photographic field journal

Photographic Field Journal
Fontana Lab: April 2 & April 15-17
Brandon Thrakulchavee
Geography 5
Prof. L. Schmidt
May 6, 2011

Field Trip 1
Coso Volcanic Range
Fossil Falls
Mormon Rocks

Coso Volcanic Range
Cinder Hill is one of the most prominent features in this range of young volcanoes. It is an example of a composite cinder cone and rises over a field of lava beds. One can find formations of intrusive basalt and extrusive lava flows. These signature volcanic features can be seen across the valley to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the West and to the Inyo-White Mountains to the East.
Cinder Hill
Basaltformation

Coso Volcanic Range
The two photos below show some more unique features in the volcanic area. On the left, an extrusive lava flow is circled. You can also see evidence of the landscape changing where the basalt has eroded away to form a gorge at the edge of the desert; and, the grasses growing in an intrusive basalt formation.
Eroded Basalt
Root Wedging

Fossil Falls
Where the Owens River once flowed is a scarred ecosystem. One of the endangered species- water, actually became extinct in the floodplain. What it left behind were these amazing fossils of a former water fall, where the Owens once majestically dropped 200 feet before meandering to Owens Lake. The unique and beautiful shapes at Fossil Falls are due to the once rushing water pounding and smoothing the volcanic basalt.

Fossil Falls
Before Los Angeles grew to be a major metropolis, the Owens River once flowed through here. Without running water some parts of the stream bed are beginning to fade into the surrounding landscape. However, this picture clearly shows the banks of the former flood plain.
Owens River (dry) stream bed and flood plain

Fossil Falls
Examples of metate holes. These were created in the falls by rocks which were captured by a current subsequently weathering the basalt into a pot like hole.

Fossil Falls
The area around Fossil Falls was inhabited by Paiute and Shoshone peoples. They lived a nomadic lifestyle, spending the warmer months in the Sierra foothills and the cooler months near the Owens River. Evidence of their native way of life can still be seen today.
Petroglyphs
(drawings) can be
found on rocks
nearby.
This one depicts
several Big Horn
sheep.

Fossil Falls
Shown here is the foundation for a Native dwelling, known as a house ring. When covered with reeds, this would have provided shelter for the hunter-gatherers.

Fossil Falls
Among the stones found around Fossil Falls are many pieces of obsidian. This igneous rock is created when hot magma cools. It looks and feels like glass, and was used as a valuable tool by the Paiute and Shoshone. You can also see examples of other igneous rocks: basalt (black stones), scoria (red stones), pumice (inset).
PUMICE
BASALT
SCORIA
Obsidian Flake

Mormon Rocks
Officially designated The Rock Candy Mountains, the more common name for these sandstone rock outcroppings is Mormon Rocks. These sandstone rock fault blocks are formed as the pressure of the N. American plate and Pacific slide past each other. The unique shape and pockmarked (inset) texture made this formation an easy sign to travelers ending their journey across the Mojave Desert and into the San Bernardino Valley The moniker honors the early Mormon settlers who found the route through Cajon Pass more pleasing than the original Mojave Indian Trail.

Mormon Rocks
This photo shows a closer image of the granular structure of the Mormon Rocks. This sandstone is more resistant to weathering than the sediment rocks which were around it, making them a prominent geographic feature of the area.
SEDIMENT LAYERS
POCKMARK

Mormon Rocks
This photo shows the stream bed of Cajon Wash the seasonal river which flows past Mormon Rocks.
Of interest, also, is the railroad bridge which crosses the river and suggests the flow of water here can be enough to disrupt our human landscape.
Cajon Wash dry stream bed

Mormon Rocks
While this may look peaceful and iconic, you are actually viewing of photo of one of the most geologically active areas in the world. This is the place where the North American Plate and Pacific Plate meet and slid past one another. The action of this strike/slip, known as the San Andreas, created the rift valley below.
San Andreas Rift Zone

Field Trip 2
Diaz Lake
Mt. Whitney Visitors Center
Keoughs Hot Springs
Mono Lake
Convict Lake
Owens River
Eastern California Museum
Manzanar

Diaz Lake
Diaz Lake is a feature known as a sag pond. A sag pond is created when a large earthquake displaces land and causes it to sink. The land displaced by the 1872 earthquake was enough that the lake filled as Diaz Creek flowed into the sag. Several springs and run off from the nearby Alabama Hills also feed the lake.
Inyo-White Mountains

Diaz Lake
The area around Diaz Lake is representative of what the Owens Valley looked like prior to the export of its river water. This grove of Cottonwood trees is a tell that water is nearby. Also, in this picture are the Alabama Hills which trace to location of the Lone Pine Fault. The dark line along the base of the hills is the Los Angeles Aqueduct.
LOS ANGELES AQUEDUCT
LONE PINE FAULT
COTTONWOOD TREES

Mt. Whitney Interagency Visitor Center
At 14, 505 feet, Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the contiguous forty-eight United States. It is deceiving in the picture, as Mt. Whitney looks lower. However, this is caused by the near Lone Pine Peak looking taller.
Inyo-White Mountains
Mt. Whitney
Alluvial Fan
Sierra Nevada Range
The Inyo-White Mountains form
the eastern side of the Owens
Valley. The key difference
Between the Sierra Nevada and
the White Mountains is their weathering.
The v-shaped valley on the Whites indicate
water erosion, while the u-shaped valleys
on the Sierra Nevada indicate glacial erosion.
Alabama Hills

Mt. Whitney Interagency Visitor Center
From near Big Pine, CA the most southern glacier can still be seen. The Palisades Glacier is currently in retreat.
Palisades Glacier

Keoughs Hot Springs
The hot creek and pools is fed from a spring in the Alabama Foothills. The water is warmed underground through geothermal processes.
Alabama Hills
Hot Spring

Mono Lake
Mono Lake at one time covered nearly 1000 sq. miles. Through drought, evaporation, and recently, diversion Mono Lake currently covers about 66 sq. miles. Protected from diversion, three streams feed this terminal lake. Also, the two islands at the north shore provide a safe breeding ground for seagulls who feed on alkali flies and brine shrimp.
Brine Shrimp
Negit Island
Paoha Island
Mono Lake

Mono Lake
Mono Lakes beauty and unique chemistry helped save it from the fate shared by many others in the Owens Valley. The lake and its watershed are protected and will continue to be an important Eastern California ecosystem.
Ancient Shoreline
Historical shoreline: 6417
Current shoreline : 6383

Mono Lake
Mono Lake is a terminal lake, meaning it has no natural outlet but evaporation. As lake levels dropped these amazing tufa formations were exposed. Tufas are created where a spring vents into the lake. The mixture of fresh water into the lakes unique alkaline, saline, and arsenic rich water creates the otherworldly feature.
Tufa formation

Mono Lake
Glaciated Valley
Panum Crater

Convict Lake
Convict Lake is found between in a cirque left by a glacier. Unique to this area is where uplift has exposed the Sierra Nevadas oldest rocks.
Oldest rocks in
the Sierra Nevada
Convict Lake

Convict Lake
Moraines are left behind whena glacier retreats. They are the debris and rock which a glacier has carved out of the mountains and deposits along the advancing ice.
Terminal moraine
Lateral moraine

Owens River
As Southern California conserves water, more is left to flow naturally. Here is the Owens River near Bishop, CA
This benchmark is an official geodetic survey marker, used for mapping and property purposes.

Owens River
As Southern California conserves water, more is left to flow naturally. Here is the Owens River near Bishop, CA
Swallow nests
Tule Reeds
Owens River

Owens River
The oldest living tree on the planet is native to the Inyo-White Mountains. A bristlecone pine can live over 4500 years. Here is the view of the Bristlecone Pine forests above Bishop, CA
Collection of the Eastern California Museum
Closer image of Bristlecone Pines

Eastern California Museum
I felt this was an interesting artifact because it demonstrates how little control over the local economy and ecology the residents of the Owens Valley have. Its unfortunate how they were taken advantage of by Los Angeles, and how the way of life was altered. I think that the lessons learned from the Owens River/LA Aqueduct should resonate for future generations and how important sustainability is to our survival as a culture and as humans.
The Mono Lake Committee
Collection of the Eastern California Museum

Manzanar
During WW II about 10,000 Americans of Japanese decent were ordered to this concentration
camp for their safety and the fear of their threat to America.
This would have been the location of the warehousing district inside Manzanar.
There were dry and refrigerated storage facilities for imported and exported good.
Manzanar was a working apple orchard.

Manzanar
During WW II about 10,000 Americans of Japanese decent were ordered to this concentration
camp for their safety and the fear of their threat to America.
A glimpse into the life in the camp.
Check Station built by Japanese

In-Transit & Other
Flora
Fauna
Urban Sprawl
Doppler Radar
Rand District
Garlock Fault
Playa
SETI
Water & Power
Solar Plant
Cucamonga Fan

Flora
Burroweed grass
Creosote Bush
Desert Wildflowers
Lilac
Joshua Trees
Yucca Tree
Sage

Fauna
Lorquins Admiral
Alkali Fly
Scorpion (young)
Raven
Canadian Goose
Western Gull
Mallard
Osprey

Urban Sprawl
Leap frog developments are those where the human environment takes advantage of open space by building ahead of and away from current urban areas. This method impacts the natural environment by the inefficient use of space for human comfort.
Leap frog tracts
Introduction of non-native
vegetation

Doppler Radar Tower
The Doppler Radar was first discovered in 1842. Development and use of the technology has been in the fields of aeronautics and meteorology.

Rand Mining District
The Rand Mining District was once a lead producer of gold in California. 20% of the states gold deposits were located at the site. The living ghost towns of Randsburg and Johannesburg line Highway 395, as do these examples of the tailings (useless) dirt and ore from the mines.

Garlock Fault
The Garlock Fault is the second largest fault in California.
Apx. location of fault

Playa
A playa is the remains of a lake bottom. The soil is typically barren and hard, impervious to new plant growth.
Koehn Dry Lake

SETI Site
The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence Institute operates a site in the Owens Valley. The location far from civilization and between the Inyo-White and Sierra Nevada Ranges creates a sort of quiet zone for listening at the stars.

Water & Power
The California Aqueduct brings water from Central California into the Inland Empire and is part of the tremendous effort by Southern Californians to supply this vital resource to the arid south. Other notable aqueducts in this system include the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the Colorado River Aqueduct.
Part of the Owens River/L.A. Aqueduct system, is the development of geothermal- and hydro-power. The generated electricity is carried south power high tension power lines.
DWP High Voltage
Transmission Lines
CA Aqueduct

Water & Power
.
Relief map showing LA DWP
influence in the Owens Valley
A section of steel pipe used to divert
Owens River water to Los Angeles
Collection of the Lone Pine Interagency Visitor Center

Solar Power Plant
Looking like an oasis, the Solar Power plant lays out north of Klines Corner, CA
The solar mirrors
closer up

Cucamonga Alluvial Fan
An alluvial fan is created at the base of ravine where water and runoff leave a mountain valley. Over time sediments are deposited to build this triangular feature at the foot of mountain ranges. The Cucamonga fan, a combination of several depository fans, at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains is the largest in California.
Combined Cucamonga Alluvial Fans

the end
Orographic Effect over the San Bernardino Mountains
Corona around the sun.
Where light is reflected of water vapor in upper
atmosphere

photographic field journal

Education

los angeles

white mountains

owens valley

mormon rocks

owens river

stream bed

flow naturally

terminal lake