Laurel Hill Duke Forest Report

Rock Canyon is an excellent site for geologic research and has been investigated by geologists from around Utah and neighboring states. With outstanding extrusions of quartzite, tillite and limestone, it’s a favored destination for hikers, rock climbers and scientists. The quartzite is considered the most unique feature of Rock Canyon as it’s one of the few clear and distinct examples of the sedimentary processes involved with a shallow marine setting. The tillite beneath the quartzite draws attention to the ancient glaciers to the past. In conjunction with the active Wasatch Fault found at its doorstep, Rock Canyon is an important place in Utah for geologists.

The three faults being considered are thought to have influenced the character of some 120,000 square miles. The Big Pine, Garlock, and San Andreas faults are all mutually active, deep, long, and steep and noted as being conjugate shears. In concert, the faults have defined a primary strain pattern of relative east-west extension and north-south shortening of the area of 120,000 square miles. The large region is noted for its deformity, with the source of this being a northeast-southwest counterclockwise compressive couple. The compressive couple was potentially supported through drag as a result of the deep-seated movement of rock material from the Pacific region (Hill & Dibblee, 1953). The interaction of the faults in the San Andreas region since the Jurassic period have served to shape and contour the present geology of the land, while a study of the paleontology of the region likewise requires such knowledge to effectively determine conditions at any given point in time.

Next, we can see that the rock displays a subtle porphyritic texture with plagioclase comprising the phenocrysts. The overall texture of the surrounding groundmass is granoblastic equigranular. Under thin section we also see a weakly defined foliation evidenced in the preferential alignment of actinolite grains and to a lesser extent chlorite grains. Undulose extinction is also observed in quartz indicating the rock was subject to deformation. The normalized quartz, alkali-feldspar, and plagioclase (QAP) values of this rock indicate that it is classified as a grano-diorite according to the IUGS QAPF classification system which is consistent with the hand sample interpretation.

This study classifies the two granites under one unit named the Kilbride Granite, however, the research, which uses both radiometric dating and composition analysis, identifies them as two compositionally separate units with different ages. On the other hand, it is not wrong to say that the granites were related as they are the two latest forming members of the Eastern Red Hills complex. (Bell and Harris, 1986)

One of the major things noticeable from the cross section is that quite a few of the rock layers are over turned, where the older rock layers are above the newer rock layers. This is seen in the contact between the Quartz Monzonite of Papoose Flat and the Campito Formation which is also a disconformity. Next there is some fault zones separating the Camptio, Poleta, and Harkless formations. We then see some more overturned layers with the contacts between Saline Spring Valley Formation (lower and upper members) above the Mule Spring Formation along with some inferred folding. With a normal fault separating the inferred folding event, we see where the overturning occurs. In between the Cambrian layers we see Tertiary Basalt nonconformities also being folded, thus with that we know that the folding event was more recent than the formation of the Basalt. Next there is a large Basalt field with a spot of the Harkless formation. Again we see over tuning as the Basalt field ends there are the Devonian and Mississippian rock Layers on top of the basalt. Separating these overturned layers from the Harkless Formation and the Saline valley Formation (upper member), which are not overturned, is a thrust fault. From this information, there was a major stress event sometime after the Tertiary period causing the rock layers to fold and overturn. And from this stress event and from the folding, normal and thrust faults are formed. Finally we see that there were alluvial and landslide deposits from the Quaternary after the folding, faulting, and over

Below these Carboniferous rocks, Devonian rocks are also exposed. These rocks can be found along the northern edge and southeastern margin of the plateau, where strata is nearly vertical. These two geologic systems have also been subdivided into numerous formations categorized according to their lithologic aspect and the fossil fauna and flora which they

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The land rose up and created a precipitous eastern edge of the batholith and a gentle western edge. 10 million years ago, uplift, which is the vertical rise of Earth’s surface due to natural causes, started to occur and accelerated quickly. Soon, the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range that we know today towered 14,000 feet in elevation. Throughout uplift, cracks formed in the granite of the mountains. They formed due to the pressure that came with the uplift. The erosion that stripped away most of the overlying rocks caused the remaining rock to expand and crack. These cracks are still forming today and they provide a template for future erosion.

This newly exposed rock already had small cracks - weathering and erosion took full advantage of these. Water would creep in and the freeze - thus expanding. This expansion would create more cracks. Wind and water eroded by carrying away particles from cracks like these, as well as from the surface of the rock and any other nooks. Not only did water wash particles away - it also softened the rock which made erosion easier.

Weathering, geologic processes such as erosion, and climatic shifts allow for this immense desert ecosystem to continually evolve and change which has taken place for millions of years. This geologically wealthy environment is composed of alternating flat-lying layers of soft and hard deposits of mostly sedimentary rocks. Interchanging slopes and cliffs along the landscape helped form these layers of rock which can be seen fully exposed in areas of the mesa. Deposition of this landscape mainly occurred during the Permian, Pennsylvanian, Triassic and Jurassic time periods. The assortment of warm hues of sandstone were produced by varying levels of iron oxide minerals during formation.

The basement rocks in the western Slave carton is older than 2.8 Ga and the known oldest rocks are the genesis found along the Acasta River which is about 3.6- 4.0 Ga old, which is estimated using the zircon dating (Isachsen & Bowring, 1994; Padgham,1992). Following by 2.8 - 3.5-Ga old genesis of Point Lake and genesis under the Yellowknife Greenstone belts, which exist over 3 Ga (Isachsen & Bowring, 1994; Padgham,1992). The major rock types include granitic to tonalitic genesis, migmatitic genesis and granodiorites, which have been deformed and metamorphosed (Fyson & Helmstaedt, 1988; Isachsen & Bowring, 1994; Padgham,1992). In the eastern Slave Craton, the basement is not confined but is correlated to the Nd-Pb isotopic boundaries

At the nearby valley wall, there is a distribution of rock lithology including mostly Limestone. The roundness of the samples is all angular, with a mean size of 8.325 cm in diameter. However, the stream bank has more clastic rock samples which have a rounder shape and a smaller mean size of 7.975 cm. These contrasting sections are between alluvium and colluvium data where the alluvium

Starting from county road 550, drivers will take Junctions Creek road which is on county road 204, then they will take a right onto county road 205, which goes around Turtle Lake and then ¼ of a mile the road will turn left into Hidden Valley. Once in Hiding Valley drivers will see two different mountains one of the left and one of the right side of the road. On the left side is a mountain that has a white band of rock (figure 12). This is called the Wingate sandstone also known as the Wingate Formation. The Wingate Sandstone was deposited in the early Jurassic (figure 9a). The Wingate Formation is estimated to be approximately 200 million years old (United States, 2014). On the right side of the road the Wingate is seen at the top of a small mountain. Under the Wingate formation is the Chinle Formation. This formation is very recognizable based on the red color. Additionally, this formation was named by a geologist by the name of Herbert E. Gregory who studied at Yale University. He was the first to name and describe the upper Triassic including the Chinle Formation (figure 9b) (Uncompahgre, 2014).

One piece of this history is the subsurface Paleozoic rocks. Paleozoic rocks are for the most part hidden in the Park despite being in the Colorado Plateau, which is likely due to both erosion, and it being buried in other various rocks. Next is the deposition of the Moenkopi Formation during the early Triassic time period. When North America was still apart of Pangea, the area that was the Colorado Plateau was located within close range of the Equator. 300-600 feet of sand and mud were accumulated during this time, with marine life being included which tells Geologists that the sea sometimes was in the area. The climate at the time was warm, with varying times of humid and dry spells. There is very few beds of the Moenkopi Formation left in the area once again due to erosion. Third is the deposition of the Shinarump Member of the Chinle Formation. This basal conglomerate was deposited on top of the Moenkopi Formation. It is made up of gravel and sand, which indicates that there was water depositing it. The Shinarump Member also averages between 35-50 feet thick. Next in the geological history is the deposition of Chinle beds later in the Triassic time period. When the sea regressed to the west of the area, a large plain was left behind. As the climate changed, so did the environment. Soon grasslands and marshes began to form in the area. During this time hundreds of feet of shaly material accumulated which formed both the Lower Petrified Forest Member and the Upper Petrified Forest Member. In some parts, these two members are separated by the Sonsela Sandstone Member, composed of the most petrified wood compared to all other rock units featured in the Park. The Owl Rock Member is at the top of the Chinle Formation, and completes it. Near the end of the Triassic time period, tectonic activity was occurring heavily in the Arizona basin. In the western sea at this time a chain of volcanoes erupted,

There are only three structural elements within Timber Hill, with the first being the northwest-striking anticline that exhibits very low angle dips on either side of the axial plane. This anticline has a symmetrical shape and folds the Renova Formation. The more significant structural unit is the northwest-southeast striking normal fault that drops the hanging wall by approximately 600 ft. The decline of the hanging wall produced a space above the Sixmile Formation where the Quaternary Talus accumulated. The third structure is a monocline fold that formed on top of the Timber Hill Basalt. This fold formed as a result of an offset produced by the normal