Geology Field Trips

Hogbacks

2011-10-28T00:14:00.000-07:00

San Rafael Swell and Hogbacks

On the Field Studies Fall 2011 class we went to explore the geology of the San Rafael Swell in Eastern Utah. The "swell" in this geological feature refers to dome which is pictured on the right- and on the San Rafael the west side of the dome is at a gentler slope then the eastern side. As you drive through it you pass through a lot of time, because the closer to the center of the dome you get the older the layers get - it's like traveling through time in just a few short hours!

My favorite part about the trip was seeing the hogbacks on the eastern side of the dome. Many people believe that this geological formation is from the rock layers being pushed violently into the air from forces below (like earthquakes or the like) but those who know and understand more about geology understand that hogbacks don't have such a violent and sudden past.

Rather, this is from the dome itself and it's steeper eastern side.

As shown well in the picture to the left, you can see the angle of the rocks as they slop away from the anticline. These layers, like any other exposed formation, are then subjected to weathering. This lead to softer

shape, which leads to spectacular looking triangles that we call "flat irons". layers being eroded away and the more resist layers (like sandstone, etc) sticking around a little longer. As they erode away, little streams and rivers cut them into an ^ shape.

These are one of my favorite things in geology, I think they look so impressive and striking. And then knowing just how they were formed makes them even cooler - who needs dramatic and tragic earthquakes to make these things with you have geology to back you up?

~Tauni Sutherland

2011-06-30T09:32:00.001-07:00

The Green River is very strange. Unlike most rivers, the Green goes straight though the Uinta Mountains instead of going around this enormous obstacle. The process that created this phenomenon began about thirty million years ago. At the time there was a Northern Green River that flowed east from the Uinta Mountains, and a Southern Green River that flowed south. Over the course of a few million years the Uinta Mountains were eroded creating what is called the Gilbert Peak Erosional Surface. On this erosional surface layers of sediment were deposited that are today called the Bishop Conglomerate and the Brown’s Park Formation. At the same time the southern Green River drainage was eroding faster than the northern Green River. The flat surface of the eroded and covered Uintas and the steeper gradient of the Southern Green river made it possible for the southern Green River to capture the northern Green River. The two rivers combined and began to flow over the eroded Uintas. Then about 10 million years ago a geological phenomenon called uplift raised the Uinta Mountains. This renewed uplift in the Rocky Mountains caused the Green River to cut right into the folds of the Uinta Mountains, thus creating the present landscape. This is called superimposed drainage. Without our knowledge of geological history it would have seemed impossible for the Green River to have its current course. The diagram below shows the changes in the Green River’s drainage north and south of the Uintas over this period of time:

Beaches.

2011-06-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

Beaches along the sides of rivers are formed by deposition of sand by the river during periods of high discharge. Discharge is amount of water flowing through a river a given point of time. Discharge is measured in cubic feet per second or "cfs" and is calculated by multiplying the width(in ft) x depth (in ft) x velocity (in ft/sec) . Discharge of a river increases during periods of snow melt and periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall. During periods of high discharge the height of the river increases. If the river is in a deep canyon like the Green River in the canyon of the Lodore, it doesn’t tend to get much wider. It just gets deeper and flows faster. This faster flow allows the river to scour (pick up) the sediment from the bottom. Also, when the river is flowing faster it can pick up and transport larger sediment like sand.

As the discharge decreases, the velocity will decrease too. This will cause the river to drop its sediment load – the larger and heavier particles first (like sand) on the sides of the stream forming what river-runners call a beach. The diagram below shows how beaches were built from an artificial flood in the Grand Canyon in 1996.

The diagram shows the river before the flood (March 28) and after the flood (April 1). Notice that after the flood the channel is deeper because the faster moving water scoured the sediment away. This scoured sediment is then left on the side of the river in the area labels deposition – VOILA! A beach…like the one you see in the picture below.

Riverine beaches will erode over time and the sand will end back in the river channel. New floods (periods of high discharge) will scour the channel again and re-deposit sand on the sides.

The discharge level of the Green River was unusually high this year. There was a lot of precipitation this year. The snow that fell even late this season was melting making the river’s discharge extra high. This high discharge may be restoring some beaches. We'll have to see after the discharge decreases later in the season.

I think that beaches are a cool way to see what the river really did. It’s cool that the river is able to pick up and carry that much sediment. I also think it is cool that in a number of years down the line, that the beach you stand on one day could be gone. A new beach might take its place, but it would be all new sediment.

On our first night of our river trip we stayed on a beach. It was fun to walk around with no shoes on because you don’t have to worry about stickers or pointy objects cutting your feet. You could lie down and feel the warmth of the sediment. We also could dig down and bury each other in the warm sand. And that is why I like beaches.

Tanner Agren

Summer Geology Field Studies - Green River/Lodore Canyon

2011-06-28T23:22:00.000-07:00

The June blogs were composed by students in the Snow College Geology Field Studies class summer of 2011. Our class studied the fascinating geology of the Green River through Dinosaur National Monument. Holiday River Expeditions made this possible with their educational discounts. The Green crosses the Uinta Arch, Mitten Park Fault and last, but not least Split Mountain Anticline. The area was made famous by John Wesley Powell in his account of his 1869 expedition: "Exploration of the Colorado River and its Canyons". Wallace Stegner said "Nearly everyone who runs any part of the canyons now .. either carries this story of Powell's in his duffelbag or has it read or recited to him around the fire while the tamed Colorado slips past." Lodore Canyon was the first real white water the expedition encountered. It was a dream for me to experience rapids that Powell's expedition named like Hell's Half Mile and Disaster Falls and the famous Canyon of the Lodore, Echo Park, Rainbow Park, Island Park and Split Mountain. I hope my students appreciated how cool it was to be there. The icing on the cake: flows that haven't been seen since 1984. Fast, big water, great guides and a great river company. Thanks to Karen, Pat, Jordan, Ferg and Tilt from Holiday. Thanks to UB Summer Component for their support. I hope my student blogs will help you to understand the geology of the river and the experience through their eyes.

Renee Faatz June 2011

Geology of the Green River

2011-06-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

Geology blog
6-29-11
Layne Hamblin

The geological history of the Green River is quite interesting. It all started about 1 billion years ago, in the Precambrian era. I will point out some of the highlights of the geologic history of the area.

1. The Uinta Mountain Group was deposited about 1000 million (or 1 billion) years ago
2. The Uinta Mountain Group was tilted and eroded away to make an angular unconformity.
3. The Cambrian period (about 550 million years ago) came next where the Lodore Formation was deposited into a shallow sea
4. Erosion occured and wiped away almost 200 million years of history. This is called a disconformity.
5. Magma intruded into the crust to form a dike about 483 million years ago.
6. The Mississippian Madison limestone was deposited on the eroded Lodore formation (about 350 million years ago).
7. Sand dunes formed the Pennsylvanian Weber sandstone.
8. A shallow tropical sea formed the limestone and phosphorite of the Permian Park City formation.
9. Streams deposited the upper Triassic Chinle formation on a eroded Moenkopi.
10. The Glen Canyon sandstone formed from sand dunes in the Jurassic era (about 180 million years ago).
11. Rivers and lakes deposited the Morrison formation which includes dinosaurs in the Jurassic. This layer contains the dinosaur fossils that make Vernal famous.
12. The Cretaceous period ended about 65 million years ago. The interior seaway that reached the area in this era flooded, which led to the depositing of the Dakota, Mancos, and other layers. These layers were all deposited before the Uintas were formed.
13. The Uinta Mountains formed as part of the Laramide Orogeny which built the Rocky Mountains between about 60 and 30 million years ago. All the rocks previously mentioned were arched up and faulted. The Uinta Arch, Mitten Park Fault, Island Park Syncline, Split Mountain Anticline formed at this time. (Although, Split Mountain was not a split yet).
14. About 30 million years ago the Uinta Mountains were almost completely eroded away. This is called the Gilbert Peak Erosion surface.
15. Between 28 and 12 million years ago streams deposited the Bishop Conglomerate and Browns Park Formation. These sit on an angular unconformity.
16. About 10 million years ago, uplift of the Colorado Plateau and Rockies began to elevate the area. This caused the Green River and its tributaries cut down into the rock causing rejuvenation.
17. Pleistocene glaciers created the landscape of the high Uintas. Higher stream flows deposited gravel terraces like the ones we saw at Island Park.
18. The Green River and its tributaries eroded to create the landscape we see today.
As number 18 says erosion and deposition created the amazing landscape we saw on the trip. The landscape along Green and Yampa Rivers are great examples of geologic processes. This is a very cool thing to look at. I really recommend going on a river trip and looking at the mountains and other formations and seeing first hand what they look like. The rapids are a blast, they feed you well and even just floating down the river is nice and relaxing.

by:layne hamblin

Rapids By: Sarah and Kaylee

2011-06-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

There are basically two different parts of the river. The rapids and the smooth lazy part; depending on what you're in the mood for, you are sure to have a good time! Everyone has heard of rapids, but what exactly is a rapid? There are four factors which either separately or in combination can create rapids: gradient, constriction, obstruction, and flow rate. Constriction happens when water flow in a river is forced into a narrower channel, the pressure causes the water to flow faster creating rapids.Obstruction is when there is a rock or steep drop in the river bed, then "obstructing" the flow of water. Rapids are a geological phenomenon that occurs when there is a fast moving body of water that is littered with rocks. Since water erodes soft land faster, these hard rocks remain where they are, making incomplete barriers. The rushing water moves around the rocks and often foams into white water. Rapids are also at points of the river where there is a relatively steep gradient, making an increased water flow and turbulence. A rapid forms due to shallowing of the river characterized by rocks exposed above the water surface. We saw most of the rapids when we were in the Lodore and Split Mountain Canyons because that was where the gradient was the highest.
Topography also plays a major factor determining where rapids are formed. It is generally consistent over time. Increased flow that happens during heavy rain fall or flood season can alter the stream bed permanently by depositing rocks in different places or by creating new channels for flowing water. Along the Green River we went along many Rapids. Some of them were: Disaster Falls, Hells Half-Mile, and Triplet Falls. The rapids along the Green River area are classified based on the magnitude of the rapids. The ones we encountered ranged from Class 1-4. If you're in need of a good time, visit the rapids of the Green River in the canyons of the Lodore . You might want to visit during late May and early June, because that is when the best flow is.

Sources:http://en.wikipedia.com.org/wiki/whitewaterhttp://www.diffen.com/difference/rapid-vs-waterfall

Unexpected Findings

2011-06-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

In geology class we went on a required river rafting trip which lasted three days and two nights. At night we set up camp on a beach or sandbar. After setting camp for the second night, we decided to take a hike up a wash near our camp. We found lots of wild flowers and a variety of rocks, some with crystals, others brown and bland, but mostly chert and limestone. While hunting for interesting rocks, the advisor that was with us found a rock that we later found out contained a mineral called glauconite. Mrs. Faatz was very excited to see this and told us that this rock is glauconitic sandstone from the Lodore Formation. Glauconite is a clay that forms in shallow marine conditions. It is "typically found as rounded aggregates or 'pellets' of very fine grained scaly particles, having a blue-green to yellow-green color" (http://www.mindat.org/)

After seeing the glauconite and other interesting rocks, Mrs. Faatz decided she wanted to hike back up there and see what she could find. While up there for the second time, we made the discovery. Amanda saw a boulder that she wanted to test to find out what it was. Right before putting acid on it she realized that there were fossils that looked like clam and snail shells. They weren't what we thought though. These fossils were brachiopods and crinoids. Relative dating using the fossils allows us to say this rock is Mississippian in age (about 350 million years ago). These animals lived shallow tropical seas. This limestone is part of the Madison Formation and was found in the wash because it had been eroded from the cliffs above us. After the brachiopods and crinoids died, sediment slowly started to build up and eventually enough sediment was deposited over them to compress them into the boulder that we saw. Although we didn't plan on finding fossils on this trip, it was fun, interesting, and fit for a geology trip.

The Rippling Brook By: Bailey, Hailee, and Makayla

2011-06-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Uinta Mountains were formed, 60 to 30 million years ago, when the ground lifted up and formed an arch known as the Uinta Mountain Arch. These mountains formed as part of the Rocky Mountains. Later the Uintas eroded away and were covered by younger layers. It was on the younger layers that the Green River established its course. About 10 million years ago uplift caused the Green River to cut down into the rocks exposing the layers we see today, this is called rejuvenation. When we put in the Green River the first day we were in the center of the Uinta Mountain Arch. All we saw was the Uinta Mountain Group Layer which is the oldest layer of rock. On the second day we reached the end of the Arch and the Lodore Formation and Madison Limestone layers became visible. When we stopped for lunch we were able to go on a hike to a beautiful waterfall, called the Rippling Brook.

During the hike we were fortunate enough to view the Lodore Formation and Madison Limestone layers more closely. The Lodore Formation is a very distinct layer of rock which was formed during the Cambrian Period. It resembles pink pancakes stacked upon each other. The Madison Limestone alternated between gray and sandy red colors within the layer. (Both of these differed from the darker colored lower layer of the Uinta Mountain Group.) Large chunks of the Madison Limestone surrounded the trail and we saw sections of it where the chert hadn’t eroded as fast as the limestone. The hike was a lot of fun and when we reached the top we enjoyed a vigorous shower due to the waterfall. We all enjoyed it and the opportunity to learn more about the layers close up.

Personal Eperiences by Tinissa

2011-06-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

On this trip I learned so much. I know that we didn't have to memorize all the different layers, but it stuck with me. I mean not every single layer, but all the major ones. By the end of the second day, I could almost name all the rock layers just by looking. Now in case you were wondering, rocks have never been more than just rocks to me, but this trip has given me a whole new perspective. I really enjoyed lookinig at the differences in the rocks, the faults, and the disconformities/unconformities. Now that the trip is over I have realized that I was lucky to have been in the same raft as Renee. She has taught me so much and she has also taught me how to appreciate in a different way :)

Sea Stacks

2011-06-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

Something that may be hard to believe is that one point in time a sea covered parts of Utah. While on the trip I got to experience first hand that when people say that, they really aren't lying to you. I know at first this may be a hard concept to grasp, I mean I was there, but there is proof of it right in the canyon.

On the second day of the trip, we traveled through the Lodore Formation, the Madison Limestone, the Morgan Formation, and the Weber Sandstone. Compared to the first day, this was a lot more exciting because the first day we mostly saw the Unita Mountain Group. Although we saw lots of cool faults and disconformities, the sea stacks were something that really stuck in my brain. The sea stacks were created during isolation, while being attacked by waves of the ocean that was once there. The water carved and eroded the sea stacks into the sides of the shore that was also once there, which was composed of the Uinta Mountain Group. The sand was deposited around the sea stacks, eventually covering them. This sand became the Lodore Formation. This proves that there was once a sea. I know, still hard to believe, but it is very true and apparent that it really was there.

This is also another one of those sites that you'll want to see. It definitely made the trip that much more interesting and if you don't belive me about the sea, you'll have to check it out yourself :)

The Mitten Park Fault

2011-06-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

If there is any fault in the world that you must visit, even if you aren't into the whole geology aspects of it, the Mitten Park Fault is a fault that you'll never forget and one that you'll regret not seeing if you pass up the opportunity. The beauty, the view, the wonders, they are all things that make this fault so spectacular. I mean what else can I say?? You'll really just have to see it for yourself. :)

The Mitten Park Fault is located on the Green River. The Green River runs through The Gates of Lodore. Some of the rocks found on the river are part of the Precambrian time period that date back to long before dinosaurs, about a billion years ago. As you enter the "gates" the river cuts through the Uinta Mountain Group rock formation. As the river continues and leaves the Canyon of Lodore it is exposing the south end of the Uinta Arch. As a result younger layers like the Lodore, Madison, Weber Sandstone and many more layers come into view. Also, this is where you will find the spectacular Mitten Park Fault.

Before this river ran through the canyon, while the final formation that we see today was forming, an amazing thing happened. The layers of rocks were already there and deposited, but then an event took place that would make the perfect have-to-see site. It formed when the Uinta Mountains were lifted up 60 million years ago. While one side was being drug down, the other was being drug up, creating what we call the drag of the fault. The layers of the earth's crust that normally run horizontally turned upwards. This is definitely one of the coolest things about the fault. The only thing that could almost compare to how cool the drag is, is watching the layers jump around. One side has different rocks in different locations than the other side. This makes it so the rock layers don't line up with the other side. It's like having a whole new view of the mountain, but you only have to turn your head slightly to get it.

This fault truly is amazing, but like I said, you'll just have to see it for yourslef. :)

Layers, Layers, Layers.

2011-06-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

On our trip down the Green River, our Geology class

saw numerous fascinating geological
features. As we rafted down the river, we couldn't help but notice the cool rock walls on either side of us. The further we traveled the more layers we saw. Some layers were flat, or rather parallel to the river, while others (like the Lodore Formation shown here in the picture) are angled into the ground. Some of the layers would seem to completely disappear and show up later on down the canyon. We wondered why this happens this way. The answer is - folding and faulting during the formaio of the Uinta Moutains between 60 and 30 million years ago. When the Uinta Mountains formed a huge upfold or anticline formed. This is called the Uinta Arch
This convex fault was especially cool for us because the Green River cuts perpendicular to this huge fold. How could the river do this? It seems it should go around it. But here is the part of the story that was left out: The Uintas were eroded and covered between about 30 and 12 million years ago. The Green River established its course on this flat landscape. Then the land began to uplift again. This time it didn't fold, just slowly elevated. This uplift caused the Green River to erode downward. It was able to cut through the Uinta Arch because its course was already established across it. This is called superimposed drainage.

One of our favorite layers that we saw came near the meeting of the Yampa and Green Rivers. The rock looked like a giant steam boat. In fact, they called it Steamboat Rock. The rock looked cool, but there was in fact some geological significance to it too. It was an entrenched meander, which means there was a bend in the river that curved back around til it was very near to the place where it turned, only separated by a peninsula of land. Other than the joy of rafting, this was our favorite part of the trip. We really enjoyed all the cool geology we saw. We enjoyed watching and learning about the different layers and how they formed to create the shapes they do today. Plus, we got to go river rafting! It was one of the best trips ever!

Geology Rocks!

2011-06-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

By Tyrell Crane, Layne Hamblin, and Haden McAfee

What happens when you add three days, thirty miles of river, great friends, exceptional food, and some of the most breathtaking country in the world? You get a whitewater rafting trip! Boo-Ya! But not just any river trip, this river trip is classified by three things: geology that even a dummy can appreciate (trust us, we did), phenomenal memories, and food that puts even Wendy’s to shame!

By far one of the most remarkable geological marvels on this trip was Split Mountain. This was one formation that looked amazing even before you knew what you were looking at, and the story behind it is so unique it is literally world-renowned. The rock layers that compose the Uinta Mountains underwent radical changes throughout their history. Millions of years of deposition, erosion, folding, and faulting shaped the mountain into what it is today.

Split Mountain's defining feature is the glimpse it offers into the extensive folding of the rock layers. About 60 million years ago the uplift of the Uintas formed folds called synclines and anticlines. The Uintas Mountains were eroded away and covered by a younger rock layer that was not folded. The Green River established its meandering course on this layer Then, about 10 million years ago, geological uplift steadily raised the folded layers of rock into the Green’s path. Through this process, known as superimposed drainage, the Green River eventually carved its way right through the anticline and exposed layers of rock millions of years older. It is this rare phenomenon that makes Split Mountain is one of the world's most prominent examples of these slicing lacerations through geological history.

One of the greatest memories we all came home with occurred at the Pot Creek campsite on our first night on the river. Years of deposition from the fluxuating river levels had created a really comfortable campsite—fully equipped with a downy soft beach that served as the ideal location for beach volleyball, sand art, and turning our freshman comrade into a total sand babe. This beach was an exceptional part of the river trip.

Last, but certainly not least, was our guides contribution to the adventure. As you can imagine, managing over twenty teenage youth and their physical and emotional luggage confined to four seven foot by eighteen foot rafts can be quite a task, but despite it all, our guides consistently cranked out muy delicioso gourmet food. From boiling hot chocolate, to shore-side salads, a distended belly was a commonplace on this trip! In addition to the food, they were highly sociable and engaged themselves in our conversations. A special thanks to you Jordan (Raft Goddess), Tilt (Pancake God), Pat (Muffin God), and Ferg (Fergalicious)! You made the trip amazing!

Professor Faatz' Geology Class, Summer 2011 06/27/11

Paleogeography of the Monument in the late Cretaceous (by Matt Selman)

2011-05-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

Snow College students and BLM field staff descend to a dig site in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument has, in recent years, become a major national destination for scientists studying the life-forms of the late Cretaceous period. Teams from around Utah and the United States make yearly pilgrimages to the monument to explore its fossilized floodplains, river channels, and coastal lagoons in search of the animals that lived and died in what was an incredibly lush tropical area, now transformed into high desert and badlands topography.

Erosional forms on Horse Mountain.

As different as the climate of the period was from that of the present day, so was the geography markedly dissimilar. Cretaceous North America was the site of a vast, shallow sea known as the Interior Cretaceous Seaway. At its height in the Middle Cretaceous, the seaway’s western boundary devoured the eastern third of what is now Utah. By the Late Cretaceous, the shoreline receded to the east, leaving a damp coastal plain running through the center of present-day Utah.

Top: Dr. Alan Titus discusses the distribution of fossils within the Kaiparowits formation.

Bottom: Scott Richardson of the BLM descends to a dig site in the northern part of the Monument.

At the same time, a significant mountain-building event occurred in the region. The Sevier Orogeny created a chain of mountains running longitudinally from modern-day Mexico up into Canada. As quickly as these mountains were uplifted, the forces of erosion began to work on them, creating great river channels flowing down into the receding interior sea.

Hadrosaur humerus (top) and velociraptor claw (bottom), both deposited in prehistoric floodplain sediments.

This geography, along with the climate of the period--both of which are immensely different from that of today--created the conditions which allowed flora and fauna to flourish, and their remains to be relatively well preserved in the sedimentary deposits of rivers (flowing down and east from the Sevier mountains), floodplains, and the shores of the Interior Cretaceous Seaway.

Returning to camp.

How to recognize a dinosaur fossil? By Candy Chiu

2011-05-04T04:16:00.000-07:00

I had a 3 days 2 nights trip in April which took place in Kanab, Utah. This is the geology trip of finding dinosaur fossils. It is a nice and fun trip! Also, this is the first time I ever camped in Utah. Although it was hard to finish this trip, I did it!
I learned how to recognize a dinosaur fossil through this trip. Fossils are unlike usual rocks. Fossils form when the remains of animal that are trapped between rock layers and become a part of the rock sequence. There are two kinds of fossils we found in this trip. We found the tree fossils and the dinosaur fossils.

This is one of the dinosaur fossil that we found.
And this is one of the tree fossil that we found.

From what I see in the cross-section of the fossils, fossils have a higher density than rocks. For the tree fossils, it is in brown color.

This field trip is really a good chance for me to know more about dinosaurs, this extinct creature. This is really a nice trip and I will join it again if I got another chance.

HOLY GASTROPODS!! By Jessica Duty

2011-05-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

I would like to start off by saying that this was the best field trip I have ever been on in my life! Hands down, by far! I wouldn't trade my experience for anything, and I am seriously considering doing it again next year. So, for all you thinking of going, DO!! We spent two nights and three days roughing it in the wilderness with Dr. Alan Titus, the paleontologist for the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument and his assistant Scott Richardson. Not only was this trip fun, but I cannot begin to describe all that I learned on this trip. So I have chosen a topic I enjoyed, and I'll do my best.

We spent the second day up there digging for bones! A couple of hours in, Tauni and I were assigned to move a mass of rock on the bottom right section of the quarry. We were given hammers and chisels and told to go layer by layer. I was so excited!! We worked, and worked, and worked....and worked. nothing!! I was feeling pretty down. You see, the movies never show how much work goes into digging out a dinosaur, I felt like I had been tricked ;).

All of the sudden Tauni gasped. My heart sputtered to a stop and I leaned over to see her discovery. "OH MY GOSH! LOOK WHAT YOU FOUND!!" I yelled (I've been known to be a little dramatic). I was so happy all our work was not in vain. Everyone stopped working and ran to see what had been uncovered. There, in her cute little hand was a........GASTROPOD!!! I was so thrilled. Unfortunately, Scott an Alan were less enthusiastic with her great feat. "Just a snail." Scott said and he put it back on the ground. Gosh darn it, no it wasn't 'just a snail'. This was a true, honest to goodness fossil! Millions of years old! And it had just come out of the ground I was digging in! We found half a dozen more similar gastropods, varying in size, in this same layer. It was great.

So, after my excitement subsided, I got to thinking. 'What on earth were snails doing by our Hadrosaur?!' Needless to say, I asked. Not to my dismay I got a fabulous answer. I simply needed to remember the environment of deposition. During the the Cretaceous when the Kaiparowits was being deposited, Utah was a lush, green, tropical place! So what had happened all those millions of years ago was simple. Of coarse there were other animals alive at the same time this Hadrosaur died. Its bones were deposited in a small lake on a floodplain of a river. In this small pond or lake there were snails. So the snail shells were buried in the mud after they died along with the dinosaurs and fossil plants. Our own 'claim to fame', finding gastropods on a Geology trip!

Hadrosaurs! by Rachel Hatton-Ward

2011-04-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

The field trip we went on was so cool! It basically combined all of my favorite things, like dinosaurs, camping, and playing in the dirt. We got to see all kinds of bones, tear out a ton of rocks and dirt, a tree, and a bush with a lot of pollen, hang out with awesome paleontologists, and do plenty of hiking and camping. It was great! The bones we found were mostly from Hadrosaurs, and I really thought it would be interesting to learn more about them now after I got to see so many of their remains out in the field.

Hadrosaurs lived during the late Cretaceous Period in areas with warm, wet climates. They had flat "duck bill" mouths that probably helped them chew tough plants, and large crests on the back of their heads. We found a piece of paper that showed that males had long crests and females had shorter, sharper curved crests, but Alan explained to us that that idea was wrong and they were completely different species that lived at different times!

Hadrosaurs were huge, from 10-40 feet long, and they had three toes on their feet. After a full day of digging, we found fossilized toe, it was awesome!

Overall, the field trip was a lot of fun, a lot of work, and I feel like I learned a lot from it. Paleontology takes a lot of patience, but finding bones after searching all day was really rewarding, and I wouldn't mind learning more.

Dang Tree stop eating my bones by Maggie Dalene

2011-04-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

Above: Rolling the tree stump down the hill.

As we were digging for fossils we ran in to a slight problem…. We had found fossils but a giant juniper roots had started to eat away some of the fossils. As the day went on the more fossils we found the more tree roots we had found with. The reason we found so many bones next to this juniper was because of the minerals that the fossils have. When the animal dies soil and water is put over them. As the water flows in and out minerals fill the cellular spaces and crystallize. The shape of the original plant or animal is preserved as rock. Sometimes the original material is dissolved away leaving the form and structure but none of the organic material remains. Trees love all of these minerals that the fossils have. So having the tree there was kind of a good thing because the roots helped push up some of the rock that was covering the fossils and it was a bad thing because they were eating them away.

The tree we had to kill to get to the bones.

The bones underneath the tree.

Plants of the Cretaceous by Kat Combs

2011-04-30T01:52:00.001-07:00

The above picture is of the bark of an ancient relative of the common Cycads belonging to the order Bennettitales. These, along with most plants present in the Cretaceous were gymnosperms. Here's a bit of background: there are two main groups of plants, the more primitive gymnosperm, and the angiosperms. Gymno means naked and sperm means seed, examples of these are your typical conifer trees who's seeds, or cones, are not covered in an ovary. Angio meaning covered and sperm meaning seed, angiosperms are also known as the flowering plants. Most plants one thinks of now and days is an angiosperm such as Magnolias, tulips, apple trees, banana trees, etc. all of these having two key similarities: flowers and a seed covered in an ovary, fleshy like apples, or hard like nuts.

Before the lower Cretaceous, gymnosperms were the only plants around, but at the start of the lower Cretaceous, the first angiosperms began to show up. Angiosperm populations and diversity exploded after their first appearance. They had the advantage over gymnosperms in that they could reproduce and grow much faster when a disturbance, such as fire, killed off all the plant life in that area leaving room for the next generation to take over. That next generation being angiosperms. Though they were quick to take over, angiosperms didn't dominate until after the Cretaceous. So gymnosperms were still the dominating plant species found during the Cretaceous. Despite their relatively slow growth rate as compared to angiosperms, gymnosperms were diverse and found everywhere in the Cretaceous.

There is nothing today that can truly be compared to what it might have been like for the dinosaurs, though some areas like New Caledonia or eastern Australlia where they have the towering Araucaria trees could give you some idea, that mixed with a wide variety of vines and ferns much like you would find in tropical rain forests today; just not the same types of species. During the Cretaceous period the earth was much warmer than normal with raised sea levels. During our trip we found several fossilized tree deposits just in the site we were working, as shown in the picture below. Gypsum was present in the tree as was a core of coal (the black seen in the center of the tree trunk).

As the plants thrived so did the dinosaurs. One might think, given the enormous size of the herbaceous dinosaurs and the typical slow growth rate of gymnosperms, how could they possibly have had enough to eat? A possible hypothesis is that the presence of a fast growing, parasitic, gymnosperm leafy vine that would cover the trees in a green, edible blanket.

Some plants typical in the ancient rain forest would be small amounts of angiosperms, adding a splash of flowery color like magnolia, ancient towering conifer trees with needles and others with broad, flat leaves like the Ginkgo trees still found today, blankets of ferns covering the ground, vines twisting and spiraling up trees toward the sky; everything green and warm.

This trip was a blast and very educational (and sunny, with not enough sunscreen). Picturing how it might have been when the great reptiles were wandering the planet left me wishing I could see it, or at least go to Washington state and New Caledonia to get a mixed sense of what was going on.

On an Adventure to Find Bones- By: Derek Nielsen

2011-04-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

First off, I want to tell you how much fun I had on this field trip. It's not everyday that you get to go and dig for fossils with a paleontologist. It was a blast. Anyone who is given the opportunity to go on any trip like this should take it. You won't regret it.
Now, before you can dig up your fossils, you have to find them, and you might be asking yourself, "how can I find some fossils?" The first part is easy, you do a little research and find out what areas have a surplus of bones. As you'll read from some of the other posts, the Grand Staircase National Monument is full of them, especially around Cretaceous layers. Anyway, when you find a good area, you will need to look in the right places. If you look at the picture I have here, you will notice that there are lots of little valleys like this one. Because of continuous erosion, this is the best place to look. As the layers are being washed away it will cause pieces of the bones or other fossils to come loose. They will travel down the slopes to the bottom of these valleys.(notice the red arrow) So you'll want to walk around the bottom or at the top were they could just have started to become exposed. Make sure you have a hand-lens at the ready to use if you think you have found a fossil.

In this area the bones tend to have an orange "rusty color", look for that. Also if you think you have found a piece, look at it with the hand-lens and check for a porous area in the middle. Bones have these porous area inside because of the bone marrow that would be inside when the animal was alive. One last test that you could do is lick it. Yes I said 'lick', like with your tongue. Because the bone is porous, the bone will slightly stick to your tongue.
Once you've found a piece, you'll want to travel up the hill from where you found it, because they travel downhill because of gravity. On my picture, you will see a yellow line, this would be if you had found a piece at the bottom of the hill and then followed the line up-hill to find more bone. You will know where to start digging when you have found the highest piece of bone, because it won't travel up hill. Through my experience in searching for bones, I have noticed that they tend to be around the harder layers that appear in the slopes, indicated with the green arrow. So as you look, look for these layers of harder sandstones and mud-stones. But, you must be aware that taking any bones from a public land illegal. If you find anything of value, tell the park services, who knows, maybe they will name a new species of dino after you.

On the trip, I was looking for bones as I have described above, and I found some pieces of turtle shells. It turns out, after looking around some more, that we had found an area that the paleontologists call a turtle dam. There was once a river that ran in the Cretaceous that had logs that had gotten stuck, and so turtles would get stuck in the logs and die. This is why we had found so many parts of turtles and petrified wood all over that area.
Finding bones and other fossils is fun and really easy to do. You should plan to go on a camp out or a field trip and try it out. But remember: it is illegal to collect any bones from any animal that had a vertebrae

Uncovering a Hadrosaur by Mat Hilton

2011-04-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

When we arrived at the paleontology lab we immediately began snooping around. There was a group of fossils in one corner of the room that had been brought in all together in some kind of plaster.

When Dr. Titus came back we had lots of questions about it. We had decided it was the skull. We found out we were right but wrong about everything else. We were trying to match the skull with the drawing in the bottom right of the picture. It turned out we were looking at the skull backwards. We also learned that the picture is based off of a disproved hypothesis about the length of the crests being distinctive to gender. Dr. Titus told us it was a hadrosaur skull. This was very significant to us because we would be working on a hadrosaur fossil.

At the dig site there were several bones already exposed. Even though the bones were very weathered it was really exciting and got us motivated to work and find more.

I didn't know anything about hadrosaurs before this trip, but after spending so much time digging up pieces of one I really wanted to learn more.

Hadrosaurs are what most people know as "duck-billed" dinosaurs. They are members of the hadrosauridae family. There are two sub-families that are distinguished by having hollow cranial crests or a solid crest if any.

Distinguishing characteristics of hadrosaurs are the bill-like snout and a jaw that moves in a very strange way. I don't know if any other dinosaurs had a similar jaw, but no animals alive today have one like it.

Hadrosaurs had thousands of tiny teeth and the upper jaw is hinged in a way that allows it to expand outwards thus making a grinding motion to break down vegetation. This was likely a very important adaptation that gave the hadrosaurs an advantage. This method of grinding food is more advanced than other herbivores which relied on the use of gastroliths (gizzard stone).

The trip was a lot of fun. Even though I got sunburned, dehydrated, and worked until I lost the use of my arms it was definitely worth it. I learned that I'm definitely not cut out to be a paleontologist, but seeing a small portion of their process expanded my understanding of this branch of science.

Climate of the Cretaceous

2011-04-28T20:32:00.001-07:00

During the late Cretaceous, Utah was around in the same place as it is today (meaning, same latitude, same longitude). That, however, does that mean that we had the same climate back then as we do today. The climate in Utah was hotter during this time because of increased volcanic activity, which released large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air. This increase in carbon dioxide upped the greenhouse effect back then, causing warming throughout the globe.

The warmer climate caused sea level to rise. Another process helped this as well. Ocean ridges are found on the seafloor at divergent boundaries where two plates are pulling away from each other and new crust is born. During the Cretaceous the plates were spreading extremely rapidly. This caused oceanic ridges to be elevated. When they do this they also push up the water, so the ocean water had to flow in somewhere and there happened to be a low ground right down the middle of the North American continent. Thus, half of Utah was under an arm of the ocean, and that arm would cover the interior of the U.S.

Unfortunately the ocean flooded out and the wet climate changed to dry, so we also had no beach to go swim in, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t have a good time. I think that my personal favorite thing that we did was the “Manual Labor." I had tons of fun digging through rocks and looking for clues. Sure, the first few hours proved fruitless, with me and Jessica finding only a few shells and one really ugly bug, but we knew that we were getting closer to our goal.

Once we started finding real bone things got exciting. I personally found two ribs, both of which were pretty “rotted out”, which basically means that they were in really bad shape. Scott Richardson marked them down on his chart and then wiped them away. We also found a really cool toe bone and one really strange looking bone that Scott was pretty sure was just another messed up rib but by the end of the day he still wasn’t 100% sure on what it was.

I had so much fun on this trip. I met many great people and I will always remember working on real dinosaur bones. I hope to return some day and help them on another dig site – and that time we’ll have to find to the skull. It’s right around the corner, I can feel it! ~Tauni

2011-04-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

We just returned from another great trip to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Nine Snow College students worked with Scott Richardson and Dr Alan Titus excavating a hadrosaur in the Kaiparowits. The students ferried loads down to the site and spent Saturday 4/16 moving rock and vegetation to expose more bone - toes and ribs and tendons. It was a fantastic field trip and an amazing opportunity for all of us. Thanks Dr Titus, Scott R and the BLM for hosting us.

Paleoslave Field Trip to Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument

2010-05-12T10:55:00.000-07:00

( Dr Alan Titus - Paleontologist- Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument).

Learn more about the paleontology of the park here: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/prog/more/cultural/Paleontology/gsenm_paleontology.html

Arches National Park

2009-06-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

We're back in Arches National Park again! The summer Upward Bound students are learning about the geology of Arches and Canyonlands for their Geology Field Studies course this summer. The first morning we learned how arches form and why arches are so common here. This is a picture of the class at Sand Dune Arch.

In the afternoon we hiked to Delicate Arch.

Saturday was a guided hike in the Fiery Furnace in the morning, fossils, faults and petroglyphs in the afternoon. Sunday we visited the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park and Deadhorse Point State Park.

Check out more pictures on picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/faatzfamily/UB09#

Spring 2009 Field Excursion to the Grand Staircase National Monument

2009-05-05T10:03:00.001-07:00

Dr. Alan Titus, Paleontologist Grand Staircase National Monument invited us back again this year to help out in the field. Our trip began at the Monument Headquarters in Kanab with an excellent overview of the geology and paleontology of the park. This was followed by a tour of the prep lab to see turtles, hadrosaurs, crocodiles (dinochampsa?) etc.

Then it was off to the field. This year we worked in the Wahweap Formation in the southeastern part of the park. We stopped to see the relatively new museum near Big Water. Wish I had a picture of this from the air - it is shaped like an

ammonoid! The

diorama inside showed all the creatures that have been found in the park including the hadrosaur we would soon work on. Our journey into the monument included a stop in the Tropic Shale where we heard tales of plesiosaurs but only saw clams, snails and an ammonoid. In the Straight Cliffs formation we saw fossil wood that had borings of ship worms!

Day two we headed out to the sites - one Hadrosaur, one Tyranosaur. We split into teams and worked hard all day to find more of the already exposed tibias. Team 1 - Alan, Jake, KayeLinda, Renee, and Tyson found lots of plants - water lilies, redwoods, etc, but no more bone. We did jacket the tibia and carry it out. Team 2 - Tania, Brad and Scott jacketed their tyranosaurid bone and found its jaw as well.

What an incredible and unforgettable experience for all of us! Thanks to Alan Titus and Scott Richardson for including us in your field work. Snow College is so fortunate to have this opportunity. We'll be back if you'll have us.

Day 2—I thought I would find diamonds!

2009-05-03T23:34:00.001-07:00

We started the day like the reptiles do—slowly and sleepily—trying to get warmed up and fed. Once our blood was warmed and the sun gave us its’ brilliant rays that shined majestically into the Wahweap formation, we packed up the gear (poor Jake) and headed out to the field site.

We hiked into nowhere and it seemed to me for a time that Allen was just pulling our leg, for it appeared that we were going out to the middle of nowhere (which we were). Along the way we had fun looking for fossils. We were definatly in what was once marine. Our first stop was at the Hadrosaur (aka the cow of the Cretaceous). The two fossil sights that we saw are both Hadrosaurs; in fact, both sites might be just one Hadrosaur. A theory about how it got so scattered is that it might have been drug by a predator after it was killed. Also, this Hadrosaur might have been a bloat-and-float because it was found in a mud layer around aqueous organic matter. The layer in the Wahweap where it was found is estimated to be around 81 million years old. This could mean that this is a new species of Hadrosaur.

The next sight that we looked at was an imprint of a palm leaf. It looks surprisingly well preserved. We were going to carry it out, but it was too big as you can see in the picture. We walked along the edge of the mountain and found fossils poking out, including a turtle; it looked really cool sticking out there.

We returned back to the second dig sight—the one with the tibia—where we went to work looking for more bones to the Hadrosaur. We did not find any; in fact, we almost lost one. After we lost one I thought that Allen would have kicked us all off his dig sight, but he was really cool about it; plus we found it again. We took turns digging and taking down the rocks to the base of the mountain. One time we thought that we found one, but then Allen determined that it was something else. The dig was not fruitless because we found a lot of plants. (Such as the ones shown.) It was very cool how we kept on finding these brilliant plants within the layers of prehistoric mud. Not to mention a very friendly lizard.

After we found no bones we decided to get the Tibia back to the camp. To do this we used burlap sacks and plaster of Paris to encase the bone in a sort of cast. We put one more layer on the top and then we did the bottom.

After we, somewhat carefully, carried the bone back to the truck using a tarp and rotation method; we packed up and got ready to head back. Meanwhile, the other group was searching for bones to a new type of Tyrannosaur. They found a jaw bone to the Tyrannosaur and many other bones; they too carried back a bone.

After we got back from all of the excitement, we went to a Mexican restaurant ate to the end of a full day of paleontology.

Day 3-heading home

2009-04-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

April 18 (day three of our field studies trip)

Heading home from Kanab we made a ton of geology stops that were absolutely amazing. The first stop we made on our way was at the Coral Pink Dunes. They were so neat to see. It was reworked sand from the Navajo sandstone that are from the Jurassic period. We jumped down the sand dune and messed up the angle of repose. It was a lot of fun. The wind blowing this very fine, soft sand around filled every pocket and our shoes full of sand. The sand was very cold too. We got back from in the car and headed for Ephraim. Along the road we got to see the fault that is responsible for the sand that has created the sand dunes -the Sevier Fault. Our next stop was just north of Mount Carmel junction by the state road shed. We went and fossil hunting in the limestone of the Carmel formation from the middle Jurassic. We found crinoids - small echinoderms... the cutest small little sea stars. This picture located on the right is of the echinoderms that I found. The other fragments are pieces of shells. We were right near Zion National Park and because some of us hadn't been to Zion, we decided to take a little side trip. (I [KayeLinda Heineer] was one of those who hadn't been through the park.) So we went through the park and stopped to looked at the large scale cross beds. They looked like huge sand dunes. The only thing is that it was sandstone not sand. We also smelled a vanilla tree. It smelled incredible. This picture just below on the left is of us sniffing the tree. It smelled a lot better than Jake's sage that he had been sniffing during the trip. We also tried to look at a slot canyon by the entrance to the tunnel but we got in trouble with one of the park workers, so we missed out on that. We then went through the longest tunnel I have ever been through. Around the corner from the tunnel we stopped and look at a channel deposit in the Kayenta formation. We also found a rock with trace fossils called worm tubes. Then along the way we looked at a giant arch forming that is in the alcove stage right now. Springs are eroding the rock to form the alcove. Then outside the market by the other entrance we stopped and climbed up the land slide that was caused by and earthquake in 1992. We looked across the landscape to the other side and saw slumping in the Moenave formation. This slump could become a landslide as well. In the picture on the right, you can see that line braking the hill side this is the slump we looked at standing on the landslide on the opposite side of the valley. Our next stop was near a hill side were we collected pieces of petrified wood. We then got back in the car to finish our tip as we are driving we drove past several cinder cones. We then stopped to look at a huge disconformity. The disconformity was between the Moenkopi and Pleistocene which is several million years of time missing. We also found piece of basalt with olivine crystals in it. Our next stop was near Hurricane. We pulled off the road and got to touch and see slickensides, and we even found fault breccia. This fault is responsible for the earthquake that caused the land slide in Zions. The picture on the left is of us looking at the fault breccia. The slickensides are the smooth rock face right above our heads. They were beautiful! Many different colores purple, pink, and some orange. Then it was on the road again and we stopped to look at the Virgin Anticline that is plunging. This anticline has vertical beds of gypsum. The gypsum was what caused the erosion to erode out the center. It also caused the dam that was built in the middle to fail. The picture on the right shows the dam in the distance and the ridges on the right and left are the sides of the anticline. That was the last geology stop. We then drove the the rest of the way to Ephraim and saw a few geology things a long the way. The trip was completely amazing.

Day 1: Don't put it in your pocket!

2009-04-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

16-April-2009
Kanab, Utah (Jake)
The Grand staircase National Monument Offices/Lab

We were in the waiting room at 9:00 a.m. waiting for the Paleontologist Dr. Alan Titus. I was under the impression it would be this old, tired man with a very dry if not in drought sense of humor. Suddenly we heard someone running down the hall and a young (relatively) man in DNR clothes came running past, looked at us as he passed the hall we were in and skidded to a stop, introduced himself as Alan Titus, and said he would be right back, and ran on.

Sitting down for the presentation/lecture before going out into the field we learned a lot of things. First was the "Paleo-resource Protection Act" Which is no picking up vertebrate fossils. (No more sharks teeth!) It is legal to pick up petrified wood and invertebrate fossils such as snails and clams and things, as long as you are not on the actual Monument itself, or in a National Park.
Alosaurus is the State Fossil. And the Mesozoic Era of time is the greatest fossil record we have. They have a lot of fossils from the Morrison formation and have been more excited about the Cedar Mountain Formation which is the new "hot spot" for dino fossils.
We learned some of the geology of the Kaparowits Basin where we would be digging with Alan. The area would have been tropical to sub-tropical so there are a lot of plants like ferns and palms trees, as well as turtles, crocodiles, fish, and more. The next day we actually found some fish vertebrae and also some turtle shell pieces.

After the presentation we headed out towards Big Water where we stopped at the Dino Museum and looked at the fossils and books and pictures of trucks that got hit by flash floods in a wash. (we later followed Alan right up a wash in the trucks to get to the dig site, I thought that was ironic.)
After we got to the campsite and set up camp we all sat around and told stories and ate Renee's amazing Chile! (thanks Renee) Gathered firewood and sat around the fire. Great Day!!!

Stratigraphy of Dead Horse Point

2008-11-19T17:08:00.000-08:00

Stratigraphy is simply the record of strata layers in rock. Chronologically they follow what's called the law of superposition, which establishes that the oldest rocks are on bottom and the youngest rocks are on top. Pretty simple principle right? Well out at Dead Horse Point, which is right in the heart of canyon country, there's a far reaching, visible geologic, layered record of the history of the earth. Strata layers help geologists determine many components of geologic history like: environment of deposition, fossil record, and the sequence of events throughout the history of the world. To see the stratigraphical history of Dead Horse Point go to: http://www.utahgeology.com/stratcolumns.php?URLVariable=strat_83

Colorado Plateau

2008-11-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

For satellite image see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Four_corners.jpg

The Colorado Plateau is located in the three states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, with the central point lying just slightly west of the four corners area. The modern topography of this region contains, arguably, the world's most beautiful canyon country, arches, and desert landscapes known to man. Just to rattle off a few from an impressive list: Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zions, and Capital Reef National Parks. Also found within this region are the laccoliths (Abajo, Henry, and La Sal mountains) of South Eastern Utah, Lake Powell National Recreation Area, and Escalante Grand Staircase and Natural Bridges National Monuments.

The Colorado Plateau has maintained a relative stability over the past 600 million years, this is unlike all the areas that are found along it's borders (Rocky Mountains, Wasatch Mountain Range, Uintah Mountains, Basin and Range Province). The Grand Canyon is one of the wonders of the world and is especially useful to geologists for it's stratigraphical rock record, dating all the way back to the Precambrian with 2 billion year old rocks! The Colorado Plateau region has been one of continual change throughout geologic time. In the Paleozoic era it was periodically inundated by ocean water from the east, thus forming thick layers of siltstone, limestone, sandstone, and shale from shallow marine water deposits. About 250 million years ago this region was greatly affected by mountain-building events (called orogenies) that caused widespread crustal uplift and formed new mountains obviously. The area then became a drainage plaine for the mountains that were to the west of the Colorado Plateau Area. These streams and lakes, made from the drainage of the western mountains, formed the Chinle, Moenave, and the Kayenta formations of the Mesozoic. Skipping much of the history we arrive at a more recent era of the Cenozoic where more uplift occurred, resulting in an increased gradient level. The streams of the region then started cutting down through the rock and formed much of the canyon country we now know today. Mass wasting and erosion of the cliffs produced spectacular buttes, mesas, and plateaus. The geologic history is rich and extensive, if you're interested in a more complete report of this area see http://www.blm.gov/education/colplateau/diversity/ and even though Renee doesn't like it, there's a lot of good information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Plateau. The Colorado Plateau is home of some of the best, if the not THE best wild desert country in the world, take every advantage you can to go and see it.

Laccoliths

2008-11-12T15:47:00.000-08:00

Laccoliths
(and really cool dudes)

Let's talk about laccoliths. First off, what is a laccolith? Where can I find a visible example of one? In response to the first question, according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laccolith a laccolith is an, "igneous intrusion (or concordant pluton) that has been injected between two layers of sedimentary rock. The pressure of the magma is high enough that the overlying strata are forced upward, giving the laccolith a dome or mushroom-like form with a generally planar base." As you can see behind the really cool dudes in this picture there lies a mushroom-like looking mountain, here, in is this case, it is the Blue Mountains, or the Abajo Mountains, in Southeastern Utah (the answer to the second question). As the definition states, a laccolith is an igneous intrusion, thus forming underneath the crust. Magma then pushes the laccolith upward along with the overlying sediment. Over a long period of time the sediment above the laccolith is then weathered away and the harder, igneous rock of the laccolith is left behind, finally exposed.
For another, simple picture of a laccolith see http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Laccolith.svg

How and Where Uranium is Concentrated

2008-11-11T21:07:00.000-08:00

Do you remember when everyone was looking for uranium in Southern Utah? (If you don't check out this site it explains it. http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/mining_and_railroads/southernutahsboomandbusturaniumindustry.html)

Have you ever noticed that uranium mines are all in the same layer of rock? There is actually a scientific reason for that. Uranium is secondary to the rock, this means it was added after the rock was formed. What happens is water is heated up by magma and moves through permeable rocks carrying metals such as uranium. Uranium is soluble (able to be dissolved by water) when water is oxidized (has oxygen in it.) When that oxidized water with Uranium runs into rock with carbonized wood the uranium is dropped because the carbonized wood causes the water to reduce (lose the oxygen). Notice that the mines are all along one layer of rock because the layer was full of carbonized wood. The layers of rock that have this are the Chinle and Morrison formations. In the picture above that greenish color is the Chinle formation that has the uranium mines.

Triassic/Permian

2008-11-04T07:24:00.001-08:00

When we saw the top part of this layer we stopped at "The Neck," on the North East end of Canyon Lands National Park we were actually standing on the Glen Canyon Group which is the upper layers of the Triassic. We were standing in the Navajo Sandstone which looks like great rolling sand dunes, because they are petrified sand dunes. From the neck, if you look east, you can see down into a big canyon and see alot of different layers. The first we see is the Navajo Sandstone which is a white cross-bedded layer, underneath that is the Kayenta Formation. According to the Canyon Lands Pamphlet the rangers gave us in the beginning of the park, the Kayenta is formed from meandering rivers, and there are deposits of lime stones and shales in these layers. The Wingate Formation is right underneath and it is evidence of another really dry time, created by rolling sandstones and this layer too will have the cross-bedding we see in the Navajo. These three layers keep the cliffs pretty sheer and straight due to composition although with the Kayenta it is a bit 'stair step' look to it because of it's lesser Resistance to weathering. As we drop down we come to the lower parts of the Triassic Era and the cliffs turn into steep to shallow slopes usually covered mostly with eroded rock and sediment from the higher layers, but here we see the Chinle formation and the Moenkopi. they are layers of shale, clay, sandstone. They are formed under water and swamps. In the Chinle we find a lot of petrified wood. In that layer as well we find a lot of Uranium.
Here we get to the Permian Era about 250 million years ago. It is best seen as you look around the canyon and see where the shallow slope immediately drops off into anther canyon. There is a white layer of rock that runs around the rim and it is made of sandstone. Sandstone is less resistant, so it creates these crevasses. That layer is the top of the Cutler Group called the White Rim Sandstone.

Green River Overlook

2008-11-04T07:13:00.001-08:00

Coming south east on I-70 through the town of Green River(where the Arby's has a great bathroom according to Renee:) Exit mile 181 at elevation 4782. Walking out to a pavilion looking south the first outcrops we see are the North end of Arches National Park. Also the first visible evidence of the Salt Valley Graben( graben being a German word for Ditch). We have learned already that grabens and Anticlines form in many ways. This one forming from salts deep below the earth's surface moving upward and creating a dome. Cracks at the surface allow water to creep down and dissolve the salt creating a cavern of open unsupported space beneath the ground. The earth collapses and leaves these fins above ground that we can see from this point.

Jurassic

2008-11-04T06:54:00.000-08:00

The Jurassic layer is one of the higher layers we see in the Arches National Park and Canyon lands. The Slickrock Member in the Entrada Sandstone of the Jurassic is where we find the Delicate Arch of the A.N.P The bottom most layer of the Entrada is a layer consisting of silty sandstones called the Dewey Bridge formation. It is easily recognized because of it's pattern of erosion and it's deep red color. It looks like bricks and does not weather flat like a lot of the sandstone but more in a cobble stone look. On top of that sits the Slickrock member who's composition is sandstone, making it weather in sheer straight cliffs. Leaving smooth straight cliffs called "arch formers" that are red in color and have cross-bedding in them. The relationship between these two layers is where the formation of arches begins. The top most layer is called the Moab Tongue. This layer can be seen at the very top of the Delicate Arch, it is a white cross-bedded sandstone.

Entrenched Meanders at Dead Horse Point

2008-10-09T04:59:00.001-07:00

Approximately 10 million years ago, the area now known as the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. It was uplifted by tectonic activity which lifted the area approximately 10 thousand feet in 10 million years. This is a significant amount of uplift in a short period of time. At that time (10 million years ago) the Colorado River was near its base level. Being near its base level, it began to meander. When the Colorado Plateau was uplifted, it caused the river to begin cutting through the underlying rock. As the river attempted to reach its base level, the land was continuously being uplifted. This caused the Colorado River to scour deep trenches into the underlying rock. As the river continued to cut down further into the rock, they became entrenched by the rock. As you can see in the picture, the Colorado River is meandering, and also notice the rock face on each side of the river hundreds of feet high.

Formation of Arches

2008-10-09T04:08:00.000-07:00

For arches to form, there needs to be three main criteria present.

1. first a thin wall of sandstone (as seen in picture) need

to be present. These thin "walls" of sandstone are called fins (see fin formation on blog). These fins allow for the arch to open up all the way through the wall.

2. The next criteria that must be present is that the overlying layer of sandstone must have an underlying layer of shale. Having the less resistant rock underlying the more resistant layer causes the underlying shale to be eroded beneath the sandstone. When the underlying shale is eroded away, there is no support under the sandstone. This causes the sandstone to slowly collapse.

3. The contact between the sandstone and the shale is the third criteria necessary for arch formation (arches form at a contact between overlying sandstone and underlying shale). The second picture shows the contact between the two layers very well along with the early stages of arch formation.

This picture shows the contact between the sandstone

and the shale very well. You can also see, in the

center of the photo the beginning formation of an arch.

Different Types of Arches

2008-10-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

According to Wikapedia "The choice of "bridge" vs "arch" is somewhat arbitrary. The Natural Arch and Bridge Society identifies a bridge as a subtype of arch that is primarily water-formed. By contrast, the Dictionary of Geological Terms defines a natural bridge as a "natural arch that spans a valley of erosion." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_arch#Weather-eroded_arches
While a bridge is one form of an arch, there are actually places in the world where the arch is so big that it is an actually highway on top making it a literal bridge. Carter Caves State Park is a cave eroded arch (made of limestone that has a paved road on top of it.
There are also Coastal Arches that form in two ways, Discordant Coastlines Which form at a 90 degree angle to the water, and Concordant which form parallel to the coast line.
The ones we are all most familiar with are the Natural Arches that from in Arches National Park. There is a cool Description of how they form in this blog, but also at this link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Arch_form.gif

Dead Horse Point

2008-10-07T17:39:00.000-07:00

Dead Horse Point

By: Tania Tolbert

On the last day of our trip we stopped at Dead Horse Point. This lookout is located at the end of a thin peninsula that overlooks many neat things. We learned and observed what entrenched meanders looked like and how they formed. The river in the picture above is the Colorado River and is responsible for creating and cutting the entrenched meanders. We also were able to see the evaporation ponds of a potash mine. This mine is located in the Paradox Formation and creates potassium chloride evaporites. These evaporites are used a crop fertilizers.

Behind me is an anticline (not very visible) and in the distance are the La Sal Mountains.

The Fiery Furnace

2008-10-07T17:01:00.001-07:00

The Fiery Furnace

Day #2

By: Tania Tolbert

On day #2 we went into Arches National Park to the Fiery Furnace. We went on a guided hike with Ranger Matt. While in the Fiery Furnace we were able to get up close and personal with the fins and joints. As you can see in the picture below, we hiked along parallel to the fins. We were also able to see where erosion had taken place along the joints and how it eventually resulted in the formation of fins. Ranger Matt was also very kind to show us the different arches found in the Fiery Furnace (Skull Arch, Surprise Arch, and Pothole Arch), some natural bridges and some plant (Mormon Tea and Junipers) and wildlife (toads, lizards, and ravens). We all had a great time on the hike.....even though Scott had to stay on the trail.

Pictured above is Surprise Arch Nice Fins!!!!!

Flat Irons of the San Rafael

2008-10-05T14:59:00.001-07:00

The San Rafael Swell

Flat Irons

By: Tania Tolbert

Picture taken off of I-70 heading East towards Green River

That's ME!!!!!

The San Rafael Swell is found within the Colorado Plateau and it formed about 60 million years ago due to the Laramide orogeny. During this mountain building event the crust in Utah was warped and formed multiple domes and basins. The San Rafael Swell is one of the domes that formed at that time. Over millions of years differential erosion has occurred and resulted in the formation of many unique land forms. Flat Irons are some of the most popular found on the San Rafael Swell. Flat Irons form from water eroding away at the folded rock layers. As it erodes it forms a "V" shape is created in the resistant rock layers as you can see in the picture. The part of the resistant layer that remains after the erosion process forms a flat iron. It is called a flat iron because it looks like a iron that you iron your clothes with.

Aerial View of the San Rafael Swell

Cretaceous layers in Moab Utah

2008-10-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

The Cretaceous Period (145-65 million years ago)

Through most of the Cretaceous Period, the Eastern half of Utah was covered by an ocean.In the Moab area mainly shales were deposited, resulting in the famous, (infamous) gray, Mancos Shale. If anybody has ever been to Green River Utah, you know what I'm talking about. This area is a reflection of the conditions during this time, an ocean floor basically.
In the earlier strata layers of the Cretaceous period one can find rocks replete with dinosaur fossils. (For a look at the dinosaurs living at this time see: http://geology.utah.gov/utahgeo/dinofossil/dinecret.htm). This layer is also know for it's uranium and vanadium deposits. In the Late Cretaceous the ocean covering Eastern Utah began to recede as the Western part of the continent started to uplift. In the Arches area, as the salt dome of today's Salt Valley Anticline started to uplift, these layers were eroded away. The Cretaceous Period was one of high temperatures, accounting for the rise of the shallow oceans. Flowering plants like the magnolia also began to thrive. For a more in depth look at the climate and more info. on the subject see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretaceous#Climate. The Photo above is a depiction of how the Earth looked during the middle Cretaceous Period.

Stratigraphy and Geological History---Pennsylvanian

2008-10-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

Before this field trip the first thing we had to learn about so we could understand the rest of the geology was the stratigraphy and geological history of the parks we were going to see. Stratigraphy is a part of geology that studies the layers and layering of sedimentary rocks. For more information on what statigraphy is and how it came about check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratigraphy. Lets talk about the lowest layers seen in these parks. They come from the Pennsylvanian Period which is about 310 million years ago. During this time there was a restricted inland sea. This sea left layers of potash, dolomite, gypsum, salt as it went through different evaporative cycles. The salts form the Paradox Formation (see earlier blog entry about this ) . These salts easily deform plastically which is responsible for the salt tectonism of this area. The other formation in this period is the Honaker Trail. This formation has fossiliferous limesone, sandstone, and shale. The Honaker Trail was deposited in a shallow sea and delta. These two formations make up the Hermosa Group. Wow that was a lot of geology and isn't amazing that we had part of the ocean in Moab, UT. Crazy what a couple hundred million year difference makes. This is a picture of the Colorado River and it cut down to the Pennsylvanian period rock.

Upheaval Dome

2008-10-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

Day 3 of your trip we were in Canyonland National Park. We went to Upheaval Dome. What is Upheaval Dome? Salt dome or is it a meteorite crater? One hypothesis geologists have says that it is a salt dome that was created when the salts from the Paradox Formation moved upward. The other hypothesis is a meteorite hit 60 million years ago and when it his it made a depression and then rebound flow made the dome in the middle. Erosion has long since eroded the upper part of the impact crater and its debris. Geologists decided to try and prove which hypothesis was correct. They mapped the rocks of the entire area very carefully. While they were mapping they were looking for faults normal or thrust. If there were normal faults it would be a salt dome, but if they found thrust faults then it would be meteorite caused. They geologist found as they mapped the area that it was all thrust faults. That means that it was meteorite created. Then new proof was found. They found the presence of shocked quartz (quartz fractured in a special way) which is created by a meteorite. Answer to our question of salt dome or meteorite crater...it is a meteorite creator. Check out this site, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upheaval_Dome, for some more pictures and and a summary of what we talked about.

Soft Sediment Deformation

2008-10-01T17:16:00.001-07:00

On day two of our trip in Moab, as we were headed to The Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park we stopped along the road and took this picture. Can you see how the smooth looking upper layer called Slickrock is dipping down into the brick- looking Dewey Bridge layer? What you are seeing is what geologists call soft sediment deformation. Soft sediment deformation is the process of the lower layers of sediments being deposited wet and the weight of the overlying layer of sediments deforming the lower layer of sediments. Isn't that neat? Now you won't look at the picture the same again!

2008-10-01T16:15:00.000-07:00

Potash Mine:

The Potash Mine near Moab Utah is a mine where the evaporate KCl and other salts are mined. The Paradox Formation contains evaporates such as halite (NaCl), potash (KCl 0 and other salts. The Paradox is intensely deformed due to the salt tectonism in the area. So, underground mining is impossible. Instead they drill holes down into the ground and pump water into these holes. They then pump the water to the surface and put it in the evaporation ponds you see in the picture. The water with the dissolved salt in it evaporates and voila! Potash. The evaporation ponds are a really obvious feature from Dead Horst Point.

Slot Canyons, Canyons, Moqui Marbles, Geology Heaven - a report by Jake

2008-09-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the most amazing trip to the Grand Staircase. We went hiking in the slot canyons called Peekaboo, and Spooky. While hiking down there we walked on a huge rock outcropping of sandstone, and I observed the water weathering the rock as it ran down. As we got to these canyons I was able to recognize all the steps that it would take for a natural bridge to form, starting with potholes and flood after flood. It was neat. Going through Spooky, I realized why it was so spooky it got so narrow that we had to walk sideways to fit through it. There were moqui marbles being uncovered everywhere. It was neat to see the principal of how resistant some rocks are compared to others and see that these iron based stones were more resistant so they stuck out of the walls. Sat and pointed out all the things i have learned to the class and taught them about everything from differential weathering to how the Navajo sandstone came to look the way it does, i.e. layering. On the way back up that outcrop of rock I mentioned earlier I saw recognized that the weathering that was happnening where the water was running down the rock was actually the beginning of a baby slot canyon!!! HOW COOL IS THAT?!?

Next we went to the Box of Pine Creek canyon just north of Escalante, and I started was in heaven again being able to look at all the layers, and finding all sorts of rocks. This place had only a alot of igneous rocks and Sedimentary. It was way cool to see how much I have learned from that field trip and a few weeks of class. I think my class got sick of me pointing out all of the cool facts to them. We stopped at the Devil's garden and looked at the HooDoo's there. with the natural bridges. I even taught my class the difference between them. And of course I was pouring acid on every thing:) I had my eye lens and also had my piece of glass so I could clasify.

I LOVE GEOLOGY!!

Springs

2008-09-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

Springs form when water seeps through the overlying layer of sandstone (Slick Rock). Sandstone is a permeable layer of rock meaning that water can flow throughout the rock. When the water reaches a layer of shale which is non-permeable,meaning that water cannot pass through (Dewey Bridge), it follows the contact between the two layers until it escapes. While the water flows between the contacts, it is eroding the rock that it flows through. As the water flows along the contact between the Slick Rock and the Dewey bridge, the Dewey Bridge is eroded. This leaves the Slick Rock with no support underlying it. The result of this is the slick rock collapsing. Small cave-like structures are formed, much like that in the picture. Water continues to flow through the sandstone and along the contact between the two layers. As a result of the water and the loose sediment, vegetation is able to grow.

The Entrada Formation

2008-09-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

The Entrada Formation

The Entrada formation was deposited in the middle Jurassic and is about 175 million years old. The Entrada formation is divided into three members. The bottom layer is known as the Dewey Bridge Member. This layer is directly below the Slickrock Member and consists of brick-red silty sandstone that forms crinkly beds. The middle layer is known as the Slickrock Member. This is the first layer that is visible in the picture (uppermost layer in picture) and is characterized by red cross-bedded sandstone that is responsible for forming cliffs and the world famous arches in Arches National Park. The uppermost layer of the Entrada is the Moab Tongue, which is made up of white cross-bedded sandstone (this is not present in this picture).

Differential Weathering

2008-09-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Balanced Rock in Arches National Park. We came here on day two of our field studies trip and we stopped at the view point for balanced rock. It is great picture of differential weathering. Differential weathering is the process where the harder rock is worn away less rapidly than the softer rock. With Balanced rock the big bolder that that is balanced is part of the Slick Rock layer (sandstone) and the pillar that is balancing it of the Dewey Bridge layer (shale.)The Shale erodes away faster than sandstone because of its composition of clay is easily eroded away by water. The sandstone is more resistant because of the quartz in it. That is the reason why the Dewey Bridge Shale is eroding away faster than that of the Slick rock sandstone. With Balanced Rock in this picture the Dewey Bridge is weathering faster and it breaks apart and crumbles leaving the Slick rock standing on a smaller than its self pillar. Slowly the Dewey Bridge will weather away completely and the Slick Rock bolder will fall because of gravity. Isn't amazing how weathering forces create such beautiful features?

Formation of Fins in Salt Valley Anticline

2008-09-21T18:28:00.000-07:00

Standing on the edge of the Salt Valley Anticline we looked at the depression that had been created by rising salt deep below the earth’s surface within the crust in the Paradox Formation. As it rises it pushes on the layers of rock and sediment above creating a dome like hill on the surface. Big cracks called Joints begin to form and allow water to drain down to the salt level and dissolve the salt. As it dissolves it leaves unsupported space below the other layers, and gravity helps to collapse parts of the upper layers. In Arches National Park, which is part of the S.V.A. We stopped at the Park Avenue Trail Head and Renee continued the story.
The picture is of the Park Avenue Trail Head courtesy of Scott Frost. As the ground collapses it falls in between these joints that were created previously, leaving these gigantic walls of rock. The rock shown here is two different layers, the top, smooth rock is calld the Slick Rock Formation, and underneath it, the more ‘bricky’ looking layer is known as the Dewey Bridge.