Death Valley National Park lies in one of the youngest and
most active parts of the Basin and the Range province. The term
"Basin and Range" is taken from the unique character of this
province's landscape. Here, steep, elongate mountain ranges alternate with
flat, dry, desert valleys in a pattern that extends from eastern California to
central Utah, and from southern Idaho into the state of Sonora in Mexico. Death
Valley’s landscape has been changing for millions of years. It is changing now
and will continue to change long after we have departed. Erosion slowly carves
away at the ancient rock formations, reshaping the surface of the land. The
basin continues to subside, and the mountains rise ever higher. It is
interesting to imagine, but impossible to predict, the future of Death Valley.
The Geologic History of Death Valley includes Rocks and Rock Cycle in Death Valley, Weathering and
Erosion in Death Valley, Relative Age Dating, Absolute Age Dating and Plate Tectonics. Death Valley has an area of about 3,000
square miles and runs from the north to the south. It is bounded by the
Amargosa Range to the east, the Panamint Range to the west, the Sylvania
Mountains to the north and the Owlshead Mountains to the south. The climate of
Death Valley is arid and because it is bounded by mountains on all sides, hot,
dry air masses often get trapped in the valley.
Death Valley is located right in between two fault lines that are on
both sides of Death Valley. The boundaries
on each side of Death Valley are Divergent boundaries causing the gaping valley
in the ground that is Death Valley.
Frank, D. (n.d.). Death Valley National Park Geology Image Gallery. Retrieved from https://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/gallery.html
Danielle,
ReplyDeleteIt a very amazing and complex place in Death Valley. In my view it shows the wonders of the Rock and speak volumes to the amount of information that Geologist and gain from studying these rock and movement in Death Valley.
Vaun