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SAGE Fall 2010 Session 3 Carlsbad to the Rio Grande Rift Vagabonds Tramping Geology: Austin to Arctic Alaska The impatient thrust for scholarship is the secret of youthfulness: the undying flame that lights the human spirit Senior University Fall 2010 Session 3 Carlsbad to the Rio Grande Rift Vagabonds Tramping Geology: Austin to Arctic Alaska Geology in the News Rare earth metals are a collection of seventeen chemical elements in the periodic table, namely scandium, yttrium, and the fifteen lanthanides Uses: hybrid cars, superconductors, television sets, welding, munitions, etc Geology in the News Geology in the News Large area of interior drainage due to glacier melting 12,000 years ago Geology in the News From the minute to the sublime Putting It All Together Last Glacial Maximum: 16,000 years ago Geology in the News Deposition and Burial before Uplift and Erosion Area for Water wells Carrizo Sandstone Geology in the News Geology in the News USA Territorial waters Putting It All Together The Earth’s Amazing Living Crust Living: it reproduces itself Continental Crust: Periodically Renewed Oceanic Crust: Continuously Recycled 4.8 billion years ago cooling of hot gases and dust created igneous rocks of the continents & oceanic crust Granites first Foundation rocks of the continents After the atmosphere and oceans were formed: Then the oceans and the atmosphere Basalts & Gabbros next Foundation rocks below the deep oceans AND below the continental crust. After the atmosphere and oceans were formed: The granites at the surface of the continents were weathered and eroded into: Clay and Sand and The clay & sand were carried by rivers to the oceans and deposited at the continental margins Burial of the clay and sand produced sedimentary rocks of shale and sandstone Deformation of Continents: and Two Types Rocky & Cordillera mountains Deformed sedimentary rocks Metamorphic rocks Igneous granites and basalts Mountain building along the continental margins melted the sedimentary rocks producing: Metamorphic rocks (partially melted) and Igneous rocks (completely melted) Deformation of Continents: Two Types Rocky Mountains The history of the 2.Oceanic Crust Continent warping Result: Major rivers concentrate creatingerosional major rivers debris in thebuilding: oceans at thethat continental margins deposit erosional 1. Mountain debris alongback the coast of two Andcollision plate collisions weld that debris into or more crustal plates the continent as mountains Oceanic Crust: Basalt 5 miles thick Continuously Re-cycled Oceanic crust is melted as it is over-ridden by continental crust The North American Pacific Example New oceanic crust is created in oceanic ridges Resulting in: Oceanic crust is 0 to 250 million years old Continental crust is 0 to 4.8 billion years old Earth’s Crust: Plates Earth’s Crust: Plates Pacific and North America Earth’s Crust: Pacific and North American Plates Back to our route to New Mexico Recent Rocky Mt Debris A Closer Look on Our Way to New Mexico “Recent River debris from the rising Rocky Mountains on top of older rocks How far did this river debris extend? From: Roadside Geology of Texas Recent Erosional Debris in Texas from the Mountains of New Mexico Gravels & Sands Recent Debris in New Sands & Mexico Muds Recent Debris in New Mexico Recent gravels & sands from rising Rocky Mts Now the big picture in North America Earth’s Crust: Plates Pacific and North America Melting Continental Glacier Hypothesis: Yellow: recent debris from the rising mountains that might have provided the access to the Americas for early humans migrating out of Siberia A quick look at the advent of humans Homo sapiens Homo neanderthalensis Times of Continental Glaciation: Northern Hemisphere Homo rhodesiensis Homo Antecessor/ mauritanicus Homo erectus The Current Geological Record on the on the Advent ofFocus Humans Homo ergaster last 80,000 years Time of Written World History Uniquely human characteristics? 1. Reason 2. Conscience (right & wrong) 3. Adapt to any climate Last ice age Missing Link? Now, a look at the human migration route Nile River Rift Valleys Location of earliest human fossils Possible Migration Route of Humans Back to our journey to New Mexico Rocks of Central & West Texas Permian Rocks 260 million years old Permian rocks at the surface The big Permian picture Thickness Map: Permian Period Permian Basin A Cross Section of the Permian Basin Permian Reef at the surface Reefs The oil fields of the Permian Basin P B King; The Evolution of North America, 1959 The oil fields of the Permian Basin Now, into New Mexico Two drainage systems Only copper and coal no tin or iron Little farming land But the geology is fantastic! Natural Resources Present day surface Rift Graben Trench Continental Crust A cross section of the Rio Grande Rift Mantle rock (hot!) The Rio Grande Rift (graben) Eastern Horst Western Horst Graben partially filled with debris from bounding horsts From Roadside Geology of New Mexico, Chronic, Halka, 1987 Focus: Eastern Horst Carlsbad to Roswell to Alamogordo Geologic Map: Southeast, NM Mountains on the East Horst Orange= non volcanic red = volcanic Sierra Blanca Igneous Mountains Igneous Rocks and Rifts Sierra Blanca Igneous Mountains Sierra Blanca Igneous Mountains Present day surface Graben Continental Crust Mantle rock (hot!) Sierra Blanca Mountains Volcanic Igneous rocks: Tertiary Age Geologic Map: Sacramento Mountains Recent Rift Valley fill debris Geologic Map: Sacramento Mountains Rocks at the surface Permian Pennsylvanian Lower Paleozoic Pre-Cambrian How thick are these pre-Permian Rocks? Cross Section of Eastern Horst Recent fill Now, going west across the Pre-Cambrian continental Rio Grande Rift foundation rocks Road Map: New Mexico Crossing the Rio Grande Rift White Sands Modified Space Photo White Sands White Sands National Monument Crossing the Rio Grande Rift San Andres Mountains San Andres Mountains White Sands http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Andres_Mou ntains San Andres Mountains Complex Up-thrown Fault Block in middle of Rio Grande Rift Involves Permian & Tertiary sedimentary rocks Contains rhyolites & granites (continental crust melted) Present day surface Graben Continental Crust Mantle rock (hot!) Crossing the Rio Grande Rift The Western Horst Plains of St. Augustine San Andres Mountains Datil-Mogollon Volcanic highlands What is a Caldera? Answer: A “granitic”** volcano that has blown off its top **Granitic = melted continental crust Explosion!!!! Collapse !! Caldera Volcanic Explosions: Mt. St. Helens Tambora in Indonesia Largest known Volcanic explosion In human history!! Mt. St. Helens .25 cubic miles of ash!!! Volcanic Ash Tambora 36 cubic miles of ash!!!! Volcano Earth Indonesia, Island of Sumbawa Indonesia Indonesia Sumbawa Island Tambora Volcano Sumbawa Island Tambora Volcano, Indonesia Largest in Human History Mt St Helens .25 cubic Miles Tambora 36 cubic Miles! Two of Three Volcanic Explosions at Yellowstone Lava Creek Volcanic Explosion Huckleberry Ridge Volcanic Explosion 600 cubic miles of ash!!!!! Yellowstone Volcanic Explosion Calderas!!! Tambora 36 cubic miles Mt. St. Helens Lava Creek & Huckleberry Ridge, 600 cubic miles!!! Yellowstone’s Three Explosion Calderas!!! Yellowstone Explosion Calderas!!! Next Week Arizona and California Colorado Plateau