Field Assignment

By:Alex Gutierrez

Summer 2011Geology 1 – Physical Geology

July 31, 2011

Part I

Geological Information• I went out and found my rocks in different types of environments. The rock name chert which is a

sedimentary rock was found in the outsides of Firebaugh, Ca. I found it while working out in the cotton fields I work in. The land is always pretty moist due to the Delta located right by the field. The sun seems to strike a lot stronger because it’s out in the open and it’s all dirt. My granite rock was found in a lake in Arizona. This lake is located in the outsides of Yuma, AZ. For all you that don’t know Yuma is one of the hottest places during the summer. The average heat is about 110 degrees everyday. This part of the lake is a very rocky environment. There are a lot of rocky hills and canyons around the lake. The sandstone rock was actually found close to Hollister, Ca. I actually found this rock while taking the picture of the San Andreas Fault. It was very dry grassy land. Most sandstone rocks are found in a desert environment or dry environments. The dirt is very dry with no moisture. That’s why the rocks look very dry. The white rock that looks like an egg is a rock identified as marble. I found this rock in Santa Maria, Ca. I found it in a beautiful environment. It was a little rocky, but full of nice looking rocks. The temperature around where I found the rocks is always great. It’s about an average of 70 degrees. My last rock was the phyllite rock. I found this rock in my work also. I found this in some tomato fields. It was pretty neat actually. This rock is also located in a very dry environment. The environment is pretty much the same as the chert rock’s environment.

Granite

• Granite is the best known of all igneous rocks. Granite is course grained rock composed of about 25 percent quartz and roughly 65 percent feldspar mostly potassium and sodium rich variables. Granite usually appears light grey in color. Granite covers a large amount of mineral compositions.

Sandstone

• Sandstone is the most abundant sedimentary rock. When determining a sandstone rock a lot of things become a factor. They must determine the sorting, angularity, and the sphericity of the rock. The rock gets its texture and shape when wind, streams, or waves move the particles through the transport.

Chert

• Chert is the name used for a number of different components. Jasper is the one my rock connects to. It’s a red color; the rock gets it’s color from iron oxide. Native americans loved these rocks for spheres or other sharp ended tools. The rock would chip very easily but it would leave very sharp ends.

Phyllite

• The phyllite rock represents the metamorphic rocks. It’s between the slate and schist. You can’t see the minerals on the rock without a microscope. The texture is completely different throughout the different type of rocks. It’s easy to distinguish the difference between slate and schist.

Marble

• Marble is one of the most popular rocks. It’s a metamorphic rock, but most people think of marble and think how expensive it is. Marble is used to create a lot of monuments and statues. Marble is a coarse, crystalline rock whos parent was limestone and dolostone. The original pure marble is white and is made of mineral calcite. Marble is very easy to cut and shape. Acid rain affects marble big time.

Part II

Fault• This is the San Andreas fault located

around Hollister, Ca. As you could see the top picture it has a split between mountains. This is what the fault has done throughout time. It has caused the mountains to separate. The fault always has small shifts. The bottom picture is also another place where the fault crosses thru. You can’t really see anything but the fault crosses throughout that whole fence.

• The San Andreas fault crosses through most of California. It’s been responsible for some huge Earthquakes. It’s been said that a bigger one is due.

Sedimentary E nvironments• Morro Bay is a great example of

marine. In the top right picture you could slightly see Morro rock. This is usually where there is an ocean, and there is life around it.

• The bottom picture is probably the best picture I have ever taken, but it shows the rock and the environment around it.

Weathering Processes

My rocks have both examples included chemical, and mechanical weathering. The rocks that I found either by the beach or the desert are part of the Mechanical weathering process. They are broken down by nature. By this I mean they where broken down by the dry hot weather or the water.

The rocks I found in the cotton and tomato fields, can be mechanical weathering, but I consider them chemical weathering because they where found in land that has had chemicals, fertilizers on them for a lot of years. When growing tomato or cotton or whatever we grow we use a lot of chemicals that the land soaks in. I found these rocks right in the middle of it.

An E xample of E rosion

• This is a picture of a cliff erosion in Pacifica California.

• Erosion is the process by which material is removed from a region of the Earth surface.

An E xample of Mass Wasting• Mass wasting or also known as mass

movement is the geomorphic process by which soil, regolith, and rock down slope moves under the force of gravity.

• Mass wasting can occur a a very slow rate or also a very fast motion. For example in a very fast motion they mean landslides or avalanches. In a slow one they mean more like a heavy rainfall that soaks in and takes longer to affect the rock.

• You see it everywhere. When you see a rock with different shadings it could be because of mass wasting or weathering.

Practical Use of GeologyThis is the Madera Power Plant LLC. It is located about

six mile past my hometown of Firebaugh, Ca. This power plant has been around for a very long time. This plant is responsible for a large part of Madera’s power.

The facility operated from 1987 until 1995 when PG&E purchased the electricity sales contract from the original owners. In early 2000, the power plant was refurbished and restarted by Energy Products of Idaho, which operated the facility until CRES took over in 2004. Community Recycling has been a major fuel supplier to the plant since its restart.

They use large amount of wood fuel and waste paper to keep the plant running. As you can see they strongly rely on our natural resources.

References:

• Earth: An Introduction to physical geology• 10th Edition

• Wikipedia