Week 7: Mosaic Canyon - Death valley

While on our road trip, we decided to visit Death Valley. It was early June so our hopes were that it wouldn't get as hot as in some other months. Though there is little landscape, there was so much to see. One of our favorite stops was Mosaic Canyon, just west of Stovepipe Wells, a quaint small town. The road leading up to the mouth of the canyon was unpaved and rough but well worth the trip. As we entered Death Valley, we had gained some information of the area and when/how it was created.

Mosaic Canyon was created in the Paleozoic Era, when the area was a large sea. "The sea deposited layers of sediment embedded with fossils of marine life. Over time, the sediments compressed into limestone and a related calcium-magnesium carbonate called dolomite. Pressure and heat transformed the stone into the metamorphic rock we call marble. Volcanic action heaved the beds into mountain ranges, folding the marble layers." (Von Fange, 2019). Faulting created cracks that allowed water to flow through, eroding the rocks and carrying the debris to the valley floor. The faults are given credit for creating the steep canyon walls we hiked along. 

While hiking we were reminded that this is a flash flood area. Water could rush in and over the rocks at a rapid pace, flooding the canyon to the high water mark still apparent from the last flash flood in the area. With little to no soil to absorb the water, the marble like walls hold the water until it can move downstream through the narrow canyon. This reminded us of just how powerful mother nature is.

Picture credit Angela Stanton

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/mosaic-canyon-in-death-valley-angela-a-stanton.html 

Picture credit Curtis Von Fange

https://www.desertusa.com/desert-california/mosaic-canyon.html 

Von Fange, Curtis. (2019) Mosaic Canyon Death Valley: Marble Set in Time. Retrieved on December 15, 2019 from: https://www.desertusa.com/desert-california/mosaic-canyon.html