GEOLOGY 1 – C01FIELD/LAB ASSIGNMENT

PART I

Jaime Cardenas

Squaw Valley, CA and Malibu, CA

I decided to collect my rock samples from Squaw Valley, CA and Malibu, CA. Squaw Valley is small community located in South East Fresno County. It is somewhat of a gateway to Kings Canyon National Park. According to Uhler, most of the mountains and canyons within the park consist of granite, diorite, and monzonite. These rocks, it is explained, formed when molted rock cooled deep within the earth. Malibu is a beach city located along the coast of Southern California. The following are the samples I collected from the rural areas of Squaw Valley and the beach of Malibu.

Sedimentary Rock The first sample I collected came from a cliff in Squaw Valley, CA. I

believe this rock to be an example of sedimentary rock. According to Tarbuck and Lutgens, sedimentary rocks consists of materials that are derived from rocks that endured mechanical weathering. The rock is soft compared to the others I collected. It has fine grains and looks like it consists of calcite. My guess is that this rock represents Limestone.

Sedimentary Rock

The second rock I collected also came from Squaw Valley, CA. It is hard, with fine grains, and has a rose-color to it. I believe this is an example of Chert.

Sedimentary Rock

The third rock sample also comes from Squaw Valley, CA. It has a soft texture, with coarse grains. It is white in color. I believe this to be an example of Dolomite.

Igneous Rock

According to Tarbuck and Lutgens, igneous rock forms when magma cools and solidifies. This fourth rock sample also comes from Squaw Valley, CA. It is coarse in grain texture and dark in color. I believe this rock to be Peridotite.

Metamorphic

According to Tarbuck and Lutgens, metamorphic rocks are produced from preexisting sedimentary, igneous, or even other metamorphic rocks. My last rock sample was collected from the beach in Malibu, CA. It has fine grains, is soft in texture, has a green color to it. I believe this rock to be an example of Serpentinite.

References

Tarbuck, E. J., & Lutgens, F. K. 2008. Earth: An introduction to physical geology. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson Prentice Hall.

Uhler, J. W. 2007. Sequioa and Kings Canyon National Parks Information Page. www.sequoia.national-park.com/info.htm. Retrieved on October 11, 2011.

About: Geology. www.geology.about.com. Retrieved on October 13, 2011.