun at nearly every aspect of everyday life. He has since returned to producing <i>The Far Side </i>comics in 2020, which can be found currently on his website: <a href="https://www.thefarside.com/">thefarside.com</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnvwbsotgHrohs09JuJYaU082XWsaD5xETUC_AjygWXx3dEZYBX8tp4LObO_T9i2dZga4K9rKqAmB_7lbuK7nl1rKPTNABtSDYE_eSSYjvAd6WrjRyVVce3wvboqFv3r6zG71U0Zlm6_i4lfYn7TLaAZzShyphenhyphennhwHZPt54v-hiSDVMEdPPvFit/s690/thagomizer2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnvwbsotgHrohs09JuJYaU082XWsaD5xETUC_AjygWXx3dEZYBX8tp4LObO_T9i2dZga4K9rKqAmB_7lbuK7nl1rKPTNABtSDYE_eSSYjvAd6WrjRyVVce3wvboqFv3r6zG71U0Zlm6_i4lfYn7TLaAZzShyphenhyphennhwHZPt54v-hiSDVMEdPPvFit/s16000/thagomizer2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Back in 1982, an issue of <i>The Far Side</i> ran that featured what can essentially be called a presentation (a scientific presentation?) where one caveman is lecturing a group of cave people about the tail of a <i>Stegosaurus</i>. At which point he says </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><blockquote><i>"Now, this end is called the thagomizer ... after the late Thag Simmons."</i></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;">It is from here that we don't have geology influencing art, but art influencing geology, or more specifically, paleontology. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6qx4ER7Y6JkwXX0kO7WLs6v6NeJjTVlFkmqQ26fonFO_p3y7P41_l-5lq_D6xfOVNK7b1yy1eh_Md6BYiMkeRobxXgDwnQaIg1aitgamnbX4Bx-CH2SK3kcwUykADjqiCmWhZIeGWIi0bqKv39ybW-MQ07YgWamxJXsPuPI-0JLt8nj1r8AW/s534/Stegosaurus.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6qx4ER7Y6JkwXX0kO7WLs6v6NeJjTVlFkmqQ26fonFO_p3y7P41_l-5lq_D6xfOVNK7b1yy1eh_Md6BYiMkeRobxXgDwnQaIg1aitgamnbX4Bx-CH2SK3kcwUykADjqiCmWhZIeGWIi0bqKv39ybW-MQ07YgWamxJXsPuPI-0JLt8nj1r8AW/s16000/Stegosaurus.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Stegosaurus</i> from the Field Museum, Chicago, IL</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Prior to this, the tail spikes of a <i>Stegosaurus</i> did not have a scientific name associated with them. However, paleontologists often do have a sense of humor and after awhile they started to incorporate the name into scientific presentations and literature. It started in 1993 when Ken Carpenter, a paleontologist then with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, used the term while describing a new species of <i>Stegosaurus </i>during a presentation for the annual Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Following that, the term spread and was included in actual scientific publications including 1997's <i>The Complete Dinosaur</i>. From 2000 on, the usage of "thagomizer" exploded both in the scientific literature and outside of it. And while there are some holdouts that this term is not scientifically valid, continued consistent usage in the scientific literature is a requisite for scientific validity and this seems to have satisfied that requisite. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uUY_9be3P7A_XW0_U9kmaZyLHh2KfX0iAa6mGa6zu12ySZsyUFnOaLwLKJ1aC6XtyzE6VlO4B8YvzwYBGv7sBDyYbyUluuY8Xmq1bMQOodDCUX5eXrUNGvAt7bA8Y0wqDTBgoWY5_Cj6SpFTUEMPw8qGZrIBheBpvqIpXcer6wYnJPvV8ys0/s1413/Screenshot%202023-11-05%20131722.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="1413" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uUY_9be3P7A_XW0_U9kmaZyLHh2KfX0iAa6mGa6zu12ySZsyUFnOaLwLKJ1aC6XtyzE6VlO4B8YvzwYBGv7sBDyYbyUluuY8Xmq1bMQOodDCUX5eXrUNGvAt7bA8Y0wqDTBgoWY5_Cj6SpFTUEMPw8qGZrIBheBpvqIpXcer6wYnJPvV8ys0/w640-h260/Screenshot%202023-11-05%20131722.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Usage of the term "thagomizer" through time. Courtesy of <a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=thagomizer&year_start=1980&year_end=2019&corpus=en-2019&smoothing=0&case_insensitive=true#">Google NGram</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><b>References</b></div><div><a href="https://www.amusingplanet.com/2020/07/thagomizer-why-stegosaurus-spiky-tail.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.amusingplanet.com/2020/07/thagomizer-why-stegosaurus-spiky-tail.html</span></a></div><div><a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=thagomizer&year_start=1980&year_end=2019&corpus=en-2019&smoothing=0&case_insensitive=true#"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=thagomizer&year_start=1980&year_end=2019&corpus=en-2019&smoothing=0&case_insensitive=true#</span></a></div><div><a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Complete_Dinosaur/FOViD-lDPy0C?hl=en&gbpv=1"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Complete_Dinosaur/FOViD-lDPy0C?hl=en&gbpv=1</span></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-57323618009475245302023-11-04T10:19:00.003-06:002023-11-05T11:25:29.221-07:00Geology in Art - The Scream<p>Not sure if this will be a new series or not but I always found the inclusion of geology in the media that surrounds us to often times be surprising. And that includes the Art around us. In this instance we have Edvard Munch's <i>The Scream </i>(1893):</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8U5wNRtgNghklpdCBP_JXhGs2a8yvzJawLTBqX07pQ70tl7Xm-MrVHFRIIJkariKMZDvKMjN46y5HlX3Qi-Dv0A_GDHdPLNm9ccryZeKZjYmfnuFYt4F6kvo4ilQoSOL1oQ9A4WPHAk5eDgRJ39myfMqMt5wtxuAg5ECBd4iigaRMwDD_IPU/s1022/TheScream_Painting.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="824" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8U5wNRtgNghklpdCBP_JXhGs2a8yvzJawLTBqX07pQ70tl7Xm-MrVHFRIIJkariKMZDvKMjN46y5HlX3Qi-Dv0A_GDHdPLNm9ccryZeKZjYmfnuFYt4F6kvo4ilQoSOL1oQ9A4WPHAk5eDgRJ39myfMqMt5wtxuAg5ECBd4iigaRMwDD_IPU/w516-h640/TheScream_Painting.jpg" width="516" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> Edvard Munch, <i>The Scream</i>, 1893, Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo, Norway</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Edvard Munch was a Norwegian artist, living in Norway at the time. In his diary entry of January 22, 1892, Munch had described his inspiration for <i>The Scream</i>:<div><i><blockquote>One evening I was walking along a path, the city was on one side and the fjord below. I felt tired and ill. I stopped and looked out over the fjord—the sun was setting, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The color shrieked. This became The Scream.</blockquote></i></div><div>There is also a poem that he had written from 1895 with much the same vibe (<a href="https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/the-mysterious-road-of-the-scream-by-edvard-munch/">Daily Art Magazine</a>):</div><div><i></i></div><blockquote><div><i>I was walking along the road with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.</i></div><div></div></blockquote><div>There is no set time when this happened though, except that it must have been before the 1892 journal entry. It has been postulated (<a href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/99/7/bams-d-17-0144.1.xml#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20suggested%20that,of%20a%20scream%20from%20nature.">Olson et al., 2004</a>) that the cause of this "blood red" sunset was from the eruption of the volcano Krakatoa in Indonesia on August 27th, 1883. </div><div><br /></div><div>And while the eruption of Krakatoa was literally half a world away, there are other instances where the eruption impacted sunsets across the globe. There is a report in Pennsylvania from the <i>Hanover Spectator</i> from December 19th of 1883 where it is reported:</div><div><div><i><blockquote>Residents “… witnessed a most beautiful and startling phenomenon … the sky … was fairly aglow with crimson and golden fires.”</blockquote></i></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicP8r6haxJ0WrwjAv7znQpsLFMHq4Xjn-NWqWmb5c_bIkBINCJYQnZNoRT-N1C4yw1lLz46G-gOBYCXrubY47GJZUdsQz5-zh5oIJi47SbuOZ1-CcjeG92XD0qZrHgjatQOXOgWXj97RtDKvs9jJvk9CAHs-h3OqZPilmeNF10hF3ZtgnH_nz4/s1024/Krakatoa.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1024" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicP8r6haxJ0WrwjAv7znQpsLFMHq4Xjn-NWqWmb5c_bIkBINCJYQnZNoRT-N1C4yw1lLz46G-gOBYCXrubY47GJZUdsQz5-zh5oIJi47SbuOZ1-CcjeG92XD0qZrHgjatQOXOgWXj97RtDKvs9jJvk9CAHs-h3OqZPilmeNF10hF3ZtgnH_nz4/w640-h438/Krakatoa.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mount Krakatoa. Image courtesy of the <a href="https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=262000">Global Volcanism Project</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br />Krakatoa (or Mount Krakatoa) is a stratovolcano located within the Pacific Ring of Fire and produced one of the largest eruptions in recorded history. <div><br /></div><div>During the eruption, ash was sent 50 miles into the atmosphere covering 300,000 square miles. The ash eventually circled the globe dropping the global temperature by a full degree Celsius the year following the eruption. It took 5 years for the Earth's temperature to revert to normal. The final eruption produced a shockwave that was heard by 10% of the Earth's surface and ejected as much as 5 cubic miles of rock fragments into the air, causing the island to collapse down into it's 3.8 mile wide caldera. In addition, pyroclastic flows were produced, clouds of hot dust and ash of more than 300 degrees Celsius traveling at over 100 kph, wiping out everything for miles around the volcano. And the most devastation was produced by the series of tsunamis that smashed into 165 coastal villages in the surrounding islands of Java and Sumatra, extending to the Arabian peninsula, killing 36,000 people. </div><div><br /></div><div>It seems like based on Munch's personal accounts of the blood red sunset and the cause of that sunset, that it was indeed possible that the eruption was the impetus for the creation of <i>The Scream.</i><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b>References'</b></div><div><div><a href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/99/7/bams-d-17-0144.1.xml#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20suggested%20that,of%20a%20scream%20from%20nature."><span style="font-size: x-small;">Olson, D. W., Doescher, R. L., & Olson, M. S. (2004). When the sky ran red: The story behind the "Scream". Sky & Telescope, 107(2), pp. 28-35.</span></a></div></div><div><a href="https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=262000"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=262000</span></a></div><div><a href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/day-historic-krakatau-eruption-1883"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/day-historic-krakatau-eruption-1883</span></a></div><div><a href="https://www.universetoday.com/40601/mount-krakatoa/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.universetoday.com/40601/mount-krakatoa/</span></a></div><div><br /></div></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-76941967685794322442023-11-03T09:34:00.003-06:002023-11-08T08:02:34.974-07:00Geology of the National Parks in Pictures - Saint-Gaudens NHS<p>My next post about the <a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/search/label/National%20parks">Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures</a> is way back in the day before we had moved to Utah (and back to New York). </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/s2048/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK81W4RvccyWzr9LrJvE2B8cz05f7YovQW5uDvYfjqUJJwtXzpfiiZHsDWi0SsIVipbGBs_JkfJzlWZM3r7OvYL-g_BPd2WhOply6bpvLeIpwCiI96Xa1xbwC4Na0AVdI5D2T/w328-h208/GeologyAcrossAmerica_NPSLogo_lrg.png" width="328" /></a></p><p>You can find more Geology of the National Parks Through Pictures as well as my Geological State Symbols Across America series at my website <a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica.html">Dinojim.com</a>.</p><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><a href="https://www.nps.gov/saga/index.htm">Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site</a></u></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We had visited Saint-Gaudens in New Hampshire a long time ago (2006), long before I had the intent to do the geology of the National Parks posts. However, even with that, there is not much geological information for this site. The site is the former home to American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens who passed away in 1907 and his home was eventually transformed into the National Park that is seen today. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfCK_XUod_X90xBWa4psK9QRF5m99kctZqDM2KLkk5Z26C0V6vsPt3qEyqAiWLVc1_LaK7_TdHR3Bc08nj5wP9p0LeiavOmzLUAKZ8gcp8qAJi_k4Q-YVhPAdsiw9FrBCitBlcX8lnW2cgqN6SpkrEYS0uopuwVdgnIWJDqsQgDTRI8bSvp15/s2304/Property%20View.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfCK_XUod_X90xBWa4psK9QRF5m99kctZqDM2KLkk5Z26C0V6vsPt3qEyqAiWLVc1_LaK7_TdHR3Bc08nj5wP9p0LeiavOmzLUAKZ8gcp8qAJi_k4Q-YVhPAdsiw9FrBCitBlcX8lnW2cgqN6SpkrEYS0uopuwVdgnIWJDqsQgDTRI8bSvp15/w640-h480/Property%20View.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As is common in New Hampshire, the park is set within a glacial landscape that has since been changed through time to be a forested area of gentle hills. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3A7OsJ-B3g0HiUmwEaJ4VoWdpkOuN8mEW-kzzHk9d34AwAIi1kTuFTp60Sewnf-yZ3sbH8rFCIiO0PXU0NxOhRNvfX7tT9fSJW1ho03pv1dD4H-Rj5XUg3PU4BoG-IislNkJ5mNDNYe1MX3IvKhbxIIruJZNaLto51X7Z0YFrKs3EvJqiYWHV/s2304/John%20Adams.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3A7OsJ-B3g0HiUmwEaJ4VoWdpkOuN8mEW-kzzHk9d34AwAIi1kTuFTp60Sewnf-yZ3sbH8rFCIiO0PXU0NxOhRNvfX7tT9fSJW1ho03pv1dD4H-Rj5XUg3PU4BoG-IislNkJ5mNDNYe1MX3IvKhbxIIruJZNaLto51X7Z0YFrKs3EvJqiYWHV/w640-h480/John%20Adams.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Beneath the park is the Gile Mountain Formation, a metamorphic rock from the Early Devonian (~400 million years old). The rock is comprised of gray to tan metawacke and schist or phyllite. This is the Adams Memorial, a bronze cast statue sitting upon a pink and grey granite block designed by Stanford White. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZP8-ZvOhvnNiVIYsOrHjc3sWR1E4VpTjSWEWQ2v9ZeXlNUpRBT7NaMoHxokmhCRaibku1iYsaccp8tJQZchhbquBo62-cYia-b3HmntoMQ3ZoAES0NrEHldZXfUhJV7TkuI1R7_JeTSBq5Gfbz4y7qbHI2iJNXywABhs0lwYSpeJcpbjPlPaF/s2304/War%20Memorial.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZP8-ZvOhvnNiVIYsOrHjc3sWR1E4VpTjSWEWQ2v9ZeXlNUpRBT7NaMoHxokmhCRaibku1iYsaccp8tJQZchhbquBo62-cYia-b3HmntoMQ3ZoAES0NrEHldZXfUhJV7TkuI1R7_JeTSBq5Gfbz4y7qbHI2iJNXywABhs0lwYSpeJcpbjPlPaF/w640-h480/War%20Memorial.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">While Augustus did work in marble a bit, the majority of his work was in bronze. This relief sculpture made out of bronze is the Shaw Memorial set within a frame of concrete (I believe). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghi0XLIhj2Wz9-62hINKLj-CqmvKyZCgzKkfTw5oV3Ukurz_n69O7prZDm1gQCNpbJTjBtpQOvRdmuhekscGJ22jkug8DTkUkerkpRKxa35FBrADhnAj85VG4eSR5-D0gSk_AJVBMePX1HQyeAAMAuiMUYcD_yXXQFlPu56fpbI8Uz5J_az_ej/s2304/General.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="1728" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghi0XLIhj2Wz9-62hINKLj-CqmvKyZCgzKkfTw5oV3Ukurz_n69O7prZDm1gQCNpbJTjBtpQOvRdmuhekscGJ22jkug8DTkUkerkpRKxa35FBrADhnAj85VG4eSR5-D0gSk_AJVBMePX1HQyeAAMAuiMUYcD_yXXQFlPu56fpbI8Uz5J_az_ej/w480-h640/General.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another bronze statue from around the grounds. This is Admiral Farragut who is standing on a "bluestone" base carved by Stanford White, also of unknown origin. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nRJ5wS6t4FzVYqVZcxw4KjxW21IHy2gOp2i5uDryERW-Oh-DzfIENdA3cCW9E-1E0BC4S4f9mPJJFF8_AVgbO08UrHZPs0NUDddnaKOqbHcLEu9eJRUO9sUqpZFz_UkP1pkC8fkkpNVu5_YfOM29of57SEmvPdu0qokKTMNzt5WnrUweB0AU/s2304/Venus%20Statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nRJ5wS6t4FzVYqVZcxw4KjxW21IHy2gOp2i5uDryERW-Oh-DzfIENdA3cCW9E-1E0BC4S4f9mPJJFF8_AVgbO08UrHZPs0NUDddnaKOqbHcLEu9eJRUO9sUqpZFz_UkP1pkC8fkkpNVu5_YfOM29of57SEmvPdu0qokKTMNzt5WnrUweB0AU/w640-h480/Venus%20Statue.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">And even the sculptures that I did see in marble, I am unable to discover the source of his marble. So while this may be a dead end geologically, it does have pretty artwork. This statue of Diana, may actually be concrete and plaster and not marble.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzScbeEf-q-RterT8XuyGt1gNXDl_9tfjjos4izT_47r9a2XOqn1n9FS10UMW0U-vJ-wY7jxQqSye0STtozJ3MCE-hDn5IFNZl3eK2dm5W_-CpcU0kyugwbnl2pFnvKx76NQU0GRIcnmMzysWzMUOnqRUaRzqAYRy7d7jZey8_2LxiKh6t5xy/s2304/Fountain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="1728" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzScbeEf-q-RterT8XuyGt1gNXDl_9tfjjos4izT_47r9a2XOqn1n9FS10UMW0U-vJ-wY7jxQqSye0STtozJ3MCE-hDn5IFNZl3eK2dm5W_-CpcU0kyugwbnl2pFnvKx76NQU0GRIcnmMzysWzMUOnqRUaRzqAYRy7d7jZey8_2LxiKh6t5xy/w480-h640/Fountain.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">However, this statue, known as the "Temple", was indeed created out of marble and represents the resting place of Augustus and his family. This statue was carved by a different America sculptor, Kenyon Cox, however the prevenance of the marble for this sculpture is also eluding me. </div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>References</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/im/netn/saga.htm"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.nps.gov/im/netn/saga.htm</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=NHDg%3B0"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=NHDg%3B0</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://npshistory.com/publications/saga/cli-aspet.pdf"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://npshistory.com/publications/saga/cli-aspet.pdf</span></a></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-69847541310561452862023-11-02T13:22:00.002-06:002023-11-06T08:09:26.019-07:00Geologic State Symbols Across America - Indiana<p> <span>The next state up for the </span><a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/search/label/State%20Symbols">Geological State Symbols Across America</a><span> is:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><font size="5"><b><u>Indiana</u></b></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwYycrhi0ovxkgY0h3Iv1orALTJ1MLZDwGX8yY2qQjFZqYdIYblgrkYSeJ-xvf_Y_zB5z_pN1HtoKwPTrNL0DD1nltw-Zpz3havzWhQdYy-tvgeN64Mwqvy4cFMhU8il9YnSZ/s1600/GeologyAcrossAmerica_Logo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwYycrhi0ovxkgY0h3Iv1orALTJ1MLZDwGX8yY2qQjFZqYdIYblgrkYSeJ-xvf_Y_zB5z_pN1HtoKwPTrNL0DD1nltw-Zpz3havzWhQdYy-tvgeN64Mwqvy4cFMhU8il9YnSZ/s1600/GeologyAcrossAmerica_Logo.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: center;">You can find any of the other states geological symbols on my website here: </span><a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica.html" style="text-align: center;">Dinojim.com</a><span style="text-align: center;"> (being updated as I go along).</span></span><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;"> </span><b style="text-align: left;"><u>Year Established</u></b><br style="text-align: left;" /><b style="text-align: left;">State Stone:</b><span style="text-align: left;"> Limestone </span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">1971</span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: large;">State Stone: Limestone</span></u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><i></i></div><blockquote><div><i>IC 1-2-9-1</i></div><div><i>Sec. 1. The regal type rock "Limestone" which is found and quarried in south and central Indiana from the geologic formation named the Salem Limestone, is hereby adopted as the official stone of the State of Indiana.</i></div><div><i>(Formerly: Acts 1971, P.L.3, SEC.1.)</i></div></blockquote><div><i></i></div></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPMwOuh8OcRWRHq_xuY37aStK4monSuuC7njB63xNK0xBvFqw-epHgqzIm8HaHXGyegOe5ondlbtBbVPzgYPbNK3OSPbA6GMvJDC0xaDBAnIV5RNdXhoTdkmJy_6eZZbB0WWjH9Vh8MYRFln_PnDwQeKVFSMHJ_F0hXl_w9XhjTtd8wX40OgP/s1350/IndianaLimestoneQuarry.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1350" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPMwOuh8OcRWRHq_xuY37aStK4monSuuC7njB63xNK0xBvFqw-epHgqzIm8HaHXGyegOe5ondlbtBbVPzgYPbNK3OSPbA6GMvJDC0xaDBAnIV5RNdXhoTdkmJy_6eZZbB0WWjH9Vh8MYRFln_PnDwQeKVFSMHJ_F0hXl_w9XhjTtd8wX40OgP/w640-h394/IndianaLimestoneQuarry.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salem Limestone quarry. Photo by Teal Strabbing courtesy of <a href="https://www.visitindiana.com/blog/post/these-rocks-are-rolling-a-rare-look-at-an-active-limestone-quarry/">VisitIndiana.com</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Limestone is one of the main sedimentary rocks, along with sandstone and shale. Limestone is often formed from the carbonate shells of aquatic animal life, since most shelly animals makes their shells out of a variety of carbonates (CaCO3). One of the hallmarks of carbonates is that they react with acid, making limestones fairly easy to identify as a whole. However there are multiple varieties of limestones depending on where there were formed, what their primary mineral is, the size and types of the fossils within the limestone, and what type of cement is present within the rock. These include fossiliferous limestone, coquina, chalk, micrite, crystalline limestone, oolitic limestone, and travertine. Fossiliferous limestone is formed usually on the continental shelf from the large shells of animals like clams and snails cemented together with microscopic calcium carbonate shells, called lime mud. Coquina is typically formed in beach like environments where the number of animal shells far exceeds the surrounding sediment. Although some definitions vary, the typical definition is that coquina is made up of loosely cemented shells with little to no matrix (cement). Chalk is formed from the compaction of microscopic plates called coccoliths, which come from animals called coccolithophores. Chalk is similar to fossiliferous limestone except the rock is typically all white and contains only one type of fossil. Micrite is comprised primarily of lime mud, like a fossiliferous limestone without the fossils. It forms a little further out from the shoreline than fossiliferous limestone where the mud can float out in the water but is generally too deep for shelled animal life. Crystalline limestone is an inorganic type of limestone that usually forms in shallow lagoons or lakes. The water in the lagoon becomes saturated in calcite and then the water starts to evaporate causing calcite to precipitate out of the rock. This is common where water is periodically added to a lagoon or a lake after a lot of calcite is precipitated out. It is also found when other types of limestone are altered in some way. Oolitic limestone is another inorganic type of limestone where limestone mud is deposited along the continental shelf edge and the naturally movement of the water rolls the mud around creating little balls of calcite. These little calcite balls are then cemented together. And the last limestone variety, travertine, is formed in caves from the deposit of calcite along stalactites, stalagmites, and other flowstones. Since the structures are built up layer by layer, this causes the rocks to often have a banded appearance with often a lot of holes within it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBP5UvxXgn8a4mKvWuIGjtk2leYclLwfMh4UqGiSy1d1FZwV5SRD4NxpZERH7f09JR7GUc4uhrWKH7I3nTXgZFslnOOBl4PD1A9pn9QMHPoPsp19d810cCYs52YYgeZjQnaXZoMlfCeSXzElFOPiqb_vgpFcjRM2umyZLsEvBF60pQgXYn_yn/s490/SalemLimestoneMap.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBP5UvxXgn8a4mKvWuIGjtk2leYclLwfMh4UqGiSy1d1FZwV5SRD4NxpZERH7f09JR7GUc4uhrWKH7I3nTXgZFslnOOBl4PD1A9pn9QMHPoPsp19d810cCYs52YYgeZjQnaXZoMlfCeSXzElFOPiqb_vgpFcjRM2umyZLsEvBF60pQgXYn_yn/w286-h400/SalemLimestoneMap.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salem Limestone Quarry locations. Image courtesy of <a href="http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/geology/powell/613webpage/NYCbuilding/IndianaLimestone/IndianaLimestone.htm">CUNY - Brooklyn College</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Although the State Stone is designated a "Limestone", the official state announcement calls out specifically the Salem Limestone from the south and central Indiana, so we will focus on that limestone in particular. Due to incomplete knowledge of the extent of the Salem Limestone deposits when it was first being quarried, the body currently known as the Salem Limestone has gone through many names throughout history. These include the Bedford stone, Bloomington stone, Ellettsville stone, Salem stone, White River stone, Bastard stone, Bedford Marble, Gosport Stone, Indiana Oolitic Stone, Spergen fossil bed, Bedford Oolitic Limestone, Spergen Hill Limestone, Spergen Limestone, Salem Formation, and the Indiana Limestone (of which it is known today in the building-stone trade). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCl9q6sL-hH4GRtbaf82gqorZN3Wo1ujIS7P5Oz4UMdx571Q49PLPPhQbSCV8rzVTPRVqCjRvUXgUE6otxeBEL0zhUEjRc33CRbhsInZXGNLUng5hAe7YdyQHq_qmbxYUJH3gCtAaPEF64PnH_C-hVO3UB9ia3_FIn4VB7oVyTdOJHyQR8KSHM/s640/SalemLimestone.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="640" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCl9q6sL-hH4GRtbaf82gqorZN3Wo1ujIS7P5Oz4UMdx571Q49PLPPhQbSCV8rzVTPRVqCjRvUXgUE6otxeBEL0zhUEjRc33CRbhsInZXGNLUng5hAe7YdyQHq_qmbxYUJH3gCtAaPEF64PnH_C-hVO3UB9ia3_FIn4VB7oVyTdOJHyQR8KSHM/w640-h542/SalemLimestone.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salem Limestone. Image courtesy of <a href="http://earthphysicsteaching.homestead.com/Limestone.html">earthphysicsteaching.homestead.com</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Salem Limestone is a Middle Mississippian age (335-340 million year old) light-grey to bluish-grey pure calcarenite limestone that crops out between Bloomington and Bedford in the south-central portion of Indiana. It formed in a shallow sea that straddled the equator at the time. Wave action broke up the largest particles creating a limestone that consisted mostly of smaller fossil fragments. This wave action also produced quite a bit of cross-bedding throughout the deposit as well. Quarrying of the stone began in 1827 and has continued up to the present day with nine different quarries all mining the same formation. Indiana Limestone is a "freestone", which means that there is no preferential cracking, jointing, or splitting. This also means that blocks of the limestone can be planed, hand-worked, or otherwise manipulated without fear of the rock breaking in a preferential direction. The limestone is 97% pure calcite with microscopic foraminifera and bryozoan fossils found throughout. Other fossils that can be found in limited quantities include gastropods, pelecypods, brachiopods, and crinoids. The Salem Limestone has been used as a building stone in many famous projects across the country including the <a href="https://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica/DistrictOfColumbia.html#Lincoln">Lincoln Memorial</a>, the <a href="https://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoFun/GeologyAcrossAmerica/DistrictOfColumbia.html#Jefferson">Thomas Jefferson Memorial</a>, Grand Central Station, Ellis Island, the Empire State Building, The Pentagon, and 27 U.S. state capitol buildings. This abundance of use and it's beautiful appearance has made this "The Nation's Building Stone".</div></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b>References</b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://statesymbolsusa.org/states/united-states/indiana">https://statesymbolsusa.org/states/united-states/indiana</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://books.google.com/books">https://books.google.com/books</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.in.gov/history/about-indiana-history-and-trivia/emblems-and-symbols/indiana-state-river-and-stone/">https://www.in.gov/history/about-indiana-history-and-trivia/emblems-and-symbols/indiana-state-river-and-stone/</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://igws.indiana.edu/compendium/salem-limestone">https://igws.indiana.edu/compendium/salem-limestone</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/entertainment/local/2023/06/07/limestone-fest-at-iu-bloomington-a-free-family-friendly-event/70289575007/">https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/entertainment/local/2023/06/07/limestone-fest-at-iu-bloomington-a-free-family-friendly-event/70289575007/</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/geology/powell/613webpage/NYCbuilding/IndianaLimestone/IndianaLimestone.htm">http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/geology/powell/613webpage/NYCbuilding/IndianaLimestone/IndianaLimestone.htm</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://igws.indiana.edu/bookstore/details.cfm?Pub_Num=OP38">https://igws.indiana.edu/bookstore/details.cfm?Pub_Num=OP38</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://earthphysicsteaching.homestead.com/Limestone.html">http://earthphysicsteaching.homestead.com/Limestone.html</a></div></span></span></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-2960100268398628202023-11-01T10:13:00.000-06:002023-11-01T10:13:07.773-06:00Geology Through the Radio - Honky Cat<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipykr9hW2WFxzEFHCldJYxpy7wlh9LTiM0SP_iovgTxrnAotGH57Q5rYjaOtOuSLrAn9_pQXdBph2iQ1PyGIkOwlpd4kSjx-kGHqC0Jv19xh54izqc3P46WvrIe3J4FCSOIQqj/s1600/GTTR.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipykr9hW2WFxzEFHCldJYxpy7wlh9LTiM0SP_iovgTxrnAotGH57Q5rYjaOtOuSLrAn9_pQXdBph2iQ1PyGIkOwlpd4kSjx-kGHqC0Jv19xh54izqc3P46WvrIe3J4FCSOIQqj/s1600/GTTR.gif" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">While many songs have the possibility to be examined in a geological sense, there are few as blatant with their geological references as Elton John's "Honky Cat"</p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/92s-MPAQBCU?si=IPjFGx0bw2SQodjm" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Honky Cat</u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><i>When I look back, boy, I must have been green</i></div><div><i>Bopping in the country, fishing in a stream</i></div><div><i>Looking for an answer, trying to find a sign</i></div><div><i>Until I saw your city lights, honey, I was blind</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>They said, get back, honky cat</i></div><div><i>Better get back to the woods</i></div><div><i>Well, I quit those days and my redneck ways</i></div><div><i>And, mmhm-hm-hm, oh, change is gonna do me good</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>You better get back, honky cat</i></div><div><i>Living in the city ain't where it's at</i></div><div><i><b>It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine</b></i></div><div><i>It's like trying to drink whiskey, oh, from a bottle of wine</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Well, I read some books, and I read some magazines</i></div><div><i>About those high-class ladies down in New Orleans</i></div><div><i>And all the folks back home, well, said I was a fool</i></div><div><i>They said, oh, believe in the Lord is the golden rule</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>They said, get back, honky cat</i></div><div><i>Better get back to the woods</i></div><div><i>But I quit those days and my redneck ways</i></div><div><i>And, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, oh, change is gonna do me good</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>They said, get back, honky cat</i></div><div><i>Better get back to the woods</i></div><div><i>Well, I quit those days and my redneck ways</i></div><div><i>And, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, change is gonna do me good</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>They said, stay at home, boy, you gotta tend the farm</i></div><div><i>Living in the city, boy, is, is going to break your heart</i></div><div><i>But how can you stay when your heart says no?</i></div><div><i>How can you stop when your feet say go?</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>You better get back, honky cat</i></div><div><i>Better get back to the woods</i></div><div><i>Well, I quit those days and my redneck ways</i></div><div><i>And, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, oh, the change is gonna do me good</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>You better get back, honky cat</i></div><div><i>Living in the city ain't where it's at</i></div><div><i><b>It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine</b></i></div><div><i>It's like trying to drink whiskey, oh, from a bottle of wine</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Oh, yeah</i></div><div><i>Get back, honky cat</i></div><div><i>Get back, honky cat</i></div><div><i>Get back, woo</i></div><div><i>Get back, honky cat</i></div><div><i>Get back, honky cat</i></div><div><i>Get back, woo</i></div><div><i>Oh, get back, honky cat</i></div><div><i>Get back, get back, honky cat, woo</i></div><div><i>(Oh yeah, redneck ways and, woo)</i></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Geology</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">While not pervasively throughout the song, there is one line that pops up a couple of times: "It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine". While this might seem like a simple phrase because who would go looking for gold in a silver mine, the formation of gold and silver deposits are linked and they are actually found together quite frequently. In many silver mines, gold typically accounts for 0.5-5% of production because gold and silver veins (along with many other precious metals) are produced from the cycling of hydrothermal waters surrounding a volcano.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRE1zPIGz8OSDkr9Y4_Smd9tsYCuHr1jhANqoaNgaGeYZYUqrPF9L793pjIgZYLdWy0qASfKezdhnfcbIU7O68gfZ46u-o284aLC89Y8Ns1lY0e1wcBWKSZeDl8XzRx1BdB4HidShZ4xLrtVaBu_RkRTMH4o7tPow3-4V_jYeltR-zpV_8DO0/s600/Hydrothermal_Veins.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRE1zPIGz8OSDkr9Y4_Smd9tsYCuHr1jhANqoaNgaGeYZYUqrPF9L793pjIgZYLdWy0qASfKezdhnfcbIU7O68gfZ46u-o284aLC89Y8Ns1lY0e1wcBWKSZeDl8XzRx1BdB4HidShZ4xLrtVaBu_RkRTMH4o7tPow3-4V_jYeltR-zpV_8DO0/s16000/Hydrothermal_Veins.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mineral vein creation from hydrothermal fluids. Image courtesy of <a href="https://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia45/en/feature/feature11.html">web-japan.org</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Magma's have all sorts of dissolved elements and minerals in them. As the magmas heat up the surrounding countryside near a volcanic source (or potential volcano) also heats up. This includes the groundwater, producing hydrothermal fluids that becomes enriched in the minerals from the magma as well as minerals from the surrounding rock. As these fluid travel through cracks and fissures of the much cooler rocks further away from the magma, the fluids cool down and mineral deposits are precipitated. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRZ0H63xGjSt8t7R3P6ezVMvBSJrwzYJH_yk28xW3zTb6nNzHsyasj8ii4dFSGxR4N9AcmR_4Q1cxbuL8YOnMD63poDNoY7x_zvZ8EI3WoBmwuTSbN-x878KTjSnnCwcDQYTf8fwJXx90K7xMq_VufDZF1XA_IQjeTlY9zs0Es3AMGWDmu4AG/s2048/2018-10-26_10-35-00_928.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRZ0H63xGjSt8t7R3P6ezVMvBSJrwzYJH_yk28xW3zTb6nNzHsyasj8ii4dFSGxR4N9AcmR_4Q1cxbuL8YOnMD63poDNoY7x_zvZ8EI3WoBmwuTSbN-x878KTjSnnCwcDQYTf8fwJXx90K7xMq_VufDZF1XA_IQjeTlY9zs0Es3AMGWDmu4AG/w640-h480/2018-10-26_10-35-00_928.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Bingham Canyon Mine facing west</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The presence of these precious metals also indicates something else about the environment. Even if there is no volcanic activity at the moment in these areas, it means that there was once volcanic activity there. Utah's Bingham Copper Mine is a perfect example, where there is clearly no volcanic activity anywhere currently near the mine, however, at one point in the past there must have been, because of the deposition of not only a large abundance of copper, but also silver and gold within the mine. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8gZjslPSK65W4TnI0Fg4UK_dDHySRLJ9vuMCy4e3SxMVoAzBd2i9M63MczDWPuhvvqoMJjb1KweNDtYAfmdzZXwcDGTaozIIZW_Ahbrkip9EpPrvLGPXuA1F3A4SxQghMzFMu3rs5fWDsxRob8x-TZ0tXM0FdK28ok3AP6ElfpsCjyjVlw_G/s1200/cascade-ancient-subduction-10x.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="1200" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8gZjslPSK65W4TnI0Fg4UK_dDHySRLJ9vuMCy4e3SxMVoAzBd2i9M63MczDWPuhvvqoMJjb1KweNDtYAfmdzZXwcDGTaozIIZW_Ahbrkip9EpPrvLGPXuA1F3A4SxQghMzFMu3rs5fWDsxRob8x-TZ0tXM0FdK28ok3AP6ElfpsCjyjVlw_G/w640-h288/cascade-ancient-subduction-10x.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diagram of the Farallon Plate subduction zone along the western United States. Image courtesy of the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/plate-tectonics-transform-plate-boundaries.htm">NPS</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I go into more detail on the <a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/2021/01/geological-destination-bingham-canyon.html">Bingham Copper mine HERE</a>, however a short version of it is that at one time there was a subduction zone along the western coast of North America that produced volcanoes across the western US. Around 30 to 40 million years ago, that line of volcanoes was located within Utah. Magma was slowly injected into the Oquirrh Mountains, predominantly into the 300 to 350 million years old rock formation known as the Oquirrh Group. These rocks, laid down in the Carboniferous (i.e. the Pennsylvanian and the Mississippian), are composed mostly of quartzites and limestone beds. This magma body slowly cooled to form what is known as the Bingham Stock, an igneous body identified as a monzonite porphyry. In addition to the magma body itself, is that the hot magma produces a lot of hydrothermal fluids within proximity of the magma body. These hydrothermal fluids move the heavy metals (such as gold, copper, silver, etc.) from within the magma and redeposit them within the surrounding landscape. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So the Utah version of this is "It's like trying to find gold in a copper mine"</div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">You can see the rest of the <a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoEducation/GeologyThroughRadio.html">Geology Through the Radio</a> postings on my website.</div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-35662261490935364902023-10-30T09:28:00.003-06:002023-10-30T09:43:30.991-06:00Geology Through the Radio - A Horse With No Name<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipykr9hW2WFxzEFHCldJYxpy7wlh9LTiM0SP_iovgTxrnAotGH57Q5rYjaOtOuSLrAn9_pQXdBph2iQ1PyGIkOwlpd4kSjx-kGHqC0Jv19xh54izqc3P46WvrIe3J4FCSOIQqj/s1600/GTTR.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipykr9hW2WFxzEFHCldJYxpy7wlh9LTiM0SP_iovgTxrnAotGH57Q5rYjaOtOuSLrAn9_pQXdBph2iQ1PyGIkOwlpd4kSjx-kGHqC0Jv19xh54izqc3P46WvrIe3J4FCSOIQqj/s1600/GTTR.gif" /></a></div><br /><br /></div>America's "A Horse With No Name" is one of my favorite examples of Geology Through the Radio, because it isn't what you would expect.<br />
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<b>A Horse with No Name</b></div><div align="center"><div align="center"><i>On the first part of the journey</i></div><div align="center"><i>I was looking at all the life</i></div><div align="center"><i>There were plants and birds and rocks and things</i></div><div align="center"><i>There was sand and hills and rings</i></div><div align="center"><i><br /></i></div><div align="center"><i>The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz</i></div><div align="center"><i>And the sky with no clouds</i></div><div align="center"><i><b>The heat was hot and the ground was dry</b></i></div><div align="center"><i>But the air was full of sound</i></div><div align="center"><i><br /></i></div><div align="center"><i>I've been through the desert on a horse with no name</i></div><div align="center"><i>It felt good to be out of the rain</i></div><div align="center"><i>In the desert you can't remember your name</i></div><div align="center"><i>'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain</i></div><div align="center"><i>La la la la la la...</i></div><div align="center"><i><br /></i></div><div align="center"><i>After two days in the desert sun</i></div><div align="center"><i>My skin began to turn red</i></div><div align="center"><i><b>And after three days in the desert fun</b></i></div><div align="center"><i><b>I was looking at a river bed</b></i></div><div align="center"><i><b>And the story it told of a river that flowed</b></i></div><div align="center"><i><b>Made me sad to think it was dead</b></i></div><div align="center"><i><br /></i></div><div align="center"><i>You see I've been through the desert on a horse with no name</i></div><div align="center"><i>It felt good to be out of the rain</i></div><div align="center"><i>In the desert you can't remember your name</i></div><div align="center"><i>'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain</i></div><div align="center"><i>La la la la la la...</i></div><div align="center"><i><br /></i></div><div align="center"><i><b>After nine days I let the horse run free</b></i></div><div align="center"><i><b>'Cause the desert had turned to sea</b></i></div><div align="center"><i>There were plants and birds and rocks and things</i></div><div align="center"><i>There was sand and hills and rings</i></div><div align="center"><i><br /></i></div><div align="center"><i><b>The ocean is a desert with its life underground</b></i></div><div align="center"><i><b>And a perfect disguise above</b></i></div><div align="center"><i>Under the cities lies a heart made of ground</i></div><div align="center"><i>But the humans will give no love</i></div><div align="center"><i><br /></i></div><div align="center"><i>You see I've been through the desert on a horse with no name</i></div><div align="center"><i>It felt good to be out of the rain</i></div><div align="center"><i>In the desert you can't remember your name</i></div><div align="center"><i>'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain</i></div><div align="center"><i>La la la la la la...</i></div><div align="center"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Geology</u></b><br /><div style="text-align: left;">While not explicitly "geological", I have always found the lyrics in "A Horse With No Name" to be reminiscent of a major geological event. When looked at the course of the song, the rider starts off in the desert, however by the ninth day "the desert had turned to [the] sea". When a land surface that is subaerial eventually gets covered over with the ocean, this is known as a <b>transgressive sequence</b>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWKrXtPQPhUpSTDtPaac5rhtkFRai8BUODnfcEUWbnMJvT9_-WriX1RGE2ZCTeLXQ9b46qCH_Wxk72fb7CPlKiMOorKivAQ-EffBpIGfakolBziMT93P6qBsgLrfq9lqUWDrYZIw0cJs4Scyh9SyxovPXXN2GXPmjVURWR-kxtsX-ABhzB9_T/s650/Transgression.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWKrXtPQPhUpSTDtPaac5rhtkFRai8BUODnfcEUWbnMJvT9_-WriX1RGE2ZCTeLXQ9b46qCH_Wxk72fb7CPlKiMOorKivAQ-EffBpIGfakolBziMT93P6qBsgLrfq9lqUWDrYZIw0cJs4Scyh9SyxovPXXN2GXPmjVURWR-kxtsX-ABhzB9_T/s16000/Transgression.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figure 1: Transgressive sequence. Image courtesy of <a href="http://www.sepmstrata.org/Terminology.aspx?id=transgression">SEPM</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">As you can see in Figure 1 above, the desert/beach in Image A is eventually overrun by the ocean/sea in Image B. There are two possible methods for this to happen. One is that the land surface could be slowly sinking in relation to sea level. This can actually be witnessed today in areas along the coasts where the weight of the sediment, or even buildings, slowly lowers the surface elevation, such is in the case of New York City or Venice. The other is that sea level is rising in relation to the land surface. This can also be witness today with the continued melting of the polar glaciers due to climate change and a quickly warming planet, this melting ice can be seen to raise sea level over time. There is also a third possibility, which is a combination of the two events occurring. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As the sea level rises in relation to the land and inundates the surface, eventually the sediment that is deposited will change. As we can see in Figure 1 above and Figure 2 below, the surface sediment for a desert or a beach would typically be sand. Once the land is inundated, that sand would shift to clay or mud as the water levels progressively got deeper and further away from the shoreline. Eventually the water would be deep enough with the shoreline far enough away that most sand and mud/clay would get deposited closer to shore, leaving only the deposits from the dead animal life as it built up over time. These dead organisms, formed mostly from calcite shells, would be compacted and lithified (turned into a rock), over time. These rocks are mostly a variety of limestone, which is identified by the blue brick pattern seen in the figures above and below. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2p0x4SYabh-XJ0IIvmOPjfUz-afJI0wfI5EaUDkQTq683hPC5ixxHWyjIck3TbmOiR2Wa3cHBopLtkzvfTgUnAjbAwaekB8uLYOeR8QxtaA-e4jnlVtx7hW0KmTX1UFIOtpGP2rF1z6nrFMSf7sRL5bAIB56ZWG0AbFVCpwTbSbPdWD9qB311/s2267/Transgressive_RockColumn.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2267" data-original-width="932" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2p0x4SYabh-XJ0IIvmOPjfUz-afJI0wfI5EaUDkQTq683hPC5ixxHWyjIck3TbmOiR2Wa3cHBopLtkzvfTgUnAjbAwaekB8uLYOeR8QxtaA-e4jnlVtx7hW0KmTX1UFIOtpGP2rF1z6nrFMSf7sRL5bAIB56ZWG0AbFVCpwTbSbPdWD9qB311/s320/Transgressive_RockColumn.PNG" width="132" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figure 2: A simplified example of a transgressive sequence in the rock record. </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This pattern can also be seen in the rock record. If we were to see the rocks sitting on the side of the road, what is known as an outcrop (Figure 2), they would generally have the pattern of sandstone on the bottom representing the beach or desert. Siltstone above that, which is a smaller sediment size typical of the just offshore environment. Then mudstone or shale, a rock typically of fine layers of clay sized particles that is even further off shore. So in this instance as the water level deepens, the shoreline is shifting away from this location. And finally on top is the limestone, where we have reached a far enough distance from the shore that particle sediment (like sand and mud) is limited. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There is one major point of interest between a real life transgressive sequence and the song, and that is a matter of time scale. A true transgressive sequence like this would typically take hundreds of thousands to millions of years to fully inundate a desert like environment, however in the song it only takes nine days. So, while it is a cool comparison to a real life geological event, it does need to be taken with a grain of salt. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Possible Educational Questions to Ask</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. What are the environments mentioned in the song?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">2. What types of conditions does the song use to define these environments?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Does this match what is geologically used to define the environments?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">4. What did the singer of the song find on the 3rd day, and do you think you could see this feature in the desert? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">5. What is the geological term for the change in environment described in the song (“desert had turned to the sea”)?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">6. What are the two (tectonic) possibilities to explain how this could happen?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">7. The song states that “after 9 days…the desert had turned to sea”. Assuming a really fast time period for this to happen is 100,000 yrs. How much faster is this event that the band America described in the song?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">8. “The ocean is a desert with its life underground”. Now assuming they meant underwater, do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">You can see the rest of the <a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoEducation/GeologyThroughRadio.html">Geology Through the Radio</a> postings on my website.</div></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-89840705069728667582023-10-20T08:02:00.001-06:002023-10-29T15:59:05.733-06:00Geology Through the Radio - Pompeii<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">One day I was listening to the radio and it a appeared that a geologically themed song was playing. Little did I realize when I first heard it, that the song title, "Pompeii" by Bastille, was also geologically themed. After that I proceeded to listen to the lyrics a bit more closely, I realized that not only was the song named after a geological event, it actually was completely about that said event (not some fancy title that has nothing to do with the song what-so-ever).</div>
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Here are a snippet of the <a href="http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bastille/pompeii.html">lyrics</a> for instance:</div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>And the walls kept tumbling down </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>In the city that we love </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Gray clouds roll over the hills </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Bringing darkness from above</i></span></span></div>
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<b><u>The Geology</u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">I found this song a perfect example of geology on the radio because they decided to title the song simple "Pompeii", which is a reference I am assuming a lot of people would get. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For those who don't know, the song talks about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius back in 79 CE (Common Era), which destroyed the town of Pompeii. Along with Pompeii, the lesser known town of Herculaneum was also destroyed in the same eruption. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The towns were destroyed during the release of volcanic ash, gas, pyroclastic debris, and eventually in what is called a pyroclastic flow. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWBM8P_StwOzwoarpaH34yMieeFj7T_eLL3AzJU8Xtrse0vINXPITaYL0DQP_FrFHAV03Ec0BPgi6ewoIsHJwG7i9817SvFBMnHNVtoeu9IIiIRUx5mNsij_cWKr9nt5o0JwRStFoHRNQ_NGIy8Z0MRhg7VFDcjaRsNbP0d0WLd0RPXGZWM7j/s2873/PyroclasticFlow.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2873" data-original-width="1951" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWBM8P_StwOzwoarpaH34yMieeFj7T_eLL3AzJU8Xtrse0vINXPITaYL0DQP_FrFHAV03Ec0BPgi6ewoIsHJwG7i9817SvFBMnHNVtoeu9IIiIRUx5mNsij_cWKr9nt5o0JwRStFoHRNQ_NGIy8Z0MRhg7VFDcjaRsNbP0d0WLd0RPXGZWM7j/w434-h640/PyroclasticFlow.jpg" width="434" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pyroclastic flow off the side of Mount St. Helens, May 18, 1980. Image courtesy of the the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/pyroclastic-flow-aug-7-1980-eruption-stretches-moun">USGS</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A pyroclastic flow is a super heated (>400 degrees C) ball of gas, ash, and rock that flows down the side of a volcano at tremendous speed (~100 km/hr). It is estimated that the ~2,000 victims of the eruptions found at Pompeii were killed within 15 minutes of the eruption (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/22/vesuvius-wiped-out-all-life-pompeii-15-minutes-study-pyroclastic-flow-cloud-gases-ash">The Guardian</a>). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In an interview about the song, the band's frontrunner Dan Smith (<a href="https://www.radiox.co.uk/artists/bastille/what-is-meaning-bastille-pompeii-lyrics/">RadioX</a>) said that: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><blockquote>"I was reading a book that had some picture of the people who got caught up in the volcanic eruption. And it's just such a kind of dark powerful image, and it got me thinking about how boring it must have been emotionally after the event. To be sort of stuck in that same position for hundreds and hundreds of years. So, the song is sort of an imaginary conversation between these two people who are stuck next to each other in their sort of tragic death pose".</blockquote></i></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJerAdrioLaQdk_79BjDtstd8dIgFAeAPmB7mQmpSCCxm84EGY3Mja43f9HOv_nv0x7H7KWShLPhp9T26eLcPKVLEEV06bsWntSJobELu1YDty1a3DaO-s5f10VzbvsORTwuGgS0LN502wKWoSrWP0TBk3S-Jwn0-g7c4qA7Dz33aNxYCfYxO/s1024/Pompeii_Bodies.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1024" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJerAdrioLaQdk_79BjDtstd8dIgFAeAPmB7mQmpSCCxm84EGY3Mja43f9HOv_nv0x7H7KWShLPhp9T26eLcPKVLEEV06bsWntSJobELu1YDty1a3DaO-s5f10VzbvsORTwuGgS0LN502wKWoSrWP0TBk3S-Jwn0-g7c4qA7Dz33aNxYCfYxO/w640-h416/Pompeii_Bodies.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cast of some of the victim's bodies at Pompeii. Image courtesy of the <a href="https://volcano.si.edu/gallery/ShowImage.cfm?photo=GVP-00027">Global Volcanism Program</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The victims of the eruption likely died in a multiple of ways. The first wave of deaths took place from the raining cloud of rocks from the initial eruption that Mt. Vesuvius ejected into the air. These rocks have been shown to have caused head traumas to many of the victims (<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/10/how-the-people-of-pompeii-really-died/408454/">The Atlantic</a>). More deaths occurred from the suffocating ash and toxic gasses, and then eventually the pyroclastic flow. The ash adhered to the bodies of the victims, essentially cocooning them in a hardened shell of rock. Over the centuries the bodies decayed, leaving behind voids in the rock. It is these voids that archaeologists eventually realized formed something, so they filled them with plaster, only to discover that they were the remains of the victims. Unlike most of the organic material which decayed away, many of the bones also remained within the voids left behind in the ash. </div><div><br /></div><div>You can see the rest of the <a href="http://dinojim.com/Geology/GeoEducation/GeologyThroughRadio.html">Geology Through the Radio</a> postings on my website.</div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-64202364210715493452021-12-05T09:51:00.001-07:002021-12-05T09:51:28.767-07:00Geology in the Wild - The Thistle Landslide<p>Landslides are unfortunately a common problem around the globe, especially in areas of growth where humans alter the landscape. But landslides can happen even when there isn't human activity to artificially steepen slopes or reduce the cohesiveness of the land surface. One such landslide was the Thistle Landslide, that ended up destroying the town of Thistle, Utah.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFsjXZX80Wd0dYAKwARLUuzCMTK4N2BQX3p38bgs8t-LGsCfVMOCmV2KRPD3IPfG9NtjAC6RWG0XZ6IEfAYia-6zc3GN__f15wNE9iLBv6CMarD8u3R3Oh71_r-xeRu3J_yjn/s2048/2021-03-28_15-12-50_975.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFsjXZX80Wd0dYAKwARLUuzCMTK4N2BQX3p38bgs8t-LGsCfVMOCmV2KRPD3IPfG9NtjAC6RWG0XZ6IEfAYia-6zc3GN__f15wNE9iLBv6CMarD8u3R3Oh71_r-xeRu3J_yjn/w640-h480/2021-03-28_15-12-50_975.jpeg" width="640" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">The picture above is overlooking the landslide itself, which came down the valley in the center of the picture. The landslide filled the Spanish Fork River valley, which is located down below the train tracks as seen here. Fall of 1982 and winter/spring of 1983 had been extra wet, and a late snowfall in April along with a quick thaw caused 15 million cubic meters of earth to start sliding down the slope. The valley was populated with eroded debris from the North Horn and Ankareh Formations (a mixture of shales, silstones, and sandstones) that were nestled in a "trough-shaped depression", AKA a paleovalley. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoguIAI44799ImwlMmLeroirlXCSCspaenynX-Z47D3XW8DEZ8p0ufZbsQAylbIuiww8LsosvqM41wKzv6RnetpugWCzrbFnJ382ItWW3XcpoXySVHNqZLcuJwKNzaPWWuCpHy/s2521/2021-03-28_15-12-13_998.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1248" data-original-width="2521" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoguIAI44799ImwlMmLeroirlXCSCspaenynX-Z47D3XW8DEZ8p0ufZbsQAylbIuiww8LsosvqM41wKzv6RnetpugWCzrbFnJ382ItWW3XcpoXySVHNqZLcuJwKNzaPWWuCpHy/w640-h316/2021-03-28_15-12-13_998.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The slide started on April 13th, causing the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad tracks to start shifting over a few inches (the railroad was previously located further downslope than it is located today). By the 15th, the railroad had been shut down and the surface of the road, Highway 6, (also located along the valley floor) started to buckle. By the 17th, despite attempts at dredging the river, it was deemed impossible and the town of Thistle, located around the mountain towards the left of the photo, was abandoned. The landslide drowned the houses of Thistle and the entire town was left as a ghost town. At top speed the landslide reached speeds of 3.5 feet per hour and was 1000 feet wide, 200 feet thick, and over a mile long. The part of the landslide that dammed the Spanish Fork River edned up being about 220 feet high. <div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UkTXkkI3Km8mRm6Os94D2-KNoNtvQqgaK6903Bafhm5PRR9q26DyYa2bku6HkX8DhZsuXD16f4ItyvXPYOz-6bIRvFyOpFp8QHKJOUFJIBke56y_62aBv4y-Df74_bh08G1L/s700/30167-Thistle--Utah--landslide-April-1983--Lake-Thistle-was-created-by.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="700" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UkTXkkI3Km8mRm6Os94D2-KNoNtvQqgaK6903Bafhm5PRR9q26DyYa2bku6HkX8DhZsuXD16f4ItyvXPYOz-6bIRvFyOpFp8QHKJOUFJIBke56y_62aBv4y-Df74_bh08G1L/w640-h464/30167-Thistle--Utah--landslide-April-1983--Lake-Thistle-was-created-by.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Thistle Lake after the landslide. Image from the <a href="http://luirig.altervista.org/pics/index4.php?search=Thistle,+Utah,+landslide+April+1983.+Lake+Thistle+was+created...&page=1">USGS</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>After the landslide, the railroad and river had to be rerouted through the mountain as seen in the image above and the highway was rerouted to just behind where I took the picture. In total, direct damage cost over $200 million (in 1983 dollars) and remains one of the costliest landslide in US history. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><u>References</u></b><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/worst-landslides-in-us-history.html">https://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/worst-landslides-in-us-history.html</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.utahhumanities.org/stories/items/show/94#:~:text=A%20giant%20landslide%20in%20April,Salt%20Lake%20City%20with%20Denver.&text=By%20Sunday%2C%20Thistle's%20fate%20was%20sealed">https://www.utahhumanities.org/stories/items/show/94#:~:text=A%20giant%20landslide%20in%20April,Salt%20Lake%20City%20with%20Denver.&text=By%20Sunday%2C%20Thistle's%20fate%20was%20sealed</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/geosights/thistle-landslide/">https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/geosights/thistle-landslide/</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://luirig.altervista.org/pics/index4.php?search=Thistle,+Utah,+landslide+April+1983.+Lake+Thistle+was+created...&page=1">http://luirig.altervista.org/pics/index4.php?search=Thistle,+Utah,+landslide+April+1983.+Lake+Thistle+was+created...&page=1</a></span></div></div></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-81370932052547261572021-12-01T09:11:00.002-07:002021-12-01T09:11:34.940-07:00Geology in Pop Culture - Salt Lake City Trax Station<p> I love little nods to geology in everyday life and one of the Salt Lake City Trax stations has some geological themed plaques that I had been wanting to get pictures of for years. Well, since I was planning on moving I figured it was now or never and I ended up getting the pictures about a month before I left (in March of 2021). This is actually nearby to <a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/2011/10/geology-in-slc-pop-culture.html">another Trax station with other geological themed materials</a> I had taken pictures of previously. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qp03AXnI6T9UrLpOQsnIAnHTZl8zVAeGKlZn7fvrPYD4BXhZAIPLyw0ikkyJkPwf_h9Ekg4Cy4tKEnt0g81zQ9NoxOPpV_kxiCZfURtrolm9Fg5MIU7P3HrLnsx53_tIyDgd/s2048/2021-03-23_10-48-15_782.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qp03AXnI6T9UrLpOQsnIAnHTZl8zVAeGKlZn7fvrPYD4BXhZAIPLyw0ikkyJkPwf_h9Ekg4Cy4tKEnt0g81zQ9NoxOPpV_kxiCZfURtrolm9Fg5MIU7P3HrLnsx53_tIyDgd/w640-h480/2021-03-23_10-48-15_782.jpeg" width="640" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">The Trax Station, which is known as Gallivan Plaza, has a series of "X" shaped plaques embedded within the floor of the station with various facts about Salt Lake City and Utah in general.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnPU5otKuCb5Kff62wLwzfdIRPHAJQzTuyvO-QJZMTPgc4vPfDcdeOlXM5caiOqY8LYmYB1AoVbuyLbQtUzhyoa1PLaKf1BLUh7rk3EsVH8KW7k12B8_ZejRMm5lI7Jq_vLTG/s2048/2021-03-23_10-45-39_727.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnPU5otKuCb5Kff62wLwzfdIRPHAJQzTuyvO-QJZMTPgc4vPfDcdeOlXM5caiOqY8LYmYB1AoVbuyLbQtUzhyoa1PLaKf1BLUh7rk3EsVH8KW7k12B8_ZejRMm5lI7Jq_vLTG/w480-h640/2021-03-23_10-45-39_727.jpeg" width="480" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">There are 8 X's in total (at least the ones I found) and I am including all of them here. Even though some of the X's pictured at the bottom here don't have geologically related content, they do have interesting information. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-RDFL80lUczeVlKYGyEE0weZ0swHEEtttlEM2vTAAV4opGAdO_TS2iv-uPqw1DSMN-6TM2U0KGdl-FaqeSkb3tcga_pqMqGTUr87By7rP9Sj3AXtWqz75Bnkc9gOGuqNoUFH/s2048/2021-03-23_10-42-12_452.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1635" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-RDFL80lUczeVlKYGyEE0weZ0swHEEtttlEM2vTAAV4opGAdO_TS2iv-uPqw1DSMN-6TM2U0KGdl-FaqeSkb3tcga_pqMqGTUr87By7rP9Sj3AXtWqz75Bnkc9gOGuqNoUFH/w510-h640/2021-03-23_10-42-12_452.jpeg" width="510" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i></i></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...the Great Salt Lake usually measures about 2100 square miles; Lake Michigan is about 24,400 square miles...</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...the pronghorn antelope is Utah's fastest mammal and Antelope Island was named for it...</i></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Great Salt Lake is one of the most notable geological features in the region, being an end basin (meaning the water does not flow out to any ocean and ends up in the lake) and is the largest lake in the United States outside of the Great Lakes (of which only Lake Michigan is completely in the United States). Since it is an endbasin, all of the dissolved minerals like salt build up over time and eventually make the Great Salt Lake the salty landmark it is today.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlTFJytqIAG2Wmj8Ljd87u1lrlZrEa6GX8L8c6Xvtc7g1Upcq2ecE4R1M9yRZKSOuLnYMhu4o76IE2S7dHTOp8N6_2CWOo4jPDqJLIu35MCDy31yOmpYsG_3uMFO3MA0YVina/s2048/2021-03-23_10-44-43_720.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1508" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlTFJytqIAG2Wmj8Ljd87u1lrlZrEa6GX8L8c6Xvtc7g1Upcq2ecE4R1M9yRZKSOuLnYMhu4o76IE2S7dHTOp8N6_2CWOo4jPDqJLIu35MCDy31yOmpYsG_3uMFO3MA0YVina/w472-h640/2021-03-23_10-44-43_720.jpeg" width="472" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i></i></div><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...salinity in the Great Salt Lake is about 8 times that of the ocean and companies harvest the salt for more than 1,000 uses...</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...the first successful artificial heart and kidney were transplanted here...</i></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As mentioned above, the salts in the Great Salt Lake have built up over many 10's of thousands to 100's of thousands of years as the water eroded the surrounding landscape and deposited the salts in the lake like a pan of water set to boil too long. Oceans typically have salinity between 34 and 36 ppt (parts per thousand), meaning that if you take 1,000 grams of oceanic water and evaporate all of the water away, you would be left with 34 to 36 grams of salt. While the Great Salt Lake varies depending on location within the lake, the range of salinity goes from 50 ppt in the Southern Arm to 240 ppt in the Northern Arm. Eight times the value of oceanic salinity at 35 ppt is indeed around the highest levels of salinity in the Great Salt Lake (~280 ppt). </div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdZujo0UiJWa1acORSzAFAi05Pc__6EexV1ZOFRbMnBSDHYm2rccY-526yhyphenhyphenyszkAQdJoNXph4pf2LliebnB1f7whDa5v88FUu_Xv1VAGdNaLbwEYnKn0-VLKgYAWT80NjGJs/s2048/2021-03-23_10-43-12_999.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1548" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdZujo0UiJWa1acORSzAFAi05Pc__6EexV1ZOFRbMnBSDHYm2rccY-526yhyphenhyphenyszkAQdJoNXph4pf2LliebnB1f7whDa5v88FUu_Xv1VAGdNaLbwEYnKn0-VLKgYAWT80NjGJs/w484-h640/2021-03-23_10-43-12_999.jpeg" width="484" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i></i></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...about 350 tons of fossil were excavated near Dinosaur National Monument in the early 1900's...</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...a mountain once stood where the world's largest open pit mine now sits in nearby Binghan (sp) Canyon...</i></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Although proclaimed a national monument in 1915, the main dinosaur quarry was still actively excavated until 1924. The excavation was led by Earl Douglass, working for the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh, and continued until funding eventually ran out after Andrew Carnegie died. Douglass left the quarry in 1924, and since then no bones have been removed. From discover in 1909 until 1924 Douglass ended up removing nearly 350 tons of fossils, mostly dinosaurs, including fossils of <i>Apatosaurus</i>, <i>Camarasaurus</i>, <i>Diplodocus, Barosaurus, Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Torvosaurus, Camptosaurus, Dryosaurus, </i>and <i>Stegosaurus. </i>The quarry sits within the Jurassic age Morrison Formation and I go much more into the geology of <a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/2014/09/geology-of-national-parks-in-pictures.html">Dinosaur National Monument HERE</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Located in the <span style="text-align: left;">Oquirrh Mountains on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley, the Bingham (Spelled "Binghan" in the plaque) Canyon mine was indeed a former mountain that had been slowly whittled away over time. </span>Per the <a href="https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/geosights/geosights-bingham-canyon-mine/">Utah Geological Survey</a>, the Bingham Canyon Mine:</div><div><i><blockquote>"... is one of the largest and most efficient mines in the world. It has produced more copper than any other district in the U.S., accounting for over 16% of total U.S. copper production. In addition to copper, the mine produces gold, molybdenum, and silver. KUC’s combined annual value of these metals peaked in 2011 at $2.9 billion."</blockquote></i>Currently the Bingham Copper Mine is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_copper_mines_in_the_United_States">2nd most active copper producing mine</a> in the US and one of the top gold producers in the US as well. I go much more into the geology of the mine <a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/2021/01/geological-destination-bingham-canyon.html">HERE</a> as well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8i2hoOA9E0i-3Zp70SmS14ovv5GAoQsHCM668GBre6rGDKO2rYual4xH8rvYQuL-DS5nyjt_EcuDGWNo7Det7QScbWnGzlO5spzcwVkrVy1dJMwgxP_EscSHXCQEgpdpxLaZ/s2048/2021-03-23_10-43-48_380.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1516" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8i2hoOA9E0i-3Zp70SmS14ovv5GAoQsHCM668GBre6rGDKO2rYual4xH8rvYQuL-DS5nyjt_EcuDGWNo7Det7QScbWnGzlO5spzcwVkrVy1dJMwgxP_EscSHXCQEgpdpxLaZ/w474-h640/2021-03-23_10-43-48_380.jpeg" width="474" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i></i></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...11 national parks are located less than a day's drive from here...</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...the usual humidity here is 15% or less...</i></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I assume the 11 national parks here are just the parks designated as "National Parks" including Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Great Basin, Arches, Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Rocky Mountain, Death Valley, and the Grand Canyon. That doesn't even include the numerous parks run by the National Park Service within and surrounding Utah. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Although Salt Lake City itself doesn't qualify as a desert, the western part of the state easily does. A desert, by definition, is any place that gets less than 10 inches of precipitation a year. That means that there is typically not much water in the air, and hence a very low amount of humidity. Salt Lake City itself averages 19.5 inches a year of rainfall, and much of that is due to the mountains inducing rain to the east of the city.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SSmoHhTazRSkw8QlAbmi7rteQqCUir5AJEPzzJEV9CXNis1OVVVuy0VTk5xbtWjgDi254hudvECs9GJ93XpVDKCvs_zIETGkCWOO-BcRO1mzgTPcPv422mpl3C_Acptc8U1C/s2048/2021-03-23_10-46-32_899.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1520" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SSmoHhTazRSkw8QlAbmi7rteQqCUir5AJEPzzJEV9CXNis1OVVVuy0VTk5xbtWjgDi254hudvECs9GJ93XpVDKCvs_zIETGkCWOO-BcRO1mzgTPcPv422mpl3C_Acptc8U1C/w476-h640/2021-03-23_10-46-32_899.jpeg" width="476" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>..."Wasatch" means "mountains of many waters"... </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...several major and minor fault lines are located along the Wasatch Range...</i></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Wasatch mountains are the mountain range found along the east side of the Salt Lake Valley. Although the the translation on the plaque says Wasatch mean "mountains of many waters" the most common translation that I can find is that Wasatch is a Ute word meaning "low place in high mountains", of which I can see the correlation between the two. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And as for the faults:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRj9n4DLUdTC7tv5KeLfKwAuq5V58077UtbhgS4AYVKtaqtuNDmsNTJFb6zTMz_VuBWLRN5dS_NGyp98gofHWB3-0K1M_J5AzDbimS8T3RGr2A0vfegXc9-Cw_1N1Cfhs6DNgh/s1030/snt44-2_west-valley-fz-map-741x1030.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="741" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRj9n4DLUdTC7tv5KeLfKwAuq5V58077UtbhgS4AYVKtaqtuNDmsNTJFb6zTMz_VuBWLRN5dS_NGyp98gofHWB3-0K1M_J5AzDbimS8T3RGr2A0vfegXc9-Cw_1N1Cfhs6DNgh/w460-h640/snt44-2_west-valley-fz-map-741x1030.gif" width="460" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As this map from the <a href="https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/evaluating-the-seismic-relation-between-the-west-valley-fault-zone-and-salt-lake-city-segment-of-the-wasatch-fault-zone/">Utah Geological Survey</a> can attest to, the Wasatch Front is indeed riddled faults. The Wasatch Fault itself is not just one continuous line but a series of short faults that all interconnect with each other. That is why it is more accurate to say the "Wasatch Fault Zone" since there are so many smaller fault segments. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The following plaques have some of the less geologically related facts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRcGQNEX9mjvdqJwq3_1cpTbLDEpYPBJkqJOzoDwcVomIrDCPKzsWPMZVLVaFwZTwF02y_VVXMWNyFikpDOYvg4-wicW6Ep1lRnLV6lJcAcpk6alp3k9RGOkoMrV-oJmM4zMhk/s2048/2021-03-23_10-45-19_046.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1478" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRcGQNEX9mjvdqJwq3_1cpTbLDEpYPBJkqJOzoDwcVomIrDCPKzsWPMZVLVaFwZTwF02y_VVXMWNyFikpDOYvg4-wicW6Ep1lRnLV6lJcAcpk6alp3k9RGOkoMrV-oJmM4zMhk/w462-h640/2021-03-23_10-45-19_046.jpeg" width="462" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...a recipe for storable pemmican cake: dried grasshoppers and crickets mixed with berries...</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...no fish live in the Great Salt Lake but other lake life include tiny brine shrimp and larvae of small brine flies...</i></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Random fact: the brine shrimp of the Great Salt Lake have been more commonly mass marketed as "sea monkeys". <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrv6GDGfziKOtVvK9J0FmCrMazt3lQa-rqMUT7ec9-12eH_AzqyFj4Qab2p_K9-2cKK8-8JPSTs5U4uZdWf1Cp73wkjCMjrPdtf5Qw5yVbqT4kQUjHdwpOBfVMqWKaAUU4RTF/s2048/2021-03-23_10-44-20_070.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1525" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrv6GDGfziKOtVvK9J0FmCrMazt3lQa-rqMUT7ec9-12eH_AzqyFj4Qab2p_K9-2cKK8-8JPSTs5U4uZdWf1Cp73wkjCMjrPdtf5Qw5yVbqT4kQUjHdwpOBfVMqWKaAUU4RTF/w476-h640/2021-03-23_10-44-20_070.jpeg" width="476" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...the Great Salt Lake Valley has been continuously inhabited for over 10,000 years...</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...Utah is named for the Ute Indians and "ute" means "a high place"...</i></div></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;">I love the Native American facts that these plaques provide as well. Especially since Utah has such a rich Native history with tribes indeed occupying the lands now known as Utah for many centuries before any of the European descended explorers entered the picture. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62VYLlf7a9zV-Tip8XpglirvaZx0MujgMg7ifuc3Xk8hNloq6X3EM81NeJJv4NOVzkamD5Q_ZsjIF3ltZZEtSsWgW4jdZeLXZZTB4iuAKdIybDittVmKeFJBWNSrO-0sM9wPV/s2048/2021-03-23_10-45-29_920.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1468" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62VYLlf7a9zV-Tip8XpglirvaZx0MujgMg7ifuc3Xk8hNloq6X3EM81NeJJv4NOVzkamD5Q_ZsjIF3ltZZEtSsWgW4jdZeLXZZTB4iuAKdIybDittVmKeFJBWNSrO-0sM9wPV/w458-h640/2021-03-23_10-45-29_920.jpeg" width="458" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i></i></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...the first recorded knowledge of the Great Salt Lake was by Silvestre de Escalante in 1776 but he never actually saw the lake...</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...the world's largest genealogical library is located here and records date back to the 1500s...</i></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i></i></div>And the final plaque. We actually visited the genealogical library run by the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (you don't need to be a member to use the library), which has a ton of resources for those seeking their family history, not just from Utah but from around the globe.</div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-39076263269834305832021-11-24T09:55:00.002-07:002021-11-24T09:57:53.253-07:00Geology of the Salt Lake Valley <p>One of the things I wanted to do before I moved from Utah was to get a nice panoramic picture of the Salt Lake Valley from above Salt Lake City. Here is a shot of the Salt Lake Valley looking south (so east is left and west is right). In the picture the Wasatch Mountains are on the left side of the valley and the Oquirrh Mountains are on the right side of the photo. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXcny3oS5quNTmvvSuWj9Iw9tD2HDHz1-Zc5HwDRHwb6CHdrV9hZj9weYGAA9V8BHebMmJv1R9fgP1fJh_R9MYb8MKrXPXaR_25kp0_LKhTooEdnECeEC1zn55C_jo5tO2VXiK/s3470/2021-03-23_11-30-39_959.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="3470" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXcny3oS5quNTmvvSuWj9Iw9tD2HDHz1-Zc5HwDRHwb6CHdrV9hZj9weYGAA9V8BHebMmJv1R9fgP1fJh_R9MYb8MKrXPXaR_25kp0_LKhTooEdnECeEC1zn55C_jo5tO2VXiK/w640-h168/2021-03-23_11-30-39_959.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The reason for this, besides just being a beautiful valley, was the geological setting of the valley. The Salt Lake Valley holds an important place, geologically speaking, in the landscape of the United States. The valley is the eastern most extension of the region known as the Basin and Range. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFiy4cb2tkcxtv488Tu7peW7DM4sL4z2OiDE8ullYCRjYtKuoSAN9xwJmoN2j02e-0PdaHKpSO2uaRGeGQxy0GU-Dy9x8r4qyUHdi8Wkv-SeaZhZkEP3WNX6WHC_Oglah6El_/s800/BasinandRange.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="618" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFiy4cb2tkcxtv488Tu7peW7DM4sL4z2OiDE8ullYCRjYtKuoSAN9xwJmoN2j02e-0PdaHKpSO2uaRGeGQxy0GU-Dy9x8r4qyUHdi8Wkv-SeaZhZkEP3WNX6WHC_Oglah6El_/w494-h640/BasinandRange.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coverage of the Great Basin. Image courtesy of the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/basinrange.htm">NPS</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Basin and Range extends from the Wasatch Mountains in the east to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the west. It encompasses the western half of Utah and pretty much all of Nevada, as well as parts of Idaho, Oregon, California, and Arizona.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAJk51OLFTNBTEKWEBKCRZ_cav7jHX-QlnGvfr9P9XdzE6_fzmVxZf18S2QJjDsAo_TQvJNBSbKfYnHT6WJw9Wl7C7LV5BJeoqezOvcdQIFkSDBB819UBTatJ0cg_tEDtwODJ/s1200/ancient-subduction-zone-diagram-10x.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="1200" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAJk51OLFTNBTEKWEBKCRZ_cav7jHX-QlnGvfr9P9XdzE6_fzmVxZf18S2QJjDsAo_TQvJNBSbKfYnHT6WJw9Wl7C7LV5BJeoqezOvcdQIFkSDBB819UBTatJ0cg_tEDtwODJ/w640-h290/ancient-subduction-zone-diagram-10x.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration of the plate tectonics of the west coast of North America with the Farallon Plate subducting beneath North America. Image courtesy of the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/plate-tectonics-transform-plate-boundaries.htm">NPS</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">The formation of the Basin and Range Province began long ago when a plate known as the Farallon Plate was being subducted under the west coast of North America. This occurred along the Californian coast and south into Mexico. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXL1aMkgl5XCmwxxVrUQjqsKjs6_8q_oOxTCiEhrDTkW9lSj-lDjCqaSlxvKP7P2cfSbCNAUxWu6i-QZACbAKEkAMeLDG0wpFv_qJuXR93bukLS1hrGUjzyOrZVJ8DKi8h4Ot/s2874/BasinAndRangeHistory.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1094" data-original-width="2874" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXL1aMkgl5XCmwxxVrUQjqsKjs6_8q_oOxTCiEhrDTkW9lSj-lDjCqaSlxvKP7P2cfSbCNAUxWu6i-QZACbAKEkAMeLDG0wpFv_qJuXR93bukLS1hrGUjzyOrZVJ8DKi8h4Ot/w640-h244/BasinAndRangeHistory.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evolution of the western coast of North America going from a subduction zone to a transform plate boundary causing the formation of the extensional Basin & Range Province. Images courtesy of the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/plate-tectonics-transform-plate-boundaries.htm">NPS</a>.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">The subduction, where one plate goes beneath another, produced volcanoes in California and other places in the American west, and it also squeezed North America. Around 40 million years ago, most of the Farallon Plate was completely subducted beneath North America. What that did was a few things:</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>It released the pressure that was squeezing North America, like someone releasing a squeezed sponge. </li><li>The subduction zone was no longer. In it's place a new plate boundary formed, a transform plate boundary known as the San Andreas Fault. </li></ol><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxnxov0HN4ZxjYiQQVTvQ5ehyQ7WA9vNzzMn0DHtPe7kRoz3I5ECCyB5h2y5JZ1hF46C_WWckzyvXKzW7eo5BJzaKcxADGIzq3d94ZCGpmppaLJDHVyN56m3E-8bBEUU3O7JI/s1024/Basin_Range_Faulting_2-4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="1024" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxnxov0HN4ZxjYiQQVTvQ5ehyQ7WA9vNzzMn0DHtPe7kRoz3I5ECCyB5h2y5JZ1hF46C_WWckzyvXKzW7eo5BJzaKcxADGIzq3d94ZCGpmppaLJDHVyN56m3E-8bBEUU3O7JI/w640-h290/Basin_Range_Faulting_2-4.png" width="640" /></a></div>As the pressure was released, the plate started to expand. This expansion produced a series of north-south running blocks, which were rotated from the pressure release. These rotated block produced the north-south running mountains we see across the region today, as well as the north-south trending faults that border all of the mountain ranges. <div><br /></div><div>As the mountain ranges were rotated upwards, they were eroded. The eroded material washed down into the gaps between the mountains, producing the sediment laden valleys we know so well today, including the Salt Lake Valley. This is the reason that earthquakes can also be particularly dangerous in this region, because all of the sediment has a tendency to shake like Jell-O in an earthquake. <div><br /></div><div>The eastern valley produced from these rotational blocks was the Salt Lake Valley, with the Wasatch Fault, the fault at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, representing the eastern most extension of the region. It is also one of the most active faults of the whole region since it is a boundary fault. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EUyi9c_IuTmmNtr_hKbrSSTQduBYTmGPZdHGQyeHWxAZr_El4u8GYEY5h9_irfIu52lsCXDBvptR4DpIsuFP30ZP3o97EcXoCxbVkuFz4ehawsk7z4uzWKBPUdXT1jyJnMwg/s2048/2015-11-18_155755063_B0AF1_iOS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EUyi9c_IuTmmNtr_hKbrSSTQduBYTmGPZdHGQyeHWxAZr_El4u8GYEY5h9_irfIu52lsCXDBvptR4DpIsuFP30ZP3o97EcXoCxbVkuFz4ehawsk7z4uzWKBPUdXT1jyJnMwg/w640-h480/2015-11-18_155755063_B0AF1_iOS.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>This can also be seen in the façade I designed for the University of Utah parking garage seen here with some of the various Basin and Range mountain ranges as well as their fault lines. </div></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-60559955077788620302021-11-20T13:03:00.004-07:002021-11-20T13:03:33.705-07:00Geological Christmas Gift - Coal Bags<p> Last year I thought it would be fun to put together some coal bags for those of us who really enjoy getting coal for Christmas (or any of the season's holidays). I have the bag available up on <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/985956127/christmas-geological-coal-bags?ref=listings_manager_grid"><b>Etsy right now for anyone interested</b></a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HnVr0zO2zWoC9liH1wJ1ECkZhX_a93_BN3HxmgfF0kxslQBIREj1uFN19DtWcaSAMg6HSCKcF21kqTht4yW9TrcTerEMSU4_ZFQ3OA0ZEbCR5X2lO56atvawfpKjhneNSAbk/s2048/2020-12-08_15-05-29_230.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HnVr0zO2zWoC9liH1wJ1ECkZhX_a93_BN3HxmgfF0kxslQBIREj1uFN19DtWcaSAMg6HSCKcF21kqTht4yW9TrcTerEMSU4_ZFQ3OA0ZEbCR5X2lO56atvawfpKjhneNSAbk/w640-h640/2020-12-08_15-05-29_230.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While living in Utah, we lived close enough to a prolific coal seam that jutted out along a road cut on a highway, so I collected a few samples to be used in the gift bags. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8xyDxyFo0yZCXbUxVzanzHGE2BJc87s-WO9tVQBnDg2BvKwNASC5noW65yf-ZvKbcoxIIuNspbGSjyi_m7SPXxhwYuIS7_dW26BLjv9kXCOZyq5J0hxLlINFl-DJXrOkOym5/s1321/Road_Cut.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1321" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8xyDxyFo0yZCXbUxVzanzHGE2BJc87s-WO9tVQBnDg2BvKwNASC5noW65yf-ZvKbcoxIIuNspbGSjyi_m7SPXxhwYuIS7_dW26BLjv9kXCOZyq5J0hxLlINFl-DJXrOkOym5/w640-h348/Road_Cut.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Coal along the Helper, UT roadcut. The coal belongs to a geological formation known as the Blackhawk Formation. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgMsR-tdcrGrUFOhCz5TRZ6dvVbxUeOu096AQ6YdcLUqSL-0VkqYknX42pdQds8sVNwOVh6NiRvdzEW10WRMhlPsctTfycfaTsAjGSIqxP9_iVJo-Geo2s0DjwKiGl3gQ_4gx/s762/Strat_Column.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="351" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgMsR-tdcrGrUFOhCz5TRZ6dvVbxUeOu096AQ6YdcLUqSL-0VkqYknX42pdQds8sVNwOVh6NiRvdzEW10WRMhlPsctTfycfaTsAjGSIqxP9_iVJo-Geo2s0DjwKiGl3gQ_4gx/w294-h640/Strat_Column.png" width="294" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stratigraphic column of the Blackhawk Formation and neighboring formations from the <a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0688/report.pdf">Geological Survey publication on the rock units</a>.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The Blackhawk Formation, specifically the coal bearing member, is Late Cretaceous in age. Specifically it is from the Campanian, ~80 million years ago. Coal forms in swamps. Living plant matter dies over time in the swamp, but there is so much decaying plant matter in a swamp that there's not enough oxygen in the water to break it all down. So the plant material builds up over time, and eventually gets buried by mud, sand, silt, or other sediment. This preserves the plant matter that slowly gets buried and cooked over time. The cooking process removes all of the other materials in the plants than the carbon, which is what the coal is.<div><br /></div><div>For the gift bags, I wanted to include as much of that information as possible. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcM-lU2AwSfroouS23dPI0gcFdLaZe7hWVKC71O6ZvEUKRPSFvRGLQI1dYy6wMwIf35qMwmk2EAlGeejpg7AjvTAE9aoFl38Pd7Xlxki5vrH1FAjeuB15dSBgtbEBNctp95Pck/s2048/2020-12-08_15-06-48_519.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcM-lU2AwSfroouS23dPI0gcFdLaZe7hWVKC71O6ZvEUKRPSFvRGLQI1dYy6wMwIf35qMwmk2EAlGeejpg7AjvTAE9aoFl38Pd7Xlxki5vrH1FAjeuB15dSBgtbEBNctp95Pck/w640-h480/2020-12-08_15-06-48_519.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Text on the inside of the tag:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></b></i></p></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Type of rock: </span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Bituminous Coal<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Rock Source: </span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Blackhawk Formation (coal bearing member)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Age</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;">:
Late Cretaceous (Campanian, ~80 million years old)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Environment: </span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;">The coal you hold was once plant matter in a swamp. There was
so much life in the swamp, that when the plants died there wasn’t enough oxygen
in the water to break them down, so the plant matter built up. Eventually this
plant matter was buried by sand and mud, and over time the plant matter was
slowly “cooked” below the surface of the earth until all that was left was the
carbon from the plants, creating coal.</span></i></p></div></blockquote><div>I also wanted to include two varieties of gift tags that you can choose from. </div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLca_ucJZnzYFTlc8LwD1xKagNDNpAFQXGHTUbP1vma_FOIVEn61l19N4_39MHW4FViY5SeDhHvntdHxYEkmefLLPcd4jQGv3WlF0NYn3HeSajIfHqLAhAOtZe5vbzoI6TxdC/s2048/2020-12-08_15-05-36_865.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLca_ucJZnzYFTlc8LwD1xKagNDNpAFQXGHTUbP1vma_FOIVEn61l19N4_39MHW4FViY5SeDhHvntdHxYEkmefLLPcd4jQGv3WlF0NYn3HeSajIfHqLAhAOtZe5vbzoI6TxdC/w640-h640/2020-12-08_15-05-36_865.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div>The traditional "Naughty" version, where the person getting the coal was bad:</div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Someone was naughty, <o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>And made Santa mad.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>So, this coal is your gift,<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Cause let’s face it; <b>you were
bad</b>!</i></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEnSfDL3hrOjVxRD8AUVUJBJe0Fc2g_UTj42OVe_GwgSeRvg2sXXmvQENxx-EZliovZTk11-We3sAGLSjxd1wHJnP_3_lzeXxxD4evkGg7A3-Fe7ZNKaGxJaetwdsXKQ-kgi6/s2048/2020-12-08_15-06-13_202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEnSfDL3hrOjVxRD8AUVUJBJe0Fc2g_UTj42OVe_GwgSeRvg2sXXmvQENxx-EZliovZTk11-We3sAGLSjxd1wHJnP_3_lzeXxxD4evkGg7A3-Fe7ZNKaGxJaetwdsXKQ-kgi6/w640-h640/2020-12-08_15-06-13_202.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>Or the geology version, where the person getting it just likes rocks. </div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i></i></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Not everyone who’s been bad gets
coal.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Sometimes that may be one’s very
goal.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>So here is a gift to stuff your
sock.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>As someone who really love rocks.</i></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i></i><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Each gift bag<b><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/985956127/christmas-geological-coal-bags?ref=listings_manager_grid"> available here </a></b>comes with:</div><div><div>- 2 to 4 pieces of coal that total about 6 ounces in weight.</div><div>- A red felt gift bag with draw string</div><div>- A naughty or nice tag, complete with geological information about the coal on the inside.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>So if you are interested, or know someone who is interested, please pass the word along :-). </div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-28419337624833477272021-11-18T09:09:00.003-07:002021-11-18T09:09:39.821-07:00What are ... Archaeologists vs Paleontologists vs Anthropologists<p> For the next entry into my <i><a href="https://jazinator.blogspot.com/search/label/What%20are%20...">What are ...?</a></i> series, I am looking at something that is often confused, the difference between an Archaeologist and a Paleontologist. This confusing was brought up recently when I was reading the question cards in my daughter's game of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Dino-Math-Tracks/dp/B00004TDKU">Dino Math Tracks</a>:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfK9I271UD0a20-57n1zyoUkoGrQaKioIlmjNXEs-PMdvpsoEQVmW7VxW18QPUQQ9iHJsNkwIkJjwxqpD68Uhy68Jrewz2f3emrkPqlGxaaD41HClJ9y4DZUM2a4r44CRtM_0/s2048/2020-10-23_16-18-32_628.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfK9I271UD0a20-57n1zyoUkoGrQaKioIlmjNXEs-PMdvpsoEQVmW7VxW18QPUQQ9iHJsNkwIkJjwxqpD68Uhy68Jrewz2f3emrkPqlGxaaD41HClJ9y4DZUM2a4r44CRtM_0/w640-h480/2020-10-23_16-18-32_628.jpeg" width="640" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Within the game, there are cards where the person must solve the math word problem in order to figure out how many spaces they can move. This is the card in question:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKU9FDMMpU9u2aDccI3GnuAHNfiRZE8vaHNpTvaoPod5SgwM2vpZgPkHdNPcVy5AoSplA95ECkPF6iD6EZxS54aJ0Wqa5ALzVxOSN0PW3YLdCApKsdUuU9ND5B_0NdAc6aIheT/s2048/2020-10-20_17-18-43_475.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKU9FDMMpU9u2aDccI3GnuAHNfiRZE8vaHNpTvaoPod5SgwM2vpZgPkHdNPcVy5AoSplA95ECkPF6iD6EZxS54aJ0Wqa5ALzVxOSN0PW3YLdCApKsdUuU9ND5B_0NdAc6aIheT/w640-h480/2020-10-20_17-18-43_475.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Archeologists must ship 24 tons of dinosaur bones to the museum. If each truck can hold 2 tons, how many trucks do they need to ship the bones? Move forward that number of spaces.</i></div></blockquote><p>This brings up a common mistake in everyday life: mistaking what an archaeologist is versus a paleontologist. </p><p><b>Archaeologist: </b>According to Webster's Dictionary archaeology is <i>the study of past cultures through their surviving relics</i>. </p><p>This means that an archaeologist studies the remains of civilizations that people leave behind. This can include some things like arrowheads to the pyramids, bowls to clothing, eating utensils to cave dwellings, and everything in between. Archaeologists study the changing human behavior but not the changes in our physical selves. <a href="https://evolution-outreach.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1007/s12052-010-0246-9">This article</a> puts it perfectly:</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><i>... archaeology is the reconstruction of ancient behavior from the things people left behind.</i></blockquote><p></p><div><b>Paleontologists: </b>Paleontology on the other hand is the <i>study of life in past geologic periods, </i>according to Webster's Dictionary. </div><div><br /></div><div>This means that paleontologists are focused on the life that once lived and often how it connects to the life that is still around. They can look at the physical remains of the animals and plants to reconstruct what they looked like and how they moved and interacted. They can also look at the behavioral remains left behind like footprints and bite traces to determine how the animals lived. All of this combined will often give paleontologists a fairly good idea of what past environments even looked like. Paleontologists are most often thought of as studying dinosaur bones, but there are many types of life that a paleontologist can study and if there was once something living on this planet that we know about, you can be sure that there was, or is, someone that has studied it. </div><div><br /></div><div>The difference here is that paleontologists can study any animal remains, but they don't study the behavioral creations of humans. The question then arises, that is humans are animals, then wouldn't a paleontologist then technically also study humans. Here is where lines start to get blurry and people's definitions may vary but there is a cross specialty that encompasses both worlds, and that is <i>anthropology</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Anthropologists: </b>Anthropology is like the blurry boundary between paleontology and archaeology. Webster's describes anthropology as <i>the science of the origin, early development, and culture of humankind</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anthropologists study the human remains to discover how our species has evolved over time, physically, behaviorally, and culturally. Archaeology, on the other hand, is typically seen as a sub-category of anthropology focusing only on the physical items humans created and left behind, while human paleontology (a.k.a. paleoanthropology) could be seen as another name for the study of the human evolution and remains typically seen as one of the sub-disciplines within the overarching body of anthropology. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.paesta.psu.edu/book/earth-systems-science-introduction/definitions/paleontology-vs-archaeology-vs-anthropology">As this website</a> puts it: <i>The goal of anthropology is to better understand the different cultures of human history and to look for solutions in human problems. Anthropologists use social, biological, and physical science to get a better grasp on human cultures.</i></div>Jim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.com0