Transcript Geology of death valley

General info. & Geology
Prepared By
Mustafa Al Ramadan
Mohammed Darwish
Mohammad Al Mohanna
The hottest, driest
place in North America

Location & Climate

Facts & Information about Death Valley

Overall Geology

Evolution of Death Valley Over Time
Location

It's located on the eastern edge of California,
along the Nevada border, in the Mojave Desert
Location
• It's located on the eastern edge of California, along the
Nevada border, in the Mojave Desert

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The depth and shape of Death Valley influence its summer
temperatures.
Heat radiates back from the rocks and soil, then becomes
trapped in the valley's depths.
Climate data for Death Valley (Furnace Creek Station)
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Record high °F (°C)
88
(31)
97
(36)
102
(39)
111
(44)
122
(50)
128
(53)
134
(57)
127
(53)
123
(51)
113
(45)
98
(37)
88
(31)
134
(57)
Average high °F (°C)
64.9
(18.
3)
73.3
(22.9)
82.1
(27.8)
90.5
(32.5)
100.5
(38.1)
109.9
(43.3)
116.5
(46.9)
114.7
(45.9)
106.5
(41.4)
92.8
(33.8)
77.1
(25.1)
65.2
(18.4)
91.4
(33.0)
Average low °F (°C)
40.0
(4.4
)
46.3
(7.9)
54.8
(12.7)
62.1
(16.7)
72.7
(22.6)
81.2
(27.3)
88.0
(31.1)
85.7
(29.8)
75.6
(24.2)
61.5
(16.4)
48.1
(8.9)
38.3
(3.5)
62.9
(17.2)
Record low °F (°C)
15
(−9)
26
(−3)
26
(−3)
39
(4)
46
(8)
54
(12)
67
(19)
65
(18)
55
(13)
37
(3)
30
(−1)
22
(−6)
15
(−9)
Sunshine hours
217
226
279
330
372
390
403
372
330
310
210
186
3,625
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The area of the Death Valley is 5300 sq.miles
The hottest temperature ever recorded in Death Valley was 57°C in 1913
1913 was also the year that saw Death Valley's coldest temperature 10°C
900 different species of plants exist in the Park (ancient bristlecone
pines & ephemeral spring wildflowers)
Death Valley National Park received 1,064,784 visitors in 2001
The highest mountain in Death Valley National Park is 11,049 foot
Telescope Peak. The vertical drop from the peak to the Badwater Basin
is twice the depth of Grand Canyon.
Native American's have lived in Death Valley and the surrounding area
for around 1000 years. The tribe is now known as the Timbisha
Shoshone.
From 2.6 My to 11 thousand years ago, the floor of Death Valley was
once a lake.
The History of Geology in Death Valley ranges to up to
1 billion years ago
 The extreme topography of Death valley caused:
◦ steep-sided erosional valleys
◦ The construction of alluvial fans
• 35 My ago the uplift of mountain blocks along the
major faults started as a result of stretching and
thinning of the crust, and it continues today.
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N
Satellite image of central Death Valley, (courtesy J.C. Dohrenwend, 2000; north to left).
Steep Sided Valleys
Alluvial Fans
N
Geological Map of Death Valley
• Mainly Dominated by Paleozoic
Sedimentary Rocks
•Precambrian Gneiss
•Pahrump Group:
•Consists of Limestone, Dolomite
and sill intrusion of magma
•Includes stromatolite
•Presence of some Tertiary and Mesozoic
Volcanic and Intrusive rocks.
•Sand dunes and Quaternary alluvium
•Modern Playas and Salt pans

Pre-Cambrian:
◦ Middle Pre-Cambrian
 Continental rifting
 Glacio-marine deposition (explains the
presence of conglomeratic beds)
 shallow to deep marine deposition
 Rapid uplift and erosion
◦ Late Pre-Cambrian
 Thick sedimentary cover over the
continental margin
 Death valley was near the equator
a perfect carbonate factory
Conglomerates made of boulders

Paleozoic:
◦ Early Cambrian
 Thick sedimentary deposition
was still continuing.
 A large period of sedimentary
deposits that lasted all of Paleozoic
◦ Mid-Cambrian to Permian
 Carbonate factory (near equator)
produced large scale carbonate
deposits.
 Alternates of Carbonate shelf
deposits with mud.
 An Unconformity
Striped Butte in Butte Valley.
Steeply tilted limestone, Permian

Mesozoic:
◦ Sea regression and high tectonics
 Sea regression resulted in shallow
marine deposits
 Soon after, the sea completely
withdrew creating a chain of
volcanoes
◦ Thrust faults
 Thrust faulting due to regional
uplift
 Large scale Pluton intrusion
◦ Ear of Dinosaurs in Arid
environment (sand dunes)
Split Cinder Code, Death Valley
Magma A long a RL Fault

Cenozoic:
◦ Lake and River Deposits
 Pleistocene era (2.6 My to 11 Ky)
◦ Major Basin extension (tectonics)
◦ Mountains rise, Alluvial Fans spread
across the valley
◦ Faulting, and development of a 600ft
deep lake

Recent
◦ Alluvial fans, playas, salt pans, dunes
◦ Continued faulting
Lake Manly, Death Valley.
Evaporate Deposits