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| The Amargosa Chaos, a geological formation in the South of Death Valley (USGS) |
In my visit to California for its geology, I was intrigued and intimidated by the geological interpretation of the Amargosa Chaos in equal measure. The Amargosa Chaos is a series of geological formations found in the Black Mountains in the south of the famous Death Valley. The rock in this area appears to have been subjected to excessive faulting and folding, making the geological interpretation seem challenging.
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| An example of pure Amargosa Chaos (Wright) |
I want to get (1) a cross-sectional view of a representative number of locations within the area that harbors Amargosa Chaos. With this data, I would attempt a relative dating of the major rock formations and strata in the area of study. I would sketch an incomplete story of the area that would need to be completed with further information.
I would also request (2) an absolute dating study of specific rock formations of interest that I would have identified from my first phase. Given the apparent extreme deformation of the landscape, I would privilege absolute dating for pieces of strata that seem to have been formed earlier than others—as per my relative dating result. The data from this absolute dating system would be used as a verification/confirmation of my reading from point (1). I hope that understanding the kind of rock and the grain size in my rocks of interest I will gather information about the environment in which it formed.
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| Another one of the intriguing blocks (backroadswest.com) |
To complete my study, I would finally request (3) a focused reading of the tectonics, dynamics, and seismic activities in the area. It would allow me to understand the tectonic events associated with the formation of the Black Mountains. Coupled with the data collected from the two previous phases, the seismicity of the area could explain the significant faults identified. A dynamic reading of the data would complete the picture by enlightening the deformation type and magnitude across the area, as well as its associated kind of geological forces.
Although not fully equipped to conduct such large scale study, I suspect that these three sorts of data would help me understand the different faults and folds, intrusions, old and young sediments, weathering alterations, and mass movements, which all together could explain the chaotic nature of Amargosa Chaos.
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