foothill buttes field assignment
TRANSCRIPT
FOOTHILL BUTTES FIELD ASSIGNMENT
Alex Shmatovich
FOOTHILLS AND BUTTES
My house is situated in one of the many small valleys formed by the butte foothills in between Paradise CA, and Oroville CA.
These foothills are medium sized recognizable mountains that sit at the very foot of the Sierra Nevada.
They are the first mountains to rise from the Great Valley floor and reach elevations ranging from 200 – 2,000 feet.
For my field assignment I hiked to the summit of one of these buttes (Steamboat Rock) and retrieved samples of plants, animals and lithography.
Facing east towards the Sierra Nevada
Adams & Eugen (2012)
BRIEF GEOLOGY OF THE AREA
For much of the last 75 million years the area of study has been under a shallow sea.
Sedimentary marine rocks from the sea bed are found in this area as a result.
There are also batholiths. Batholiths are large
formations of volcanic rock caused by the multiple subduction zones along the California fault line.
Michaelsen (2010)
GRAYWACKE/GREYWACKE
I believe this sample to be Graywacke
A dark grey, coarse grained sandstone
Sedimentary A carboniferous marine
rock, it is a remnant of the sea bed
Formed by underwater avalanches called turbidites that churn and mix sediments together
Often found on the edges of continental shelves Schweitzer (2013)
RHYOLITE TUFF/TUFA
I believe this sample to be Rhyolite tuff.
Various colored with a fine to medium grain.
Igneous Rock composed of finer
kinds of volcanic debris that get fused together by heat
Contains many different minerals and particles including quartz, feldspar and glass
Usually accompanied by other types of igneous rock
Schweitzer (2010)
INTERESTING GEOLOGIC FEATURE
I found this incidence all across the upper crest of the Steamboat Rock butte.
A large deposit of Rhyolite Tuff is set on top of a thick layer of Graywacke.
I believe this could be caused by the plutonic intrusion of the super hot Tuff over the pre-existing areas of Graywacke.
Also the Graywacke has been weathered much more, partly because it is softer.
This also indicates that the Tuff is much younger (possibly by millions of years) than the Graywacke.
Tuff
Graywacke
Monroe & Wicander (2012, 2009)
PLANTS AND ANIMALS
This area is home to many different species of plants, insects and animals.
During summer grass dies and turns to yellow but the trees and shrubs stay leafed out.
Ecosystems vary from riparian to dry buttes.
Noted two jackrabbits but couldn’t get a picture in time.
Upper plateau of the Steamboat Rock butte, where multiple game trails can be found
CANYON LIVE OAK: QUERCUS CHRYSOLEPIS
A deciduous tree common to the area with sharp pointed tines on its leaves.
Can reach heights from 6 to 30 meters with a branch span of equal length.
Found throughout the southwestern United States.
Plantae => Tracheobionta => Spermatophyta => Magnoliophyta => Magnoliopsida => Hamamelididae => Fageles => Fagaceae => Quercus => Q. chrysolepis
Peterson (2013)
POISON OAK: TOXICODENDRON DIVERSILOBUM
Small plant characterized by leaves that grow in threes.
Best known for its ability to inflict itchy and painful rashes after contact.
Leaves and twigs have a surface oil that causes an allergic reaction.
May have developed as a defense mechanism
Varies from small shrub to large thick bush.
Twigs and leaves turn red towards the end of summer.
Plantae => Tracheobionta => Spermatophyta => Magnoliophyta => Magnoliopsida => Rosidae => Sapindales => Anacardiaceae => Toxicodendron => T. diversilobum
Peterson (2013)
MANZANITA: ARCTOSTAPHYLOS MANZANITA
Small tree with distinctive red bark that flakes from the tree.
Possesses twisted branches and can grow up to 15 feet.
Healthy specimens feature bright wedge shaped leaves.
This tree was a victim of a wildfire five years ago that came through the area. One of the last reminders of the fire.
Plantae => Tracheobionta => Spermatophyta => Magnoliophyta => Magnoliopsida => Dilleniida => Ericales => Ericaceae => Arctostaphylos => A. manzanita
Peterson (2013)
NORTHERN GATOR LIZARD: ELGARIA COERULEA
A fairly large species of lizard common to the Sierra Nevadas.
Separated from Southern Alligator lizards by stripes on belly and darker eyes.
Enjoys sunny spots with cover nearby.
Often found underneath rocks or logs.
This specimen was found right outside my back door.
Animalia => Chordata => Reptilia => Squamata => Anguidae => Elgaria => E. coerulea
Lizards (2000)
TURKEY VULTURE: CATHARTES AURA
A large bird with a six foot wingspan and brownish black feathers.
Often seen gliding in thermals rarely flapping its wings.
Exclusively a scavenger. Has very keen eyes and
sense of smell to detect kills.
Descended from dinosaurs.Erik (2010)
Animalia => Aves => Falconiformes => Cathartidae => Cathartinae => Cathartes => C. aura
REFERENCES
Adams, R., Eugen, E. (2012). Geology, Soils, and Minerals. http://lf.buttecounty.net/weblink7/ElectronicFile.aspx?docid=768148
Erik, C. (2010). Turkey Vulture. Carolina Raptor Center. http://www.carolinaraptorcenter.org/treetest/turkey-vulture
Identifying California Alligator Lizards, (2000). In CaliforniaHerps.com. http://www.californiaherps.com/identification/lizardsid/elgaria.id.html
Michaelsen J. (2010). Sierra Nevada Physical Geography. UC Santa Barbara. http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~joel/g148_f09/readings/sierra_nevada/sierra_nevada.html
Monroe, J.S., Wicander, R. (2012, 2009). The Changing Earth: Exploring Geology and Evolution, Sixth Edition. Belmont: Brooks/Cole.
Peterson, J.S., (2013). Plants profile: Arctostaphylos manzanita. U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ARMA
Peterson, J.S., (2013). Plants profile: Quercus chrysolepis. U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=QUCH2
Peterson, J.S., (2013). Plants profile: Toxicodentron diversilobum. U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=todi
Schweitzer, P. (2013). Geologic units containing graywacke. U.S. Geologic Survey. http://tin.er.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-lith.php?text=graywacke
Schweitzer, P. (2010). Rhyolitic tuff, tuffaceous rocks, and lava flows. U.S. Geologic Survey. http://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=ORTsf;0