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Yosemite Field Trip |
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Sunday morning @ 8:00am - we gather at CSU Stanislaus and wait for two vans to take us into Yosemite National Park.
Dr. Kimyai says "They're late." - From CSU Stanislaus we drive north into Oakdale where we turn east on Hwy. 120/108 toward the Sierra Nevada Range.
Stop 1 - Outside of Knights Ferry. Our first stop was just east of Lovers Leap where I didn't think to take a picture (this one is at our second stop.) At Lovers Leap we see examples of rocks that are a part of the Mehten fm (formation) - formed by stream, sand, gravel, and volcanic activity. They are 10 million years old. They are exposed on the surrounding hills. As we go on the white rocks are volcanic - Valley Spring fm, about 20 million years old. We will also pass rock in the Ione fm - 60 million years old - primarily sand and silt with Lignite in it.
Stop 2 - Outside Knights Ferry - we stop to look at one of the most important rocks of the volcanic time. It is composed of Lignite, it's Andesite, and 9-10 million years old. Lava flow ran like water filling the rivers in this area. These rocks are porous because of the gas in the lava that was trapped in the rocks. Secondary minerals formed also to include Calcite and Opal.
We have turned toward the south on Hwy. 120 after it has split with Hwy. 108. Here we drive past an example of Table Mountains. These resulting flattop mountains are left after lava flowed into river beds and hardened. Then over time the soft sides eroded away leaving the lava in place like this. This area was one of our stops on our field trip through Gold Country a month ago. |
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