Geology

I went on a geology trip with my class.

Going home to NY after 10 days pass. 

My suitcase is packed and ready to go. 

The line at the airport moves real slow. 

First day is Salt Lake City.  I hope it's neat. 

On the plane I don't get the window seat. 

We go to Salt Lake. The sand is hot. 

Should I leave my shoes on or not?

I step on rocks that slice my feet. 

Why do bugs have to bite? My blood must be sweet. 

We are ready to go. Where is Jim?

What about Seth? Did he kidnap him?

Finally the bus pulls around

As Brandon shows off his knife on the playground.  

Bison, bears, and elk, oh my!

It's so cold with no sun in the sky. 

Tourists take pics off the walk

So Kristie isn't afraid to give them the talk. 

Time is ticking by and Randy wants meat. 

Everyone falls asleep on the bus. They are beat. 

I try to open my door with soap. 

The lights turn off in the lobby;there is no hope. 

Sandra sees a bird. Is it too fat to fly?

She chases it away while making a bird cry. 

Josh is resting in the bus

With pop tarts and goldfish

Kiley is auditing

For a grade, she doesn't wish. 

Kayleen has a picture hat

On her head looking cool. 

Robbie ripped his pants twice,

The breeze is pretty cool. 

Nate is sketching hot springs

The bacteria types all look the same

But it's not his fault. 

The different colors are to blame. 

Michigan wants to be a cop. 

He has a Yellowstone badge so he can serve. 

Bringing justice to Wyoming

Just like they deserve. 

Colosimo and Barone- 

Have a flashlight on their phone 

Singing through the woods

Back to the hotel at Yellowstone. 

Only three more days to see what fun brings. 

Do you think that Liz bought enough things?

Everyone on the trip is fun and sweet. 

Grateful for this class or we would never meet. 

Oh My Rockslide!

On June 16, 2014, we stopped in the small town of Kelly, WY to study the mass wasting catastrophe that took place in 1925. Stepping off the bus and seeing the hundred-foot deep scar was shocking. The unexpected, fast-moving landslide is known as the Gros Ventre Rockslide. In a matter of minutes, rock and debris came tumbling down the mountains, depositing 50 million cubic yards of rock and soil. The large amount of debris blocked the Gros Ventre River and created a 200-foot dam, producing Lower Slide Lake.

The goal of this stop was to study why this unexpected landslide occurred. We used our background knowledge of geology and our intelligent professors to piece together why this slide happened. The bedrock is tilted and the slopes were oversteepened due to erosion from the Gros Ventre River. Small earthquakes, gravity, and rainfall mixed together, creating a recipe for disaster.  Also, the composition of rock has a major impact. The Tensleep Formation became slippery, enabling the slope to fail. Unfortunately, the bedrock was saturated with water, causing the ground to become unstable. Luckily only 6 citizens of Wyoming died.

After we were done piecing together the geologic history, we were able to frolic among the rock pile and got to hammer on some travertine limestone and sandstone with large quartz crystals.  Being out in the field made me feel like a real geologist!

LIttle did we know we'd come face to face with more than just rocks on this trip!

Just Some Good Old Western Fun!

Robbie showing off his skills.

That modeling though.

Our Last Day @ Craters

Our last day of the trip took place in Craters of the Moon National Park in Arco, Idaho. Craters was one of the coolest places we visited, making it an amazing end to our trip. We were all very tired and worn out by the end of the week, but Craters offered us more than what we expected, such as Pahoehoe and A'a lava flows, opportunities to climb cinder and spatter cones, and even explore a lava tube (and maybe even get lost)! 

You can see how tired (and cute) these boys look after a long week of exploring and adventuring the western beauty. We spent the night prior in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which showed us a good time! Such a great little tourist town. 

Here's a picture of some of the Pahoehoe lava flows at the North Crater Flow Trail. Look at how ropey those rocks look! These basaltic lava flows at Craters were very low in silica, which allowed then to flow more easily. The lava cooled quickly at the surface, and created this rope like texture while cooling and continuing to flow. 

Nate and Seth had some fun climbing to the top of a cinder cone after our last lunch on the trip. Look at how small they look! 

After lunch, we climbed to the top of Inferno Cone. It was insanely windy at the top, but offered us an amazing view. Some of us even layed at the top of the cinder cone and tried to catch some sun! The sound of the leaves blowing in the wind and the warmth of the basaltic rocks beneath us made for a very relaxing little cat nap. 

Here's an awesome picture from the inside of the Indian Tunnel lava tube that we explored. There was so many cool little places to hideout and fun fallen rocks to climb. We all had such a great time climbing our way out! 

Who knew Idaho had more than just potatoes? Speaking of potatoes, they may be gone soon... We've learned that the cinder cones and divergence in the park of Craters of the Moon erupts, on average, every 2000 years. We're overdue! We may have been lucky making it out alive! :)

Big Horn Mountains!

Random pictures!

Here are various pictures taken from our trip.

Dangerous Pits!

Caption this!

Danger at the Moon!

It was a cold and blustery day, 13 students stood outside Craters of the Moon National Monument awaiting instruction from their teachers. Fighting against the cold and wind they sketched lava flows and climb cinders but little did they know what awaited for them in the lava tubes. After Barone explained about lava boogers the group walked through the tube. But something was following them. Suddenly Josh yelled as a booger monster came up behind him. All at once the students grabbed their field notebooks and pencils as swords and shields to fend it off. The students let out a war cry of "hoodoo loo!" as Michigan grabbed a piece of basaltic rock and threw it at the monster putting it in a daze. As the rest of us fled the tube.

Just as all the students were safe the Monster grabbed Sandra. So Randy took out his infrared thermometer and shined it into a cave of sleeping bats who thankfully follow laser points like cats. Randy then proceeded to shine the light at the monster leading the swarm of bats to it. Sandra was saved and we left Craters of the Moon as it began to hail. 

( Not all info is true)  

Post Jackson!

Look at how cute the boys are in their little sleeping train! Jackson Hole, Wyoming showed us a good night and really wore us out. 

Pinedale Glaciation

Over the course of the last few days, we have observed many features that resulted from glaciation. There are two recent glaciers that impacted the Colorado Rockies region. 

First, there was the Bull Lake Glacier which occurred from about 160-130 thousand years ago, and it covered most of the Eastern Rockies region. After this, the Pinedalce Glacier occurred from around 70-13 thousand years ago. During this time period, several valley glaciers merged and moved along lower landscapes, which then formed the Cordilleran Ice Sheet.

Our first encounter with the features of the Pinedale Glacier was with Glacial Boulder, near Inspiration Point in Yellowstone National Park. Glacial Boulder is a prime example of an erratic. Erratics are rocks or boulders, that are transported via a glacier, and deposited in another environment. Glacial Boulder has a 60 foot diameter, and a height of about 16 feet 4 inches. It is a granite erratic, composed of quartz (SiO2), Microcline (KAlSi3O8), hornblende (Ca2(Mg,Fe,Al)5(Al,Si)8O22(OH)2), and some biotite (K(Mg,Fe)3(AlSi3O10)(F,OH)2). 

While looking at the Tetons there are three distinct features that form from valley glaciers. One feature is a u-shaped valleys, which are valleys shaped in a "U". Another feature is an arête, which are narrow, sharp ridges. The last feature are horns, mountains with a sharp, pyramid-like peak. There are three glaciers that are on the Tetons, the Teton glacier, the Teepee and the Middle-Teton glacier. These glaciers have lost 25 percent of their total surface area within the last 40 years. Also at the base of the Tetons are glacial deposits called end moraines. These end moraines are composed of unesorted sediments called till and are deposited by the receding of the Pinedale glacier. One way to tell that there is a moraine is there is a line off pine trees which grow along the moraine due to its low permeability.

A Day in the Teton Mountains

You haven't seen mountains until you have been to the Teton mountains in Wyoming. Reaching elevations of close to 14,000 feet, these mountains touch the clouds! Today, MCC's field studies Geology group took a nice ten minute boat ride across Jenny Lake. Jenny Lake is a lake that was specifically formed from the melting of Teton's most recent glaciation, the Pinedale, which was dated to be around 70-13 thousand years ago. During the mile long hike, the group saw a specific type of metamorphic rock called gneiss which had pegmatite veins of quartz pegmatite.  And of course, granite was also found on the trail. Although the weather was rainy, cold, and cloudy, the group was determined to make it to Inspiration Point, which had the best view of Jenny Lake and the ancient moraines that hold the lake in place and the outwash plane that formed thousands of years ago. 

But the question remains about how these massive mountains formed. The Tetons are on a fault which is a specific place where there is crustal motion. The name of this fault is the Teton fault and long ago the land was pulled apart due to tensional stress. As the land eroded away, the less erosive metamorphic rock stayed creating these spectacular mountains. 

 Next to the Teton Mountains there is an end moraine which is composed of unsorted sediments. These sediments were deposited during the receding of the Pinedale glaciation. This also help form many of the lakes at the base of the Tetons. You can tell that it's a moraine due to the fact that there are pine trees growing along the moraine due to its low permeability. Beyond the moraines are stream terraces, flat region steps adjacent to the base of the mountain, that are formed by the Snake River. The river down cuts when the base level drops, also this is the river's response to the uplift of the region. 

On a couple of the mountains you can see some features such as arêtes which are basically a narrow, sharp edged ridge, as well as U-shaped valleys. Both of these features are due to valley glaciers. The Tetons have three glaciers the Teton, Teepee, and Middle-Teton glaciers. During the last 40 years these glaciers have lost 25 percent of their total surface area. 

Excelsior Geyser

On June 15th we visited Excelsior Geyser, located in the Lower Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. This geyser used to erupt up to 300 ft before the 1900's but now it is a dormant geyser. Scientists believe that this geyser was so violent that it actually damaged its internal structure to the point where it didn't have access to its hydrothermal energy. In laymen's terms it lost access to its heat source. Although it doesn't erupt as it did, in 1985 it erupted for two days but it was only 20 to 80 feet tall-- a fraction of what it used to be. Present day it is considered a thermal spring and releases about 4050 gallons per minute! Unlike Grand Prismatic Spring the coloring in this spring is blue due to minerals rather than bacteria that cause coloring in Grand Prismatic. There was so much steam that we couldn't even see the spring until some wind picked it up and cleared the spring.

What's that smell?!?

You're standing on the bank of a steaming, hot, brownish mixture of what appears to be mud and water. The breeze hits your face and you immediately smell a wretched stench equivalent to the permeating odor of week old rotten eggs. What could that be, you ask? Acid sulfate from a mud volcano. Volcano as in oozing lava? Not really, these mud volcanoes are different because heat and gas from deep in the old magma chamber rise up heating the ground water at the surface of the Earth. And if you think Geology is the only thing going on here, think again! Tiny micro organisms called extremophiles live in this high acidic, high temperature environment and convert the volcanic gases into Hydrogen Sulfide which in turn eats away at the Rhyolitic rocks turning them to clay which gives the water its brownish tint. Through Geology, Chemistry, and Biology, these mud volcanoes flourish in Yellowstone National Park. 

How did these "chocolate volcanoes"get here, you ask?

Long ago, Yellowstone had a very gargantuan Rhyolitic eruption about six hundred and forty thousand years ago that covered two hundred square miles of debris and ash. That's the equivalent to two thirds of the United States! But don't think she's done yet! Deep below the Earths's crust,a very specific yet simple process is still occurring. Lots of heat and volcanic gases rise to the surface of the Earth through weak points in the thin crust. And what happens when water meats heat? The scientific term is called Hydrolysis but I would refer it to a bubbling cauldron of stinky Rhyolite micro organism soup! You want some? I wouldn't recommend it. This brown broth can sometimes reach temperatures of more than one hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit. Not to mention a few antacids wouldn't help the acidity or chemical burns you would get. If I were you, I'd stick to the picture taking.

Please view our educational video that features an active mud volcano in Yellowstone National Park  

http://youtu.be/_nhxpkhPK0s

Independence Rock - 6/11/14

Independence Rock

Independence Rock is a stock feature, meaning that it is an igneous mass that was formed underground, but is smaller than a batholith. However, it can become one if it becomes more exposed above the surface. It was formed along normal faults meaning the hanging wall moves down from tensional stress. 

On a historical level it is one of the features on the Oregon trail. It was also a landmark used for cavalry and landrushers in 1849 and a check point for the Pony Express.  Many people have inscribed their names into the rock (and surprisingly it proves boys once had nice handwriting) and wagon ruts can often be found near it.

Other features found on the rock include coarse-grained mineral veins. The veins found throughout the rock are made up of quartz. These quartz veins are formed when hydrothermal fluids, or hot water solution, runs through the rock.

The uplift of the rock results in erosion of overlying rock, which causes a decrease in pressure and the rock to expand and fracture. Next, Independence Rock began exfoliating along sheet joints. The granite of Independence Rock weathers in blocks that then round out. This process is called spheroidal weathering.

Also of note, Independence Rock is an exfoliation dome, meaning it is a large dome shaped rock formed by exfoliation. Exfoliation is a process that includes the removal of concentric layers of rock along sheet sheets.

In terms of mineralogy and rock properties, the rock is made up of a typical granite composition, with a bit of a unique property. While it still has typical "Orthoclase - Quartz - Hornblende" composition, it is unique in that parts of the rock actually have a porphyritic phaneritic texture. This proves that this rock began the cooling process underground. The crystals that were much larger cooled at a much higher temperature, for a longer period of time, whereas the smaller crystals cooled much quicker at lower temperatures as the magma moved closer to the surface.

Overall, I would say that exploring Independence Rock was a pretty incredible experience. It was a challenge to climb up, and many of us felt the 3700 ft. elevation difference, compared to Rochester, NY, while climbing it. Once on top though, the view was astonishing. 

Thanks for reading! For more pictures from this trip, feel free to visit Brandon's Tumblr page at: 

http://www.tumblr.com/blogs/Yellowstone-Adventures

Cheers!

Cindy & Brandon

 

Pumpkin Buttes, Powder River Basin, Wyoming

    Along the way to Devils Tower, we passed through the Powder River Basin, Wyoming.  This region is know for its abundance of natural resources and this is very evident by oil fields and coal mines.  Uranium has been a more recent discovery is the area as well.  Most of the area is relatively flat and featureless beside the buttes.

     During the Eocene epoch, between 55.8 to 33.9 million years ago, after the inland sea of the Cretaceous withdrew, the climate was very wet and warm at the time, producing swampy low lands.  In these lowlands, the Wasatch Formation was created.  Fresh water sandstones, shales, clays, and coal beds with fossil remains we're deposited here.  Region uplift and erosion occurred soon after.  

     It is believed that lightning a strike ignited the exposed coal bed mixed with clay, leaving the red/orange/black layers seen on the upper portions of Pumpkin Buttes.  This is called 'clinkers' and are more resistant to the effects of weathering than the surrounding landscape, thus creating the mounds you see today.  

     This has great cultural importance to the Native Americans.  They lived around the buttes and used them to spot settlers for raids.  They say the buttes had the color of gourds and that is why we call them Pumpkin Buttes.  Settlers used the buttes as a welcome waypoint on their travels westward.  It is also associated with the Teapot Dome Scandal in which a politician took bribes to pass legislation to drill and mine for natural resources on protected land.

     We all noticed how flat and vast this area of Wyoming is.  It was just as much as a relief to us as it must have been for settlers to have the Pumpkin Buttes as stopping point.

   

Brandon sizing up a 1.7 billion year old boulder of gneiss from the Farmington Canyon Complex in Antelope Island State Park, Salt Lake City, UT. For detailed info on the geology of Antelope Island, read here!

Great Salt Lake

Today we went to the Great Salt Lake.  It was amazing and gross at the same time.  Waves of gnats infest the shoreline but they are crucial to the environment.  Wildlife all around are ultimately dependent on these insects.  

We learned that before the Salt Lake existed a larger glacial Lake Bonneville was present.  A catastrophic flooding event caused it to drain northward to Canada, leaving the Salt Lake behind. Uplift in the region during the Laramide  orogeny created the Wasatch range (part of the Rocky Mountains) we see today.  

The Great Salt Lake is a playa lake which occurs when the surrounding mountains erode salts into intermountaine basin, which is essentially a valley.  The dry, arid region contributes to extensive evaporation which leaves the water salty.  We found oolitic limestone sands and rocks.  We put are feet in the water and took many pictures.  We also saw our first bison.  

  Here we are at Weber State College, where we will stay our first night.  We almost got caught in the spinkler system writing this blog, who who!

Greetings!

Welcome to our field blog for MCC Geosciences! Follow us on our adventures in learning outside of a climate-controlled environment! Our first series of posts will come from the students in our field studies classes to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, Craters of the Moon and Devils Tower National Monument, and other places. 

Here's a photo of a group we took on the same trip in 2011 at the base of Devils Tower.