Discussion Topic |
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 16, 2009 - 06:55pm PT
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For anyone interested, there will be a documentary on the geology of Yosemite on the History Channel, next Tuesday (12/22) at 9 pm PST. The documentary is part of a series of geology documentaries, titled How The Earth Was Made. I believe that there are three of us from the forum that will be included in the Yosemite documentary - Greg Stock (Yosemite Park Geologist), Cleo, and myself. The geology is presented on a rather basic level, but I found some of the earlier episodes to be entertaining, with great camera work and spectacular landscapes.
History Channel – How The Earth Was Made – Upcoming Episodes:
http://www.history.com/content/how-the-earth-was-made/upcoming-episodes
Check it out if you get the channel; this should be worth at least a few laughs, especially for those who know me!
-Bryan
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Top of the 5.2-5.12 Boulder
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Dec 16, 2009 - 06:57pm PT
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Cool, man.
Thanks for the heads up, Bryan.
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
obsessively minitracking all winter at Knob Hill
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Dec 16, 2009 - 06:57pm PT
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BLaw pontificating in front of a camera......how many Cobras were killed in the making of this film?
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Dec 16, 2009 - 07:16pm PT
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Minerals,
Thanks for the heads up on this. Hist. Ch. "How the Earth Was Made" DVD is really good: from 4.56 Billion years ago to several Billion years into Earth's future. Really well done. Covers it all and in pretty good detail. Excellent overview.
Also their "Universe" series is really good. All programs are very up to date. Excellent for all my EarthScience HS classes.
I will make sure to record it, although having the original DVD is so much better.
So you will be in it? Yes?
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 16, 2009 - 07:34pm PT
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Somebody remember to bump this one, close before h-hour!
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Phil_B
Social climber
Hercules, CA
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Dec 16, 2009 - 07:48pm PT
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Cool. I'm glad that you posted up. I knew Cleo was in it and was going to post something next week. She's kinda worried that the makers of the film will totally misrepresent her.
Here's some stuff from the History Channel website:
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The Sierra Nevada, North America's highest mountain range, contains one of the most awe-inspiring geological features on the planet: Yosemite Valley. Walled by sheer 3,000-foot granite cliffs and made from one of the toughest rocks on earth, it is home to the mighty El Capitan and iconic Half Dome. Yet how this extraordinary valley formed has been the subject of controversy for over 100 years. Was it carved by gigantic glaciers or a cataclysmic rifting of the Earth?
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I'm looking forward to seeing it.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 16, 2009 - 07:52pm PT
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Thanks Minerals. BTW, if you ever have the chance to see Greg Stock live giving a presentation on his ongoing rock fall studies, check it out. He's an excellent speaker and the work he's doing is state of the art...Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), cosmogenic age dating, seismic monitoring, and rock fall simulations.
"Was it carved by gigantic glaciers or a cataclysmic rifting of the Earth?"
This is the classic debate that Josiah Whitney (California State Geologist in 1860) and John Muir had over the origin of Yosemite. Whitney, an arrogant academic, derided John Muir as an ignoramus. Turns out Muir's Glacial origin theory of Yosemite was correct. Whitney never accepted it.
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Shack
Big Wall climber
Reno NV
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Dec 17, 2009 - 02:46am PT
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This is gonna be so cool. I can't wait to see it.
I was sworn to secrecy for months now but since it's official...
"Ladder Dikes RULE!!"
I think Bryan said he even showered for the filming, so it should be really good.
Just kidding Bryan, Way to Go!
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 17, 2009 - 02:59am PT
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Even if it doesn't explain why crystals in Tuolumne grow so darn large, I may have to visit my father's and see this program. (He recently got the History aka Hitler Channel.)
The quote "The Sierra Nevada, North America's highest mountain range" from the blurb posted upthread makes me wonder a little, though. What about the Fairweather Range? The Icefields Ranges? The Alaska Range?
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 17, 2009 - 03:26am PT
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'How the earth was made.'
 only took six days, how hard could it be, really?
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Phil_B
Social climber
Hercules, CA
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Dec 17, 2009 - 12:03pm PT
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MH, that's why Cleo's worried about what they'll edit her into saying. . .
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 17, 2009 - 12:36pm PT
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And then there are those volcanoes in Mexico, which are also inconveniently much higher than Mt. Whitney, and in North America too.
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Phil_B
Social climber
Hercules, CA
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Dec 17, 2009 - 12:47pm PT
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I think that Cleo spent most of a day trying to get them to see the regional fracturing patterns and how that was different from the exfoliation cracks.
Luckily, they were able to go to Olmstead Pt. instead of schlepping up to her instruments on Middle Brother.
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Dec 17, 2009 - 02:17pm PT
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HaHa! Yes, busted! Two days, very tiring, especially trying to explain foliation joints (note: Royal Arches is a *horrible* place to try and show this because people focus on the arches rather than the sheets. I spent about 4 hours and 2 onions trying to explain this, and in the end, we went to Olmstead Point instead).
I'd be curious how much fun Minerals had!
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Dec 17, 2009 - 02:24pm PT
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hey there minerals, say, thanks for the note... dont have tv cable to see tv up here, or, over here... hahah, but i may go visit someone...
oh my---say, jaybro, i saw this last night, with 2? post perhaps and i wanted to "bump it up" so bad, but the ol' computer was stalling big-time and it was so late... and VOILA! it is on front now!!
say, thus, i will remember to bump it up, too... perhaps again by sunday night and monday...
sounds fun, if any of us can see it...
say, cleo, if you step in here again, EMAIL me, please.... thanks so much... :)
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Dec 17, 2009 - 02:27pm PT
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HaHa! Yes, busted! Two days, very tiring, especially trying to explain foliation joints (note: Royal Arches is a *horrible* place to try and show this because people focus on the arches rather than the sheets. I spent about 4 hours and 2 onions trying to explain this, and in the end, we went to Olmstead Point instead).
I'd be curious how much fun Minerals had!
Hahaha! Welcome to my world! I've bailed out of several of these things because they were so ruthlessly stupid I didn't want my name anywhere near them!
At least with geology, unless they paste in some wing-nut Creationist segment to make you all look like devil worshippers, any treatment they give you has only got to improve the country's geo-historical i.q.
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 17, 2009 - 11:15pm PT
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Cool… Glad that there is some interest in this! Thanks for the replies! I figured that some of you would be interested in a little “local” geology. No living creatures were harmed or killed in the making of this film, however I did have some assistance from a couple of kangaroos…
Ahhhh, what are friends for… Thanks, Shack… (I think…)…
Yeah, the initial description of the Yosemite episode could use a little help, but we’ll have to wait and see how it turns out. “Lower-48” might have been more appropriate… Oh, well.
Anders, are megacrysts magmatic, metasomatic, or a combination of the two? ;)
Klimmer and DMT, good to hear that you two have been enjoying this series so far! I wish we had Earth Science in HS when I was a kid! Watching one of these documentaries would be such a cool way to get through 50 minutes of class!
Mr. Tradster, I have yet to see one of Greg’s presentations but would like to at some point! We were able to wander around the El Cap rockfall debris area last month, looking at rock types and discussing ideas, which was fun. I just have to get him up to Tuolumne more often… why are so many glacial erratics of a very specific rock type/texture concentrated in a very small area, when the source area is probably quite a ways away? Uh, oh… tangent…
Cleo, I had a blast that day! Yeah, I know what you and Phil mean, though. On camera, I just said what I was told to say and didn’t worry about it too much (wasn’t allowed to ramble in my own words…). It was difficult to explain things in such simple terms (we were told to address 8-year-olds…), especially when the “volcanic” rock that I was holding is so far beyond “volcanic” that it is really, really difficult NOT to say “metavolcanic”… but hey… It’s supposed to be fun for everyone! ;) I’d like to see my set of bloopers! Ha!!!
Chris, I don’t think there is an online episode; I’m going to bug one of my friends (hey Shack…) to watch it on their TV… although one would expect a Deathstar to be filled with numerous video and radar screens to detect any incoming threats… But, no TV… or radar.
Neebee, yeah, this might be something for “friends with cable and a way to record it”… Hope you find a way to check it out.
Klk… Ahh, so what if viewers get to laugh! So far, I think they (producers and History Channel) have done a good job with the series, although I have just caught a little bit of it. Why not have some fun, especially if there is a chance to explain (or attempt to explain) the wonderful beauty of our planet to the masses? Yeah, it’s simple, and there will be “stupid” things that we geologists may cringe at, but as you say, the more geology we can feed them, the better! Rocks are cool!!!!!
I’ll reserve more comments until after we get to see this rig, but I am psyched to see the camera work – we had some nice light in Dana Meadow later in the day.
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Phil_B
Social climber
Hercules, CA
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Dec 18, 2009 - 12:02am PT
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Just to feed the psyche:
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 18, 2009 - 12:12am PT
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Hey, it’s Joel, the soundman!
What!?!?… No Kevlar helmet and Interceptor vest for the “hazard” area??? Where are the Feds when you need ‘em?
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Dec 18, 2009 - 12:15am PT
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^^^^^ Is that site from this?
Credit: Victor
Going to the dvr to check out the series, looks good.
Bump
Mucci
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Phil_B
Social climber
Hercules, CA
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Dec 18, 2009 - 12:28am PT
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Dec 18, 2009 - 12:28am PT
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It's cool to see folks from here on something other than "COPS" and then "Lock-up, Hard Time In The Joint".
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aguacaliente
climber
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Dec 18, 2009 - 12:37am PT
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I've seen a little bit of a science documentary being made and watched the results (I didn't have a speaking part but my boss did). When you watch it, your voice will sound weird and you'll probably wince at some contrived narrative point and there will be technical inaccuracies that stand out to you very clearly. But (unless the film makers are complete wackos) those issues won't really matter - only the ones who already know the material notice them. These films can't teach all of Science 101 to people sitting in front of a TV, what we can hope they do is pique people's interest and get them to read a book, or notice something the next time they go outside, or both. That's cool.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 18, 2009 - 01:17am PT
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I hope you didn't find it necessary to mention the fine art of boulder trundling in public.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Top of the 5.2-5.12 Boulder
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Dec 18, 2009 - 01:21am PT
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Now THAT'S a fine outing! or hobby......or something.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 18, 2009 - 01:24am PT
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IF you're very very careful. Sometime I must scan and post the article "The Fine Art of Boulder Trundling". It was in Mountain in the 1970s, but was a reprint from a much earlier English climbers' journal.
The first explorers of Antarctic boulder trundled, too. For science, they claimed.
The picture of Cleo in her helmet beneath the Ahwiyah Point rockfall was kind of amusing.
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scuffy b
climber
Whuttiz that Monstrosicos Inferno?
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Dec 18, 2009 - 07:38pm PT
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Minerals: your question about the erratics of a very specific rock type,
mostly in one location, with a source far away?
Could it be that the supply of the erratics came (mostly) from one
particular rockfall at the source area?
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Dec 18, 2009 - 09:38pm PT
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I heard Greg Stock speak today at AGU about LiDAR and photography from Glacier Point.
Excellent talk, as usual. Yes, he's very good.
-Val
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Dec 18, 2009 - 09:41pm PT
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P.S.
Minerals, oh yes, there is a story behind entering the "hazard" area (we weren't supposed to). But our NPS escort (not Greg!) was far more concerned about us going "off-trail" at Glacier Point.
Even Yosemite staff fail to understand real vs. perceived risk in terms of rock fall and (cliff) exposure.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 18, 2009 - 11:10pm PT
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Cleo - did Greg Stock talk about temporal correlations between rock fall events in Yosemite and earthquakes at AGU? When I saw his talk at Cal about a year ago he was correlating a major El Cap rock fall event that he dated using cosmogenic isotopes (Be-10 I think?) with an earthquake in the Owens Valley.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 19, 2009 - 03:07am PT
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I don't think we've met. Thanks for the article. I go to geology talks at Cal whenever the topic interests me. As a geologist and climber Greg's talk certainly caught my attention. I like going to AGU as well but didn't make it this year. Are you a grad student at Cal?
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hossjulia
Trad climber
Eastside
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Dec 20, 2009 - 08:13pm PT
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Jimmy loves that series, and the little I have watched I like too.
Thanks for the heads up Bryan, I forgot. Good chance I would have seen it anyway, but now I'll look for it!
(I happened to have stumbled upon them while they were filming.)
edited to add;
I'll try to remember to record it, if I can, not sure if we have the technology.
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Brock
Trad climber
RENO, NV
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Dec 21, 2009 - 02:06pm PT
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Bump.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 21, 2009 - 02:10pm PT
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Cleo, I wish I'd known about that talk...
Scuffy the term might be Allochthonous (ant a word one gets to use in a sentence, much)
Back on topic, i'll be watching tomorrow night.
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 21, 2009 - 02:44pm PT
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“Could it be that the supply of the erratics came (mostly) from one
particular rockfall at the source area?”
Yes, Scuffy b… Maybe next summer we can find the source area and Greg can do some (analytical) modeling…
One of several erratics in the upper Murphy Creek area (Tuolumne), composed of Half Dome granodiorite, with strong modal layering/schlieren developed
What’s going on here…???
Anyone ever see stuff like this in Tuolumne?
We saw some ads for the episode yesterday, complete with climbers on El Cap! I hope I don’t look like too much of a DORK tomorrow… :)
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Dec 21, 2009 - 03:34pm PT
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If you are on satellite, the programming actually may start at 10 pm tuesday (DISH) and not 9pm. Better ck.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 21, 2009 - 08:13pm PT
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Minerals: First off thanks for posting these photos. I saw a similar erratic in the drainage east of Mt Conness near Alpine Lake if I remember correctly. I didn't have a camera with me at the time but I was impressed by the "sedimentary depositional" features exhibited by the dark vs light mineral layering in the granite, including what looked like large scale cross-bedding.
The 2nd photo looks like a typical glacial pothole formed by whirlpools of glacial meltw#ter in crevasses
My WAG on the 3rd photo is some kind of reaction between metamorphic roof pendant material and the magma??
By Greg's "analytical modeling" do you mean rock fall simulation? My understanding is that those simulations do not include any glacial transport.
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charley
Trad climber
nw pa.
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Dec 22, 2009 - 10:25am PT
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Our cable system has early programs in the series starting at 7pm with this one at 9pm. Thanks for the heads up.
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Dec 22, 2009 - 05:10pm PT
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BUMP, this is tonight folks!
Is it confirmed 9pm PST? I dont wanna miss it.
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Jim Wilcox
Boulder climber
Santa Barbara
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Dec 22, 2009 - 05:21pm PT
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I love the History Channel.
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 22, 2009 - 07:42pm PT
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Tradster, yeah, there is a bunch of modal layering on the eastern margin of the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite, in porphyritic Half Dome granodiorite as well as Cathedral Peak granodiorite – that’s probably what you saw. Sawmill Canyon (past the Carnegie Institute) is a great place to see this stuff. In some ways, modal layering appears like it formed by “sedimentary” processes, like the sandstones of the Colorado Plateau, but this texture forms by totally different processes (magma flow, etc., etc.), all of which are not fully understood (yet…). The two magmatic structures (lower photos) are exposed on a flat slab (no potholes) and are referred to as “ladder dikes”; the light and dark banding seen is closely related to what is seen in the glacial erratic above, and probably what you saw. Maybe more on this stuff at some point, but certainly not on your TV tonight…
“Snail structure”
I was kind of joking about the “analytical modeling” bit – this would just be a small project for fun, to see if we can find the source of the erratics and how far they were carried by the ice. It would be a glacial project, but maybe Greg can date the rockfall, if the scar is obvious and well exposed. But, what do I know… He’s the professional and I’m just a dork…
Too funny, Phil B!! Sierra Nevada, no less!!! Key word = rock? :)
Yeah, Matt… 9pm
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Dec 22, 2009 - 08:04pm PT
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Hey guys,
Getting ready for the "party" here. For the previous questions:
1 - Yes, I am a grad student at Cal (in Civil Engineering)
2 - If Greg speaks at Cal in the future, or elsewhere, I'll let you know. Unfortunately, AGU isn't free.
Drinking game:
every time I say joint? how about DOME!
-Val
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 22, 2009 - 08:08pm PT
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Minerals/Cleo...thanks much for your responses. Looking forward to the show tonight.
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Dec 22, 2009 - 08:43pm PT
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9pm pst right?
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 22, 2009 - 09:08pm PT
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Hey, I’m at a friend’s house and for those with a “dish”… it’s on NOW, at 6pm… Ahhh, I’m not buzzed enough yet!!!!
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Melissa
Gym climber
berkeley, ca
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Dec 22, 2009 - 09:19pm PT
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We're watching you guys at my parents in PA right now. Excellent!
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charley
Trad climber
nw pa.
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Dec 22, 2009 - 09:33pm PT
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Also in pa. This is good. Very interesting.
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Dec 22, 2009 - 09:36pm PT
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that sucks...I missed the first 30 min. what happened to 9pm?
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Dec 22, 2009 - 09:40pm PT
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looks like History HD is now, regular History channel is 9pm
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Dec 22, 2009 - 10:34pm PT
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this is a great series, highly recomended. The Rockies segmant is cool too!
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Dec 22, 2009 - 10:41pm PT
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Minerals, you were great!
Meanwhile, I spent the whole time trying NOT to look at the camera. I had to look at the rocks a lot, and then I STILL looked at the camera once.
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Dec 22, 2009 - 10:52pm PT
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(Also - GREAT DEMOS!)
How do you guys come up with this stuff, I love the Minerals's Wax Demo, and Greg's Uplift Demo. Awesome!
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elcap-pics
climber
Crestline CA
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Dec 22, 2009 - 11:01pm PT
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Good stuff B Law!!! They even got a few climbers on the Cap!! Sweet! The series is informative and an excellent way to show youngsters and stubborn religious zealots, in a general way, the Scientific Method in action. Pretty cool.... have to spring it on my grandson when he is just a bit older.
Thanks Bro. and congrats on being the Next Carl Sagan!!
Regards Tom
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 22, 2009 - 11:24pm PT
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Sorry about the confusion, Matt. I really am clueless on all of this TV stuff! Hope you get to see the entire episode at 9.
Thanks, Cleo! I thought you did great too! You look way more professional, with all of your high-tech gadgets and solar panel. Nice! And, pretty cool to see that you can toss a rock and “see” it on your laptop. Neat!
They did a good job with the documentary! Great camera footage of the walls in the Valley!!!
One thing though… does the “advancing wall of ice” that acts like an instant bulldozer make the geomorphologists cringe? Was this a “slow” catastrophic event?
Glad you enjoyed it, Tom! I’ve got a few more years before Carl Sagan status… I hope. :)
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Dec 22, 2009 - 11:36pm PT
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yeah I'll watch the beginning at 9. I think HD channels are on east coast time for some reason...
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 23, 2009 - 12:09am PT
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On right now!
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up2top
Big Wall climber
Phoenix, AZ
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Dec 23, 2009 - 12:13am PT
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Holy shit! BLaw is on my TV!! Nice job, hombre. I'm enjoying the show.
Ed
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 23, 2009 - 12:29am PT
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And amazingly professional!
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 23, 2009 - 01:04am PT
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There's that Cleo now!
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 23, 2009 - 01:08am PT
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Well done!
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 23, 2009 - 01:11am PT
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It turns out that it wasn't shown on the Canadian version of the History Channel, at least not tonight. I checked their website, and it's not on anytime soon. Rats! Well, maybe when the DVD comes out.
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mark miller
Social climber
Reno
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Dec 23, 2009 - 01:19am PT
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Looking Good in the Neighborhood Bro....Good job.
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pc
climber
East of Seattle
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Dec 23, 2009 - 02:15am PT
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Really well done! I enjoyed that.
pc
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Dec 23, 2009 - 03:05am PT
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That was informative & enjoyable. Great shots of Yosemite & nice aerial shots too.
Well done Bryan & Cleo!
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 23, 2009 - 03:44am PT
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I thought the conceptual model that Greg Stock presented for the rise of the eastern Sierras was interesting but I'm not sure I followed the reasoning completely. My understanding is that the thickness of earth's crust and the elevation of the continents can generally be explained using the Airy-Heiskanen model of isostatic equilibrium (i.e., the earth's crust floats on a more dense mantle like icebergs in water). Generally the crust is thickest under continents (30 to 40 km; the thickest crust is under the Himalayas) and thin under the oceans (10 to 20 km) where it is made mostly of dense basalt rather than lighter granite. According to this model the mass of the crust, no matter where you are on the planet, is roughly equal. If the crust under the eastern Sierras thins or delaminates from the denser mantle as Greg presented, according to the A-H model, for it to rise it would have to be replaced with much less dense material somehow to satisfy the mass balance.
Obviously the eastern Sierras is a geologically complex region and as climbers we reap the benefit of this. Some have theorized that the eastern Sierra escarpment is the true boundary between the Pacific and North American plates, not the San Andreas Fault. So the crust in this region does not fit the A-H model (i.e, it is out of isostatic equilibrium...???).
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BASE104
climber
An Oil Field
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Dec 23, 2009 - 04:19am PT
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Way to go Bryan! I really enjoyed all of the science talk. I already knew some of it, but I learned new stuff, and the stuff I had already learned was explained clearly.
The wax trick was really cool. And you were really good at explaining things. VERY professional. I thought I would see someone on a motorcycle toting a .50 BMG. I learned a lot of neat stuff. Then again, I humbly admit yet again being a little poor at the ig/met side of things. In your absence here, I have had to explain cooling and grain size a few times.
Now come to my world. It is yet again 3:00am and I am cranking out data on carbonate cycles in Kansas. Not quite as sexy as Yosemite, for sure. Stratigraphy will turn your brain to mush. I am weeks behind and will never catch up it seems.
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Dec 23, 2009 - 11:34am PT
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nice job on-camera by each of the st regulars. it's harder than it looks folks- "ums," "wells," and "f*#k you" don't play well on camera, and when you tighten up a bit to make yourself speak more formally, it's easy to screw up something different. all three of the st folks did a great job.
i thought that the crew/director did a good job of setting up shots for dramatic effect, too. plenty of hero shots of rock boy/girl smoothing it out on rough or exposed ground.
but please, can we kill whoever pulled together the soundtrack and voiceover? it sounded like a low-ball version of "america's most wanted."
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 23, 2009 - 11:38am PT
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I'm definitely saving up the wax 'n sand trick for my next classroom.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Dec 23, 2009 - 11:40am PT
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It's a back-countrty Lava Lamp.
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xtrmecat
Big Wall climber
Kalispell, Montanagonia
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Dec 23, 2009 - 11:44am PT
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Nice job all. Enjoyed it big time. My wife was a little bored, not a climber, but couldn't walk away the next hour, on the Rockies, she's a hiker/photo nut. Great show, well done, and I got lots of questions answered too. Thanks.
Bob
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Dec 23, 2009 - 11:47am PT
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"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.." DR H.S. Thompson
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scrappy
Gym climber
california
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Dec 23, 2009 - 12:23pm PT
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I agree! I think Bryan did take a shower for filming. Lol:)
Hey Bryan! I like your wax demo.
That was a really good show!
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Dec 23, 2009 - 12:31pm PT
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Quite good!
They saved the best part for last.
The pre/post add recap got tiring, but that would work well in the classroom.
I wish they'd used the time to delve a little deeper into the Block snapping sierra uplift mechanism.
That produced a "huh?" moment. It kind of left it seeming to be conjecture.
Not as clear a supporting explanation as the other segments.
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Phil_B
Social climber
Hercules, CA
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Dec 23, 2009 - 12:33pm PT
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We had a very fun viewing party at my place last night and skyped Cleo in from Vermont where she was wrapping Xmas presents.
Very fun. Our drinking game word was dome, which caused one friend to have to spend the night!
I recognized the phrase "exfoliation causes the formation of domes" in there too. That's the one that Cleo wouldn't say on camera. They got the narrator to say it instead.
All in all, I think it was a very good show. I too loved the demos that Minerals and gstock had.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 23, 2009 - 01:05pm PT
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Cleo...Thanks again for the references. Your seismic monitoring network is really interesting. Let me know if you publish any of your work..I'm curious about the sensitivity of your instruments? what frequency your geophones are tuned to? what kind of noise (vehicle traffic?)filtering? have you ever detected a rock fall that was not otherwise reported? how you distinguish a rock fall event from a nearby low magnitude earthquake?
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scuffy b
climber
Whuttiz that Monstrosicos Inferno?
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Dec 23, 2009 - 10:52pm PT
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I really enjoyed the show, though some of the narrative was sort of
breathless. They made it sound like the terminal moraine near El Cap
was something postulated but only just found after decades ofdiligent
searching. Well, that's TV.
I did cringe, Minerals, over the bulldozing glacier.
I guess the idea of rocks being transported in and on the glacier for
long distances and times, thendeposited at a stable terminus is just too
time-consuming a propostion for a short show.
Congratulations, all, and thanks.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Dec 23, 2009 - 11:47pm PT
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Agreed Scuff. The narrative was bombastic; this includes the soundtrack. Modest cool scientists--- our friends here!--- doing their job and this TV template falls on them like a waffle iron. The persons were all great, certainly. There could have been a tremendous amount more science and a whole lot less gasping and repetition from History Channels carnies and barkers. Much repeating with the narrative. I recorded the sucker and after watching it, realized there were four points--- got them of course---and then erased it--- get this junk off my drive. Probably would have been more successful had it been PBS or something similar. Another one-inch show.
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 24, 2009 - 01:16am PT
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Hey, it’s good to hear that a bunch of you were able to catch the documentary and I’m glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for all of the nice comments!
I like how Cleo gets to climb up the outcrop at Olmsted Point after she describes it! Too cool. “Exfoliation” cards… Nice idea! :)
The scene with Allen repeatedly swinging a geology sledge into a boulder had me laughing… because I’ve never seen him beat up a rock like that before – it’s usually my job!
So, did anyone pay attention to the wall climbing footage? Was that Leo Houlding on Leaning Tower? Or someone else? And, the “Evil Tree Roof”?
Bill called me last night to say that the kayakers in the documentary were monkeys… Timmy O’Neill, Jonny Blair, and Sir Swilliam Russell himself! I had no idea, but recognized them later after a closer look. Also note Josh Helling in the credits at the end for the camera work!
Well, I got a call on my cell phone on a Sunday morning in June, when I was hanging out at the Mono Craters to get out of all of the rain in the High Country. At first, I was a bit confused and didn’t know whom I was talking to, but when I heard the word “geology” I started to pay more attention. Turns out they wanted to film with me for a day in Tuolumne and I figured I’d give it some thought and consult with my professor in Reno first, to refresh my memory on some things. But, the film crew was in Yosemite at that time, and they wanted to film that week! Whew, I thought!
Shower…? Umm, yeah… I had to bust out my solar shower at one of my eastside bivies if I was going to be on camera! :)
Allen had suggested that they get a hold of me for the Tuolumne bit and so I talked with him first, to see what it was all about. He said that he had a lot of fun with the filming and that I should give it a go, if I wanted to. So, three days later, on Wednesday, I met the crew in the May Lake parking area, and we headed up to the metaseds, just below the lake. I was super-nervous for the first several takes and never had a camera in my face before. After a while, I “warmed up” and it felt a little bit easier, but whew, remembering everything that you are supposed to say without botching any of it… Ha! Yeah, bloopers!
That first scene that we did, I messed up like 5 or 6 times, getting a little frustrated at times, and then just laughing at myself. BASE104 says that I look like a climber, but the very last scene of me – that was at least a second take. The first time, I got right next to the camera and stepped on a cobble the wrong way and just about pitched to the ground! Ha! I just laughed and we started over again. So much for climbing… The film crew was extremely patient and a lot of fun to work with. It’s interesting to see how so much filming gets condensed/edited into a one-hour program. I think they did a really nice job with the camera work, and with the dramatic footage of the Valley – that was fun to watch. Cole’s Real Nose???
The “wax demo” was something that they (Laura?) found on the Internet – neat that you all liked it so much! They had printed out a step-by-step sequence for the experiment/demo and gave it to me for a look. Laura had done at least two tests beforehand, and had it dialed. The first time I tried it, I must have put in too much sand, because we all sat there forever, with the camera running, until the wax was completely molten, and still nothing… and then it got a little shake, but that was off camera while we set up trial #2. Uh, oh… Take note, Jaybro and other teachers! You gotta practice first!
Yeah, it’s wild to see cobbles/erratics of Cathedral Peak granodiorite (knobby rock) in moraines in the Valley – those rocks went for a ride – from somewhere upstream of Tenaya Lake!
BASE104, what are you doing collecting data at 3 in the morning…? Drill rig? I’m not going to address any Sierra uplift models, until I consult with my professional, I mean professor first. After all, he’s the structural geologist! Thanks for picking up the geo slack around here when some of us are… umm… climbing! :) Cheers, my fellow McPhee fan!
Peter, I agree that the documentary certainly could have used a little more science content, but that would mean that Darwin would have to have his job back, if the History Channel’s “masses” of viewers were going to actually watch and understand it, that is…
Yeah, it’s just TV… but I thought it was a ton of fun, both in June and last night!
If anyone of you is ever interested in the geology of the Tuolumne area, hit me up in the store parking lot sometime – if I’m not climbing, I’m usually psyched to look at rocks and will try to explain things, on a more detailed level. All you have to bring is your curiosity.
Thanks again, all!!!
Syn-plutonic deformation: tightly-banded and folded metavolcanic rock, cut by folded granitic dikes, eastern margin of the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite, Steelhead Lake area
ROCKS ARE BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!
Edit: I screwed up the caption for the above photo. It should read “metasedimentary” rock… Ooops!
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Dec 24, 2009 - 01:24am PT
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Thanks Minerals!! You are a stud. And too, thrilled that you are thrilled, certainly. And thanks tons, tons, for you characters doing your parts in the show!
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 24, 2009 - 01:38am PT
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Z- folds? My dyslexic mind puts me at a serious disadvantage discerning them from s-folds....
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 24, 2009 - 01:47am PT
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Hey, thanks Peter! We were just having fun.
Z-folds? Nah, that’s Mother’s artwork! ;) Cheers, Geobro!
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Dec 24, 2009 - 01:49am PT
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Enjoyed it and made a copy, although I will buy the DVD.
Nice how they brought out the people interest story/scientific debate between Muir and Whitney. The Sheep Herder vs. the CA State Geologist.
Just goes to show you, you have to get out there and hike/climb the miles and observe and think.
Liked how they kept bringing in thin-sections of rock and showing the colorful birefrigence in x-polarized transmitted light. They could have briely mentioned the petrographic microscope as a tool to do this and to make these effects and imagery. They showed the petrographic porn images but they didn't let the audience know about this wonderful tool.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Dec 24, 2009 - 02:25am PT
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good stuff, but why does anyone have to wail on the granite to get a sample?
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Dec 24, 2009 - 11:14am PT
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BASE104,
You are a geologist so help your friend. You can do this . . .
Before your friend goes off and embarrasses himself, you can help him identify that it truly is an iron meteorite first. There are many meteorwrongs out there. Iron meteorites are by far the easiest to properly ID, and you should do this 1st. You want to absolutely know, and he wants to absolutely know it is a real, and not a big chunk of iron slag which happens far more than you can imagine.
Polish that already cut corner and prepare it for acid etching to expose Widmanstatten pattern. Once properly etched with acid, if it shows the tell-tale Widmanstatten pattern within the Fe-Ni alloy (Kamacite-Taenite) you are home free. It is a meteorite. Widmanstatten pattern only occurs in extra-terrestrial iron meteorites because the time required to develope the pattern takes an incredibly long-time and period of cooling, millions of years. It is impossible for this process to occur at the surface of the Earth, therefore it is extra-terrestrial. Also does it have regmaglypts? Iron rust patina on the outside?
http://www.meteoritemarket.com/hobby.htm
Then ID what kind of Iron meteorite it is. Classify it. You can do this. See the text:
Field Guide to Meteors and Meteorites (Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series) (Paperback)
O. Richard Norton (Author)
(Author), Lawrence A. Chitwood (Author)
http://www.amazon.com/Meteors-Meteorites-Patrick-Practical-Astronomy/dp/1848001568/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261668639&sr=8-3
Now that you know it is a Iron meteorite for sure, and can possibly classify what type of Iron meteorite, your meteorite is now much more valuable. If you want to go all the way, write-up a research article and team-up with a meteoritics professor and co-write the article to be published in the Meteorlogical Bulletin together. Now your meteorite is even more valuable and the scientific world knows about it and it will be given an official name.
Also he better know the full history of it, it's full provenance, and was it found on his land? Or was it found on federal land? That brings in other legal issues. The landowner owns the meteorite in the USA. However as I say, "there are no scientific discoveries without the ones who make the discoveries, and doing science is not a crime." In a fair world the discoverer is entitled to being rewarded:
LAW OF OWNERSHIP AND CONTROL OF METEORITES.
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc2001/pdf/5150.pdf
The more you can do yourself, the better off you are, and he is in a much better position legally and can see the full value realized. Personally, I would go all the way first and do the study, write-up the article and get it published in the Meteoritical Bulletin first, then down the road consider the financial gains. Do the science first and get credit for that first.
He can then keep it. He can donate or loan it to a scientific musuem, he can sell it (if he owns it) or he can go through a well-known dealer such as . . .
Meteorites for the descriminating collector.
The Macovich Collection is the finest collection of aesthetic iron
meteorites in the world. Most often this site is used as an adjunct to printed auction catalog offerings of with major auction houses in a traditional auction environment.
Darryl Pitt
http://www.meteorite.com/meteorite-dealers/dealer-listings/macovich.htm
http://www.macovich.com/
Hope this helps.
Do it yourself, there are many out there who will mislead and mistreat you if you are not careful. I know this from experience, and many other people know this also.
"Contrary to their public image, scientists are normal, flawed human beings."13 They are as capable of prejudice, covetousness, pride, deceitfulness, etc., as anyone.”
David Weatherall, "Conduct Unbecoming," American Scientist (vol. 93, January-February 2005), p. 73.
Want a really good read? Read all about how the US Governement and the Smithsonian Institute mistreated the 3 miners who discovered The Old Woman Meteorite, in the Old Woman Mtns. in California. It is an incredible infamous and sad story and worth checking out for you and your friend. These are the legal issues you can face. It is the first story in this book and it is the complete story. You won't get the complete story on the web:
The Silence and the Sun (Paperback)
~ Joe de Kehoe (Author)
http://www.amazon.com/Silence-Sun-Joe-Kehoe/dp/097938270X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261670716&sr=1-1
This is my best advice.
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 25, 2009 - 02:52pm PT
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To expand on what BASE 104 just wrote…
A few points:
1) I think the film crew must have asked Allen to repeatedly wail on that boulder to show how hard and solid the granite (El Capitan granite) in Yosemite is. It usually doesn’t take that much effort to collect a sample and Allen is pretty nice to the rocks. I, on the other hand, like to swing a hammer and break stuff!
2) We rarely take a sample from a loose boulder – most samples are broken off of solid bedrock outcrops, so that we know exactly where the sample came from, in order to analyze the data collected on the sample – geochronology, geochemistry, etc. Geochemical samples have to be very fresh and clean – a weathered sample will give you erroneous/incorrect data, whereas the mineral zircon is quite impervious to weathering and so geochronology samples that are not totally fresh can be used to “date” the rock (U-Pb zircon; radioactive decay…).
3) Sampling in Yosemite is done with a special geologic research permit, issued by the Park Service.
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Joe
Social climber
Santa Cruz Mountains/Los Gatos
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Dec 25, 2009 - 05:56pm PT
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hey b
I missed it. is there a dvd version or on line version for those of us that are lame?
happy holidazed
j
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dougs510
Social climber
down south
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Dec 25, 2009 - 11:52pm PT
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Great show. Mostly I had studied this prior to watching it, but can't ever get enough of the history. What's most fascinating to me is that some of YOU GUYS are in the film..... Hell, I share virtual communication with T.V. Stars... Ha!
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luggi
Trad climber
from the backseat of Jake& Elwood Blues car
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Dec 26, 2009 - 12:25am PT
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Cleo your earlier post...finally watched it...thought you did an outstanding job with the deck of cards!! ...very good and well done...I was surprised by the moraine and where they found it.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 26, 2009 - 01:44am PT
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more photos of tightly folded meta-volcanic rocks and other roof pendant materials please
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 26, 2009 - 02:32am PT
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more photos of tightly folded meta-volcanic rocks and other roof pendant materials please
"geo-porn" :-)
Can't wait for the DVD.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Dec 26, 2009 - 04:21am PT
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hey there say, all... sure hope there will be a dvd, as, i missed it! ... was at the grandkids... and... i even missed the "try" to bump this, as well, before the "night show"... oh my... :(
thanks for the share... :)
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hossjulia
Trad climber
Eastside
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Dec 26, 2009 - 10:04am PT
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I caught the show, plus the segment on the Rockies afterwards, and I must say, what a fantastic series! Really well done, and Bryan, your part was great! Your enthusiasm for the subject really came through, and you looked totally natural. Sorry I missed the wax thing in person, that was cool.
NOW I understand what you were talking about with regards to the Valley....
I'll never look at a landscape the same way again, that's for sure.
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luggi
Trad climber
from the backseat of Jake& Elwood Blues car
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Dec 26, 2009 - 11:38am PT
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MIghty ....crazy how Geo Porn is more interesting.....
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 26, 2009 - 12:46pm PT
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you want geo porn? check out this cool outcrop of folded sedimentary rocks!
Apologies for the thread drift violation. For additional reading on the Origin of Yosemite Valley see Chapter 4 of "Glaciers of California." Francois Matthes had essentially described all the steps in the evolution of Yosemite Valley mentioned in the documentary back in the 1930s.
http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/8119/8119.ch04.php
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Buju
Trad climber
the range of light
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Dec 26, 2009 - 01:01pm PT
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Hey Bryan!
My name is Roger and Greg may have mentioned to you about the work I have done for him both maping both morraines and the rock types of El Cap. I work and live in Tuolumne in the summer and would love to take a walk with you somtime and check out those beautiful features you have posted pictures of (I have a few pretty little nuggets I could show you myself). I hope to be in graduate school in about a year to continue with geology and would love to pick your brain.
Im on the east coast right now and unfortunatly ahve no acess to a TV and missed the show. congratualtions to all of you guys for getting the word out!
-Roger
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domngo
Trad climber
Ottawhere, Ontariwho
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Dec 26, 2009 - 01:08pm PT
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Hey Guys,
For anyone that missed the show you can catch it here at:
http://www.ninjavideo.net/cat/1492
along with the entire 1st and 2nd seasons. Just make sure you open the helper beta 0.3.10 at the top of the page or else you'll get an error for the video.
p.s. divx is needed
dom
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 26, 2009 - 11:13pm PT
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Hey Roger!
I don’t remember Greg mentioning your name, but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t. I would love to help out more with mapping the SE face of El Cap – what an awesome project! I know that Greg has been pretty busy with stuff, but maybe at some point we can all look through some photos and walk the base.
Yeah, if you will be in Tuolumne again next season, we should certainly meet up and check out some cool rocks! I’d be psyched to see the areas that you know of too! Seems like I’m starting to run out of new areas to hike and geologize, short of doing overnight backpack trips.
Domngo, thanks for posting the link for the videos!!! It works! :) I was able to see the “Flash” version without any updates. Cool!
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Top of the 5.2-5.12 Boulder
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Dec 26, 2009 - 11:16pm PT
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Mmmmmmmm, geologizing.
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 26, 2009 - 11:17pm PT
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WHAT…? You want more messed up metamorphic rock photos…?
OK!!!
Most of these photos have no object for scale (scale card, hammer, etc.); they are more artistic than scientific. Enjoy!
The following photos are from the May Lake area, Tuolumne. These metasedimentary rocks are over 500 million years old and have literally been to Hell and back. This “roof pendant” and other metamorphic rocks on the west side of the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite are part of what is called the Snow Lake block, a large section of the Earth’s crust that was carried about 400km northward along the Early Cretaceous, right-lateral Mojave-Snow Lake fault by tectonic forces. Some of these deformed sandstones are probably related to the Zabriskie quartzite in the Death Valley area and the Tapeats sandstone in the Grand Canyon area.
Foliation in metasedimentary rock
Foliation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foliation_(geology);
Metasedimentary rock
Metasedimentary rock and deformed granitic dikes
Folded metasedimentary rock
Folds:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fold_(geology);
Offset bands in metasedimentary rock/migmatite
Metasedimentary rock/migmatite
Folded metasedimentary rock/migmatite
Folded metasedimentary rock/migmatite
Ptygmatic folding in metasedimentary rock
Migmatite:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migmatite
148 million-year-old Independence Dike Swarm dike (dark rock) hosted in white marble, just outside of the western margin of the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite. This is another roof pendant sliver of metasedimentary rock, similar to what is exposed around May Lake
More info on the Independence Dike Swarm:
http://www.geolab.unc.edu/Petunia/IDS_Web_Site/FTG.html
http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2003CD/finalprogram/abstract_51567.htm
The following photos are from the east side of the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite, in the Saddlebag Lake/Steelhead Lake areas, just outside of Yosemite NP. These metamorphic rocks are both volcanic and sedimentary in origin, and are younger than the metasedimentary rocks on the west side of the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite.
Strong foliation/lineation in metavolcanic rock; notice the alignment of the long axis of mineral grains
Folded phosphate layers in deformed siltstone, near Bennettville, behind Tioga Pass Resort
Banded metasedimentary rock on left, megacrystic Cathedral Peak granodiorite on right; this is a section of the contact between the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite and metamorphic “roof pendant” rocks to the east, Steelhead Lake area
Tightly-banded metasedimentary rock, offset by numerous brittle fractures, Steelhead Lake area
Tightly-banded metasedimentary rock, cut by secondary epidote veins (green); notice quartz-filled fractures in central epidote vein and clockwise rotation of individual segments during deformation, Steelhead Lake area
Tightly-banded metasedimentary rock, cut by aplite dike; both metavolcanic rock and dike are cut by younger, epidote-filled fractures
Epidote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidote
Boudinaged granitic dike in well-foliated metavolcanic rock; the dike formed parallel to foliation and was subsequently stretched, squished, and pinched into separate segments during metamorphism; Shepherd’s Crest (granitic) in upper left section of photo
Boudinage:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudinage
Stretched-pebble conglomerate; pebbles/cobbles were deformed and stretched/flattened during metamorphism
Stretched-pebble conglomerate and bands of metasandstone/siltstone; pebbles/cobbles were deformed and stretched/flattened during metamorphism
Ptygmatic folding of granitic dikelet in stretched-pebble conglomerate
Deformed potassium feldspar (orthoclase) megacrysts along the contact of metavolcanic rock and Cathedral Peak granodiorite; notice the brittle offset of megacrysts along their centerline (Carlsbad twin plane), Cascade Lake shear zone, Steelhead Lake area
Got all of that??? ;)
Edit: My first two Wiki links don’t work – please cut and paste. (Damn parentheses…)
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Dec 26, 2009 - 11:22pm PT
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Now THAT'S!!
Geoporn!
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 26, 2009 - 11:25pm PT
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Some of Bryan's fascinating features may be in this photo of May Lake, from October 2008. Saw all sorts of interesting things while doing the traverse (loop hike) to it. Even at such a small scale, you can tell that rock's been bent, folded, mutilated and cooked.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 26, 2009 - 11:55pm PT
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AWESOME XXX Geoporn! Many thanks for those photos...especially the Snow Lake block photos. I didn't realize that there's Cambrian quartzite in the May Lake area. I'll have to hike up there next summer to check out those outcrops.
I've run across a lot of meta-volcanic rocks with epidote veins in the Mt Dana area and Cecile Lake near the Minarets. I think they're associated with Permo-Triassic collapsed calderas?
Are you putting "roof pendant" in quotes because you interpret these rocks differently?
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Top of the 5.2-5.12 Boulder
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Dec 27, 2009 - 12:29am PT
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Don't you DARE ask Minerals any more questions.........
Dude, He'll answer them.
Thanks for the link, Domngo......I don't have a TV, anymore.
Cool cameo for Smoke-a-fatty Ledge, too.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 27, 2009 - 12:37am PT
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Dude: who are you? his thesis adviser? is Minerals suppose to be working on his dissertation? instead he's starring in History Channel documentaries and responding to Taco queries?
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Top of the 5.2-5.12 Boulder
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Dec 27, 2009 - 12:40am PT
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Haha?
Whoa.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 27, 2009 - 01:14am PT
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I have no idea whether Minerals is a grad student working on his dissertation or not. Just a WAG.
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kaitb
climber
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Dec 27, 2009 - 10:11pm PT
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I have been fortunate to go on numerous geology hikes with Bryan (a.k.a Minerals) this past summer up in Tuolumne. I am a geology major and have learned tons of valuable information about the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite from him. I thought I would post some photos of Bryan in his element looking at rocks.
Thanks Bryan for all the great times this summer & for many more to come!
-Kait
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 27, 2009 - 10:46pm PT
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Awesome photos Kait...thanks for posting them.
So Minerals = Bryan Law? The guy who drives the truck with the Plutonic plate and put up a route on Dozier by the same name? also featured in photo on p166 of the latest SuperTopo Tuolumne Free Climbs guide?
I finally matched up the beard...sorry I'm a little slow.
Plutonics, Cheetos & Everclear, Cheesburger & Beer, Dastardly Rascal, Slasher, Metalhead...Thanks for taking the time & effort to put up these high quality, well-protected routes.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Top of the 5.2-5.12 Boulder
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Dec 28, 2009 - 12:03am PT
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That would be the Man.
Now he's a TV star, as well as a rockstar(of many facets).
Cheers, Bryan.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 28, 2009 - 12:05am PT
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Minerals, in his element. Caught momentarily without hand lens.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 28, 2009 - 12:29am PT
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BASE104: are you on a rig right now? Where are you drilling? I used to sit wells back in the 1980s when I worked in the oil patch.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Dec 28, 2009 - 12:37am PT
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Thanks for an interesting thread. It brought back many memories of my childhood and hiking around the Colorado Rockies with my father who was a geologist.
He worked on a seismograph crew looking for oil in Texas when I was really young, and then got into mining. He should have been a teacher since my mother was right when she said a mine is just a hole in the ground that you pour money into.
Geologists tend to be romantics and gamblers in my experience, and always super interesting characters.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 28, 2009 - 12:43am PT
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Don't tell my Mother I'm a geologist, she thinks I'm a piano player in a brothel.
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 28, 2009 - 01:50am PT
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Holy smokes! This thread is supposed to be about geology and rocks in Yosemite, NOT ME!!!
I really appreciate all of your nice comments! Thank you!
Anders, as far as your photo of May Lake goes, I think most of my photos are from the south shore of the lake, to the left of your photo. Most of what can be seen in your photo is Hoffmann granite (El Capitan granite), which is almost 10 million years older than the oldest unit in the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite in that area (tonalite of Glen Aulin). Yeah, there are some really neat rocks around the lake. For anyone who is interested in geology or simply looking at bizarre rocks but hasn’t been to May Lake, I highly recommend it. And, it’s only 1.2 miles to the lake. Just before you get to the final switchbacks to the lake, check out all of the fragments of metamorphic rock (xenoliths) that are caught up in Half Dome granodiorite and the tonalite of Glen Aulin.
“Dude: who are you? his thesis adviser?”
LOL!!!!!
Tradster, don’t worry about Skully; he’s just being himself. :) I haven’t been in school since 2003, but I need to go back for that piece of paper. In the mean time, I have been trying to learn what I can on my own, from the rocks and from professors that I help in the field.
As a geologist, what do you do for work now?
Yes, there is a lot of epidote on the flanks of Mt. Dana and I think you are correct in your collapsed caldera assumption.
Some work by my Reno professors on the Tioga Pass Caldera:
http://bulletin.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/111/11/1714
I put roof pendant in quotes because I didn’t think that everyone was familiar with the term; maybe that was a bit misleading. As you know, pretty much any older metamorphic rock that is hosted in the Sierra Nevada Batholith can be referred to as a roof pendant because it existed before magma intruded to form all of the granitic rock and is usually found near the top of the batholith.
Ugg… the photo on p. 166… (cringe)… Glad to hear that you have enjoyed the new routes, Tradster!
Cheers back at ya, Skully!!! :)
BASE104 hooked me up with one of the coolest things that a geologist could have – a copy of Annals of the Former World, personally signed by John McPhee with a personal note to me. How cool is that? Thanks again, Mark! And thanks for posting more about what you are working on! Let’s see your maps!
Kait, thanks for posting those photos – they bring back great memories! And, I can’t think of anyone who I would rather hike around and look at rocks with! ;)
Kait and altered volcanogenic metasedimentary rock, Mt. Dana
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 28, 2009 - 01:51am PT
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Cool BASE104. I look forward to your post.
In the oil patch, I would sit wells for mainly 2 reasons:
(1) to witness and QA/QC geophysical logs. Generally it was Schlumberger running the logs. If it was a production well, I would select the completion interval.
(2) describe core.
For Classified exploratory wells, we would communicate with headquarters from the offshore rig using a special phone that would scramble the communication. There were scouts (industrial spies) on the coast with binoculars trying to figure out what we were up to.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 28, 2009 - 01:56am PT
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There are few things in life more fun, and rewarding, than to go climbing with someone's who's really knowledgeable about some aspect of the natural or human history of a place, and able to communicate it. A good example being Bryan and geology.
Another gratuitous May Lake photo, maybe with some interesting geology.
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 28, 2009 - 02:06am PT
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There you go, Anders! That’s the goods in the lower left of your photo – the white rock. I think it’s called Quartzite Point but I am not sure. You can also see some brown metamorphic rock just above the trees, on the far left of the photo. If one were to walk along the trail past the High Sierra Camp and around the south end of the lake, they couldn’t miss the plethora of chaos!
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 28, 2009 - 02:36am PT
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"As a geologist what do you do for work now?"
I have an MSc from UC Davis (1980). I spent the 1st 10 years working for an oil company mostly doing subsurface mapping, drilling oil & gas production wells in the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valley, and sitting production and exploratory wells off shore southern California. They wanted to transfer me to Bakersfield in 1990, so I left the oil patch and transitioned into Contaminant Hydrogeology.
Since 1990 I've been working on a large scale ground water cleanup project at a DOE Superfund site in the Altamont Hills called Site 300. It's a "secret" 10-square mile high explosives test site located just south of the windmills at Altamont Pass that has been operated by Univ of Cal (Lawrence Livermore Lab)for DOE since the mid-1950s. A variety of explosives tests have been conducted there over the last several decades partly for the DOE's Stockpile Stewardship program. LLNL weapons scientists test the non-fissionable, chemical explosive components of nuclear weapons (H-bomb triggers) in open-air tests that were conducted on firing tables. From the late 1950s to the late 1990s the test assemblies contained chemical explosives mainly mixtures of RDX & HMX with varying amounts of tritium (an isotope of hydrogen). Depleted uranium was used as a surrogate for the plutonium core of the triggers. Now most of the tests are done in a highly fortified indoor test facility called the Contained Firing Facility to protect the environment. They also tested the chemical explosives under different temperature and pressure conditions to determine what range of conditions they are safe and reliable. They used the chlorinated solvent TCE as a heat exchange fluid in these tests.
As you can imagine, after 40 years of explosives testing, the soil and ground water at the site has been significantly impacted with various chemicals. Over 600 wells have been drilled at the site to monitor the ground water. Additionally, several extraction wells and treatment facilities have been installed to extract and treat the contaminated ground water. Generally we remove the contaminants from ground water using Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) and chemical-specific ion exchange resins and inject the treated water back into the subsurface to replenish the aquifer. I supervise a team of hydrogeologists on this project. We're trying to cleanup the ground water and keep the contaminants from migrating offsite. It's a very sparsely populated area, so there's no risk to the public from the contaminated ground water.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Dec 28, 2009 - 04:51am PT
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hey there all, say, athis is turning into all kinds of neat stuff here... say, minerals, i sure have loved hearing about all this "rock work" ...
it reminds me when i was in school and had my OWN hand lens... was so much fun... i loved studying rocks...
oh my---sure wish someone would have encouraged me that you could do something with this study-fun, for a living... but then again, i reckon i never would have been a mom and had kids... :O
would have been out all over creation, chasing rocks.... though in a diffrent way than chappy did... :)
thanks for the wonderful and very different share here, all...
*used to have a neat rock collection too..
say, SOME of you all may have known of the ROCK SHOP in ?oh my... i can't even remember now, but you if you lived in san jose, you know what i mean... EVERYONE went there... (was it in santa clara?) ...
hmm....CAMPBELL! THAT'S IT!!!.... :)
the ol' campbell rock shop!!! me and my brothers loved it there...
thanks again, all... :)
*somehow, my ol' handlens got lost by the grandkids, :(
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hooblie
climber
from where the anecdotes roam
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Dec 28, 2009 - 05:28am PT
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my little town in montana was the site of summer geology field camps for some of the east coast ivy league colleges...
dartmouth, princeton, maybe yale and others.
it was always good sport to identify the groups when they were out of context, say for instance at the laundrymat or scarfing pizza.
it's not like other groups who had just emerged from the backcountry didn't provide good cover for them, but there's just something about geology students that can be spotted from a distance... it's ok that i point this out, as they say it takes one to know one.
on a similar note, anchorage provided the challenge of spotting international flight crews laying over and strolling downtown in a pod. one impeccable grayhaired captain, a well behaved first mate, a (wildcard) flight engineer, and three attractive stewardesses. the game was easy back in the eighties. lacking actual levi's, the embroidery on the pockets of their european designer jeans gave them away.
happy to say, improved powers of discernment are required now, what with lady captains and the advent of "stewards"
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 28, 2009 - 12:06pm PT
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BASE104: on your 3rd order derivative map...the red areas are where the marker bed is high (anticlines) and the blue is where it is low (synclines)...correct? If so, looks like you have a couple of NE-SW trending anticlinal structures that are probably existing oil fields. If not, looks like new prospects.
RE geophysical logs...when I started on the ground water cleanup project, I brought on a new geophysical logging contractor and started using these logs to characterize the subsurface similar to the way this technology is used in the oil patch.
Interesting about your wife's work. To clarify, the DOE project I'm working on is a CERCLA site so it is regulated like other Superfund sites but it is not funded by Superfund. It is funded by DOE under their Environmental Management program and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 28, 2009 - 08:42pm PT
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BASE104: sure that makes perfect sense. All subsurface mapping that I did in the oil patch used sea level as the datum. I used to interpret seismic data in the Sacramento Valley where all the obvious anticlincal structures had long since been drilled, so we were looking for more subtle traps beneath unconformities. Back then "bright spot" analysis of seismic amplitude with offset was used to explore for gas reservoirs...not sure if this method is still widely used. Anyway thanks for posting that...brings back memories.
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 28, 2009 - 10:02pm PT
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Tradster, thanks for posting about your work. You have been working at the same site for almost 20 years? Wow, that must be quite a mess to clean up. I had to look up the difference between a hydrologist and a hydrogeologist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogeology
Where’s Wes?
Tradster, your cleanup site reminds me of a test site here in Northern Nevada, in the Sand Springs Range, east of Fallon. Have you heard of Project Shoal? I hadn’t until I saw it on the map and was checking out the granite in the area to begin with. According to some of the guys at the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, the testing was done to see what type of a seismic “signature” is produced during an underground nuke test in granitic bedrock. Our government was trying to keep track of what the Russians were up to.
5,309.21 feet deep. But this is probably a pretty simple/shallow well, compared to what you guys are used to working with.
Is this another well-head? Sure looks like a fresh paint job! There is another one in the background.
Hey BASE104, neat map! Although it’s not the kind of geologic map that we Yosemite guys are used to looking at! Thanks for posting it!
“There are actually two trends in there. The big one is the NE/SW one..which is late Pennsylvanian folding. You can also see, especially on the north side, a NW/SE trend which is from the Laramide Orogeny.”
Cool! I can relate to that part. But, better not give us too many hints or the industry spies will be onto you! ;)
Hey, I screwed up some of the captions on my big photo post and mislabeled metasedimentary rock as metavolcanic rock. I don’t know what I was thinking… DUH! Sorry about that! I edited the post to fix things. I believe that the tightly-banded stuff with a lot of epidote is part of the Horse Canyon Sequence, but I’m just a granite guy, trying to explain metamorphic rocks! Yeah, I do need to go back to school!
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 28, 2009 - 10:47pm PT
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Minerals - thanks for posting that. I'm not familiar with Project Shoal. There is a group at Lawrence Livermore Lab that specializes in analyzing seismic data from a worldwide monitoring network that was set up for Nuclear Test Ban Treaty verification. Generally natural earthquakes generate larger magnitude Shear waves for a given magnitude event than an explosion induced earthquake. This makes sense when you consider that a natural earthquake is generated when rocks under stress break and move past each other, whereas an explosion generates mainly a compressional wave that emanates outward from its source. But back in 1963 at the height of the Cold War, you are right, the Project Shoal experiment was probably used to study explosion induced seismic signatures and calibrate seismic monitoring instruments to explosive yield to keep tabs on the former Soviets.
The 5,000+ ft well is deep for a ground water well but only moderate depth for an oil or gas well.
There was an underground test at the Nevada Test site, I don't remember the name of the shot. It was situated just above or in close proximity to a more dense geologic unit than was known to exist at this location. It may have been near a blind thrust fault. Anyway when the shot went off there was such a large magnitude reflection off this denser unit that the shot breached the surface and blew radioactive material into the atmosphere.
If Ed Hartouni checks this thread, I'm sure he can elaborate more eloquently on these topics than I can. If you are interested in the history of Nuclear Weapons testing check out the movie "Trinity and Beyond"
You have been working at the same site for almost 20 years?
Hard to believe even for me but that's correct. It's actually several projects (separate ground water plumes) within one large project. We are getting ready to drill ~15 wells. They vary in depth from 50 to 350 ft. In many of the boreholes for these wells we will run Optical Televiewer surveys. This is an oriented, digital camera that generates a high resolution image of the borehole wall as a function of depth. We use it to identify depositional features, measure strike and dip, and characterize fractures. The main geologic unit that we are drilling in is the late Miocene Neroly Formation, a non-marine sequence of Andesitic volcanic-rich blue sandstones and conglomertes, and finer grained siltstones and claystones. Most of the contaminated aquifers are contained within this formation. The provenance of the volcanics is the Stanislaus Volcanics in the Sierra foothills.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Dec 29, 2009 - 12:52am PT
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Minerals: back to the original topic of this thread, I was looking at a 1999 paper "Triassic caldera at Tioga Pass,Yosemite National Park, California: Structural relationships and significance" by Schwieckert & Lahren. The geologic map in Figure 1 shows granitic rocks just east of Mt Dana, where 3rd Pillar is located, as part of the Lee Vining Cyn Triassic and Jurassic granitic rocks. Interesting...I thought 3rd pillar was part of the younger Cretaceous Toulumne sequence.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Dec 29, 2009 - 01:43pm PT
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hey there say, hooblie... if you post again and see this, please email me... thanks... :)
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 30, 2009 - 07:56pm PT
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Tradster, thanks for the additional info on nuke testing. I don’t know much, but have enjoyed looking at the Nevada Test Site on Google Earth! Wow…
“In many of the boreholes for these wells we will run Optical Televiewer surveys. This is an oriented, digital camera that generates a high resolution image of the borehole wall as a function of depth. We use it to identify depositional features, measure strike and dip, and characterize fractures.”
Now that is cool! Have any photos to post or is that top secret?
I like the conglomerate above the blue seds, but we need to wait for all of that stuff to be buried to a depth of several kilometers or more, heated up, and then squished to Hell, then exposed again for us to look at! I can’t wait! ;)
Operation Plowshare? Oh yeah, the “Sedan” crater! I remember looking at that one on Google Earth! Way cool (hot?)!!! Thanks, BASE104!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plowshare
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedan_(nuclear_test);
Wiki Rules!!!
Hmmm, that subsurface mapping stuff is starting to sound difficult. I think I need to go for a hike to do any mapping, and look at outcrops in the sunlight. :)
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 30, 2009 - 09:25pm PT
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Yeah, I noticed Rifle on that list too… Do the bolt hangers glow at night? Jeeze, if anything, I’d expect wall climbers to be the ones who look like they have been exposed to too much radiation…
Lee Vining Canyon granite info in (slow) combobulation…
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Dec 30, 2009 - 10:17pm PT
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Ho boy, I need to dig up some photos, can't even keep up with this thread!
Lessee, I spent a couple years in Wyoming as one of those Schlumberger logging engineers in the gas patch.
Spent a few more years running around places like NTS and WSMR (white sands) doing geological site characterization. Everything from seismic surveys to drilling holes to, yes, even running optical televiewers (after SLB, I never thought I'd log again, boy was I wrong!) And we played tourist and only got into a minor amount of trouble out there (Sedan crater is impressive!)
Laters... need to dig up the photos, then I need to scan them, might take a couple of weeks.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Top of the 5.2-5.12 Boulder
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Dec 30, 2009 - 10:20pm PT
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Right on, Cleo.....
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luggi
Trad climber
from the backseat of Jake& Elwood Blues car
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Dec 30, 2009 - 10:27pm PT
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With all the OT stuff on here...this needs to keep going..it is interesting..it decribes rock where we want to be on and the place...it has porn..(geo porn that it is and naked rock)...give Minerals, Cleo and the Trad man probs for the education..and of course the stuff that we have forgotten in college that now we wished we could remember.
Are there any brain cell re generation people here?????
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 31, 2009 - 12:43am PT
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Where in Wyo did you work for Slumberj Cleo? I worked with them logging wells in Gillette, a lifetime ago.
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2009 - 01:36am PT
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OK, back to Yosemite stuff…
Tradster, did you find a copy of the Tioga Pass Caldera paper online? GSA member? I have a photocopy, but it’s in my geo files, which are all in storage. The Third Pillar is composed of the quartz monzonite of Ellery Lake, and there are a few different types of plutonic rock in Lee Vining Canyon.
Allen Glazner (Yosemite documentary) and others at the University of North Carolina have put together a really cool map resource for the central Sierra Nevada – check it out!
http://geomaps.geosci.unc.edu/quads/quads.htm
The Mono Craters quad covers the Lee Vining Canyon area – check it out!
WARNING: Large file size! (5.82 MB)
http://geomaps.geosci.unc.edu/quads/fulls/Mono%20Craters.jpg
The main granitic rock types in Lee Vining Canyon are as follows:
Quartz monzonite of Ellery Lake (98??? Ma)
Wheeler Crest quartz monzonite (? Ma)
Granodiorite of Mono Dome (168 Ma)
Quartz monzonite of Lee Vining Canyon (210-220 Ma)
The names of these rock types are from Kistler’s 1966 Mono Craters quad (older granitic classification scheme). The current granitic rock classification scheme would probably characterize the quartz monzonites as regular granite.
For an overview of granitic rock types and their current classification scheme, check out this older ST thread about granite:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=731799&msg=732325#msg732325
I can’t remember the exact age of the quartz monzonite of Ellery Lake (no references in front of me…), but seem to recall something like 98 Ma. I don’t know the age of the Wheeler Crest quartz monzonite but am sure of the 168 Ma age on the granodiorite of Mono Dome. I remember a published age for the quartz monzonite of Lee Vining Canyon of 210 Ma, but my professor thinks that it’s more like 220 Ma, and related to the 222 Ma ash-flow tuff of Saddlebag Lake (roughly the intrusive equivalent).
The following photos show the different granitic rock types in Lee Vining Canyon:
3P = Third Pillar of Mt. Dana/Dana Plateau
gu = undifferentiated granitic rocks
EL = Quartz monzonite of Ellery Lake
WC = Wheeler Crest quartz monzonite
MD = Granodiorite of Mono Dome
LVC = Quartz monzonite of Lee Vining Canyon
See Mono Craters quad map (link above) for more details and to compare with photos.
View looking up Lee Vining Canyon from highway 120
View from upper Lee Vining Canyon; notice highway 120 road-grade along “Blue Slide”
Closer view of area in above photo
Quartz monzonite of Ellery Lake; notice the abundance of closely-spaced joints – this ain’t no El Cap…
Quartz monzonite of Ellery Lake
As far as the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite goes… Ummmm… I’ve wanted to start a thread on my favorite subject for over a year now, but haven’t gotten to it yet. I’ve got a ton of photos. So, what do you guys think? Geology here and TIS-specific stuff in a new thread? But, like Cleo said, just don’t expect anything too soon! :)
Side Note:
Since we are back to Yosemite stuff… I know that this has been posted before but figured that it would fit in well here… Cool stuff!
Elephant Rock rockfall:
http://geology.com/articles/yosemite-rockfall.shtml
Where's DMT?
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 31, 2009 - 01:51am PT
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OK, OK - you can post stuff about the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite, though I think it should be on a separate thread. And first you have to tell us what a glaucophane is.
There are threads somewhere on the Elephant Rock, Ahwiyah Point and Currie Village rockfalls, and other momentous events. Probably fishing under Greg Stock will find them, as he usually adds to such threads.
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Dec 31, 2009 - 10:24am PT
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Rock Springs (and Evanston), Wyoming -
to answer Jaybro's question.
I didn't last too long, just a couple of years, which is about average for SLB out there. But there were parts of the job I really loved... driving big trucks, fresh snow piled up at dawn on the lee side of sagebrush, having 10 geologists crammed into my cab on a Wildcat well (actually, all those mud-loggers - poor guys - they were SO LONELY! They use to sit up all night and talk to me, I was probably the first non-roughneck they had talked to in a month. Didn't hurt that I was a chick either.)
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hooblie
climber
from where the anecdotes roam
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Dec 31, 2009 - 12:10pm PT
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i loved my couple of years on a workover rig, as a derrick hand, doing completions out of rock springs. from echo canyon to muddy gap, pinedale to baggs, even flying into nw colo, landing off airport to get within an hour of wild four wheeling to the rig.
pretty awesome having such a remote location invaded at dawn by an army of roaring diesels pounding 10,00 throbbing lbs of pressure downhole to fracture the formation. then the call to break it all down, we were abandoned and left to tend a flare through the night.
i used to forego the trip to town to spend per diem on a motel. got a kick out of listening for the crew truck to cross a cattle guard seven miles away, at just the measured number of minutes after their departure from location. fourteen hours of bliss till the return of the surliest bunch of lowbrows you could ever want to get exhausted, greased up and aggro with. if it hadn't been so physically satisfying...
on one location at the head of a draw, where from the crow's nest
(ok, rod basket, but there's something about crossing wide open wyoming at sunrise that can bring out my inner mariner,)
the whole of the wind rivers was layed out to the east. i spotted an eagle working the intervening ridge.
when he turned our way for a sled ride down the ravine, i hollered to the floor.
WHAT?... CHECK OUT THE EAGLE!... WHAT...? the driller shut down the rig, just in time.
eagle coasts by at eye level, that whistling airfoil is the sound of my heart in wistful pursuit.
but latching pipe at breakneck speed seemed to have been the elixer that "kept my mind from wandering,"
and served as proper pennance for so exuberantly abusing my happy circumstance
positioned right at the pinnacle of the inevitably, oh so short, petroleum era.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Once again, Muchas Gracias, for the info and the links, especially the annotated photos of LV Cyn area.
3rd pillar has always been a sort of mythical, sacred summit...a place where pagan rituals are carried out.
that last pitch is one of the finest anywhere in the High Sierras...especially that last move where you mantle on to the Dana
plateau...the Dana Plateau has a somewhat surrealistic quality to it...I think Minerals & Co should do another History Ch special on the origin of this mysterious geomorphic feature.
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Minerals
Social climber
The Deli
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2010 - 02:51pm PT
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Cool! Did any of you know that Saddlebag Lake, etc. used to drain down the west side of the Sierra before the normal faults took over? Kind of interesting to think about, especially if you’re not a geomorphologist!
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Didn't know that...~ 10-15 MYA? at the onset of Basin & Range faulting in the late Miocene?
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Cleo: just read your reply to Jaybro's question RE working for Schlumberger. It's commendable that you lasted 2 years as a logging engineer...that's definitely a burn out job. I remember being a well site geologist on logging jobs for offshore exploratory wells w/Schlumberger that lasted 4 days.
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Phil_B
Social climber
Hercules, CA
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Jan 13, 2010 - 12:01am PT
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Just saw Cleo again on the History Channel!
Love reruns
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Jan 23, 2010 - 01:09pm PT
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Re-run Alert!, 11:00 am Pacific on DirecTV. (like about a hour from now)
I can't watch, I have things I need to do outside on the frist dry day in a week. Besides, I know how it ends.
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Oct 28, 2011 - 11:14pm PT
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Bump for Geology - I coulda sworn there was a Yosemite Geology minus history channel thread, but this one's pretty good!
I have arrived in Yosemite for the winter, and it is my solemn duty to get to know the park as well as possible. Especially the geology! And is is a travesty that I'd never hiked Mt. Dana before... so up I went, before the winter. What cool meta-volcanic rocks!!!
Check out the fracture pattern! Funny thing was, I was in the YV visitor center a couple days before and learning about how arrowheads were cut... very similar!
This too:
More interesting fractures, these speak of ancient earth stresses.
As do these!
Perfectly camouflaged - so much for safety orange while hiking alone:
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Oct 29, 2011 - 12:04am PT
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Such a pretty chosspile!
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Oct 29, 2011 - 02:06am PT
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I recently purchased from Costco . . .
HC -- How the Earth Was Made: The complete Season One (13 episodes)
and
HC -- How the Earth Was Made: The complete Season Two (13 episodes)
Haven't watched them all yet but looking forward to it.
Great value. Should be good for my Earth Science class at key moments in the curriculum.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Oct 29, 2011 - 02:16am PT
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Photos from the late 1870s failed Great Sierra (Silver) mine near upper Gaylor Lake, about 2 miles from the Tioga Pass entrance station. I believe these are Cretaceous and Triassic meta-sedimentary and meta-volcanic rocks.
Sheepherder quartz vein
Tuolumne Meadows Geologic Map
http://geomaps.geosci.unc.edu/quads/fulls/Tuolumne%20Meadows.jpg
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Archie Richardson
Trad climber
Grand Junction, CO
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Did everyone notice Steph Davis soloing the Diamond in the Rocky Mountains segment?
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