Week 7 - Death Valley

The first stop on my tour of Death Valley was Split Cinder Cone. This geological formation is the result of a volcanic eruption that occurred over 300,000 years ago, when molten basaltic rock filled a chamber beneath the surface and burst from a weak point in the ground. As the lava soared through the air, it quickly cooled and solidified into cinders before falling back to the surface. The majority of the cinders from this eruption fell in an area central to the eruption zone, which formed a cone-like cinder formation.

Photo by Tom Bean, NPS.

Upon examining this image of the Split Cinder Cone, I noticed what appears to be a significant divide (or “split”) in the center of the land mass. The mass was initially formed as a single, undivided entity, so I am left to wonder what caused this division? From afar, it seems possible that this split could have been caused by either long-term erosion, or underlying tectonic activity. A review of an Earthquake Fault Map (e.g. earthquake.usgs.gov/hazards/qfaults/map) could help reveal if this divide was the result of tectonic activity.

Photo by Ray Nordeen, NPS.

The second stop on my Death valley tour is Artist’s Drive – specifically Artist’s Pallet. The “Pallet” shown in this image consists of several pastel-colored deposits, many of which I have never seen before. The existence of these colored rocks leads me to wonder: what type of minerals does this brightly-colored formation consist of? A geologic map would be useful in discovering the necessary information for answering this question, as it would provide detailed information about each specific deposit located in this region.

My third and final stop is Zabriskie Point, an area whose terrain type is referred to as badlands. This region of Death Valley is extremely dry, and is almost entirely devoid of vegetation.

Photo by Paul Stone, USGS.

While the wavy landscape shown in the image is clearly the result of erosion, it does lead me to wonder about the erosion source. Was this land carved by wind, water, or ice? A close investigation of the minerals could reveal information about the type of erosion in this area, as dense minerals are less likely to be affected by wind. A review of the historical weather activity in the area may also reveal the source of erosion. For instance, is heavy rainfall common in this area?

Reference

Frank, D. (2016, December 13). Death Valley National Park Virtual Geology Field Trip. Retrieved from https://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/devaft.html