Week 6 (Tehachapi Mountains)

This week, I visited the Tehachapi Mountains, which are a 40 mile mountain range through Kern and Los Angeles counties. To better study the geologic complexities of the area, I would first request information about the plate boundaries, as I would gather this mountain range was formed from subduction and faulting or folding. By having information about the plate tectonics of the region, I would be able to figure out how they have formed. Another useful piece of information would be the the age of the rocks with radiometric dating. The knowledge about the age of the various rocks in the area would allow me to observe various events that have caused the current structure of the mountains. Another set of data I would request is information about the the fossil records of the area. With the principle of fossil succession, I would be able to know more about the evolution of life in the area, which isn't strictly related to finding out more information about the geologic progression, but I think having this information would enable me to better picture how the area has evolved over millions of years and how the life present in the region now has adapted to the environment over time.