Download Geomorphology 2006 edition_a

Geomorphology 2006 edition
The Southwest
Day by day plan.
Day 1 (Sunday 14 May): EARLY START (0700) LONG DAY. (Celebrate Mother’s
day on SATURDAY!)
880 miles from the well-watered East to the arid West.
Stops: fuel and food
Assignment: Climatic and (agri)cultural transect across the heart of the continent.
Discussion topics: defining regions, the Mississippi embayment, the Ogallala aquifer and
agriculture on the high plains
Night: LaQuinta motel Amarillo TX (last night in a bed for a long time!)
Links/Readings:
http://www.npwd.org/new_page_2.htm
http://www.hpwd.com/the_ogallala.asp
http://www.kgs.ku.edu/HighPlains/2000-29B/Decdir.htm
Day 2.(Monday 15 May) EARLY START (0700) and another Long Day:
380 miles from the heart of the Llano Estacada to the Sangre De Cristo Mountains of
Colorado.
Stops:




High Plains irrigated agriculture
Capulin Mountain (cinder cone) (hike to the caldera)
Lunch Raton NM
Dakota Hogback, Stonewall CO (uptilted sediments indicating the transition from
the Great Plains to the Rocky Mountains).
 Dikes, Spanish Peaks, LaVeta CO
Assignment: Field observations (sketches/photographs/notes) at each stop in your field
notebook.
Discussion Topics: the llano Estacada, caliche, the Rio Grande volcanics, the ancient
mountain ranges, the ‘hogback’, intrusive igneous rocks, (stocks, dikes, sills and other
plutons) the Sangre de Cristo range, Alluvial fan development, the San Luis valley fault
zone, lenticular clouds.
Night: camped just outside Great Sand Dunes National Monument
http://www.coloradodirectory.com/greatsanddunesoasis2/
Links/readings:
Selections from Roadside Geology of Colorado
http://www.cyberwest.com/cw03/v3adwst2.html
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/north_america/capulin.html
http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/glimpses2/glimpses3.htm
http://www.nps.gov/cavo/
http://sangres.com/features/dakotawall.htm
http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/field/rocky_mt/monument.htm
Day 3 (Tuesday 16 May): Local travel
Stops/activities:
 Climb the sand dunes
 Hike to waterfall in the Sangre De Cristo mountains (2 miles),
 San Luis valley /UFO observation tower
Assignment: Field observations (sketches/photographs/notes) at each stop in your field
notebook
Discussion Topics: The San Luis valley, faulting, sedimentation, orographic
precipitation, artesian wells, sand dunes and dune morphometry, alluvial fan
development, strange lights in the sky and vortices between universes
Night: camped just outside Great Sand Dunes National Monument
http://www.coloradodirectory.com/greatsanddunesoasis2/
Links/readings:
Selections from Roadside Geology of Colorado
http://www.nps.gov/grsa/home.htm
http://www.wtv-zone.com/WebbieLanDotNet/judy/
http://sangres.com/np/sanddunes/index.htm
Day 4 (Wednesday 17 May): Sand dunes to Mesa Verde via the San Juan Mountains
267 miles
Stops/activities:
 San Juan mountains
 Geomorphic puzzle along the Rio Chama
 Wolf Creek Pass
 Resupply at Durango
 Karst topography on Leadville limestone (?)
 Silverton and Glaciated Animas valley (?)
 Colorado gold mines (?)
Assignment: Field observations (sketches/photographs/notes) at each stop in your field
notebook
Discussion Topics: The San Luis valley, faulting, sedimentation, Stream capture,
artesian wells, volcanics, stream patterns/sedimentation/climate change, high altitude
karst, glacial valleys, gold.
Night: camped just outside Mesa Verde http://mesaverdecamping.com/
Links/readings:
Selections from Roadside Geology of Colorado
Day 5 (Thursday 18 May):
Stops/activities: Local travel
 Cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde (hiking and climbing)
 La Plata county
Assignment: Field observations (sketches/photographs/notes) at each stop in your field
notebook
Discussion Topics: Cultural adaptation to geology and climate change, the impact of
migration on culture, the Kiva
Night: camp at Mesa Verde
Links/readings:
Selections from Roadside Geology of Colorado/Utah
http://www.nps.gov/meve/
http://www.mesa.verde.national-park.com/
http://sipapu.ucsb.edu/html/kiva.html
Day 6 (Friday 19 May): Mesa Verde to Moab 323 miles (early start required)
Stops/activities:
 4 corners (Stop for 10 min tops)
 Monument valley
 Goosenecks State Park
 Moki Dugway
 Cedar Mesa
 Valley of the Gods
 Wilson Arch
Assignment: Field observations (sketches/photographs/notes) at each stop in your field
notebook
Discussion Topics: Cultural adaptation to geology, climate change, the transition from
laramide orogeny to plateau country, sedimentary rocks, the formation of arches.
Night: camp at Kane Springs campground Moab
http://www.moab-utah.com/kanesprings/
Links/readings:
Selections from Roadside Geology of Utah
http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/monument_valley/
http://www.utah.com/stateparks/goosenecks.htm
http://www.globalcoordinate.com/items/1008638.aspx
http://virtualguidebooks.com/Utah/Canyonlands/Moab/WilsonArch.html
Day 7 (Saturday 20 May): local travel, Dead Horse Point State Park, Island in the sky
Stops/activities:
 Petroglyphs
 Jughandle arch
 Long canyon road (?)
 Dead Horse Point
 Upheaval dome (hike)
 Grandview point (hike)
Assignment: Field observations (sketches/photographs/notes) at each stop in your field
notebook
Discussion Topics: plateau country, sedimentary rocks, the formation of arches, geology
of salt, entrenched meanders.
Night: camp at Kane Springs campground Moab
Links/readings:
Selections from Roadside Geology of Utah
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_park/ut_canyo.htm
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_park/ut/hik_cany.htm
http://www.slackpacker.com/domesandbasins.html
Day 8 (Sunday 21 May): The Needles district
Stops/activities:
 Druid Arch trail
 Newspaper rock petroglyphs (?)
 Confluence overlook
 The grabens trail
Assignment: Field observations (sketches/photographs/notes) at each stop in your field
notebook
Discussion Topics: plateau country, sedimentary rocks, differential erosion
Night: camp at Kane Springs campground Moab
Links/readings:
Day 9 (Monday 22 May): local travel… easy day
Stops/activities:
 Land behind the rocks
 petroglyphs
 Arches N.P.(hikes)
 Rafting?
Assignment: Field observations (sketches/photographs/notes) at each stop in your field
notebook
Discussion Topics: plateau country, sedimentary rocks, the formation of arches, geology
of salt, similarities between the Moab area (Spanish valley) and Paradox Valley in
Colorado
Dinner Isabella's Pizzeria….
Night: camp at Kane Springs campground Moab
Links/readings:
http://www.petroglyphs.us/
Day 10 (Tuesday 23 May): Moab to Capitol Reef NP 157 miles Torrey to Escalante 55
miles
Stops/activities:
 San Raphael Desert / San Raphael Swell
 Mancos Shale
 Goblin Valley
 Capitol Reef NP
 Boulder Mountain
Assignment: Field observations (sketches/photographs/notes) at each stop in your field
notebook
Discussion Topics: Regional uplift, sandstone formations, slot canyons
Night: Escalante State Park (1 night stand)
Links/readings:
Day 11 (Thursday 24 May): Escalante Burr trail/waterpocket fold/slot
canyons/Kodachrome Basin 190 miles (some back tracking required as there are a limited
number of roads available!)
Stops/activities:
 Burr Trail
 Slot Canyon Hikes
 Waterpocket fold
 Petrified Forest
Assignment: Field observations (sketches/photographs/notes) at each stop in your field
notebook
Discussion Topics: plateau country, sedimentary rocks, differential erosion, volcanic
ash/ground water and mineral replacement
Night: Kodachrome Basin State Park
http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/kodachrome_basin/state_park.html
http://www.stateparks.utah.gov/park_pages/scenicparkpage.php?id=kbsp
Links/readings:
Day 12 (Friday 25 May): Bryce Canyon/Zion Canon 260 miles
Stops/activities:
 Bryce Canyon
 Zion Canyon (Hike the narrows)
Assignment: Field observations (sketches/photographs/notes) at each stop in your field
notebook
Discussion Topics: plateau country, sedimentary rocks, differential erosion
Night: Kodachrome Basin State Park
Links/readings:
Day 13 (Saturday 26 May): Kodachrome Basin to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
140 miles
Stops/activities:
 Grand Canyon
Assignment: Field observations (sketches/photographs/notes) at each stop in your field
notebook
Discussion Topics: The Colorado plateau, sedimentary rocks, differential erosion,
Geologic time
Night: North Rim CG (no showers, no electricity)
Links/readings:
http://www2.nature.nps.gov/geology/education/foos/grand.pdf
http://igp.colorado.edu/anim_gcan
Day 13 (Saturday 27 May): North Rim to Flagstaff 207 miles Flagstaff to Red Rocks SP
Gallup NM miles
Stops/activities:
 Differential Erosion
 Volcanic features near Flagstaff
Assignment: Field observations (sketches/photographs/notes) at each stop in your field
notebook
Discussion Topics: Differential erosion, Geologic time, sedimentology
Night: Red Rocks SP Gallup NM
Links/readings:
Day 15 (Sunday 28 May) Gallup to Oklahoma City (?)miles
Stops/activities:
 The Malpais (lava flows)
 Food and fuel

Assignment: Field observations (sketches/photographs/notes) at each stop in your field
notebook
Discussion Topics: volcanic activity, regional patterns, the endless desert
Night: Hotel in Oklahoma City
SHEETS! Hotel sheets, but sheets nonetheless!
Day 16 (Monday 29 May) Memorial Day! Oklahoma City -Florence 621 miles
The end of the trail....return to reality
Start of Summer Session 6 June (1 week and 1 day from return)