The Best Exposure Of Rocks

In site one there was a high proportion of very unspherical rocks. According to this the hypothesis is right, in site two there is a lot more smother rocks medium sized and in site 3 there are very small pebbles which are very smooth and spherical. The pebbles get smoother and rounder while it goes downstream. Due to us only taking about 10 rocks our result may have been not right as there were some pebbles which were largely over sized. Most of the other load is dissolved by solution such as limestone and chalk

The collection of the rocks was based on just picking up the most amount of difference looking rocks that was possible and bringing them home to analyze. This was done for about two months from many difference locations including campgrounds, beaches, rivers, highways as well as construction sites. After about two months there were many rocks so I started to analyze and take out the rocks that were of the same kind. I found many granite, basalt and conglomerate rocks.

Despite a family history of geophysicists and rock enthusiasts, I’ve never found the subject of rocks particularly fascinating. However, an exploration of Earth Science has lead me to the discovery that rocks are actually hidden gems (often literally), and that there’s more to the topic than one would think.

Starved rock and St. Peter Sandstone are an erosional remnant of Ordovician period. These remnants contain Pennsylvanian clastics that survived the washing out of the Illinois River at the end of the Ice Age. Evidence for swift, turbulent, and deep water includes gravel bars and erosional features as high as 160 feet above the current level of the river, massive cross bedded sand, and gravel deposits along the river course.

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.

When the Ouachita Mountains were created, the sediment carried by rivers was sent downward and eroded again. Swamps overfilled with clay and plant remains ended up buried. These remains become valuable products of the valley today- coal and natural gas. This region varies between narrow ridges and flat-topped mountains with rolling or hilly plains split by the river. The Arkansas River was an important means of transportation between the mountains. Present day Batesville, Fort Smith, Clarksville, Russellville, Morrilton, and part of Conway are within this

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)

As I looked out the window, I saw walls of rocks all over the place. I also saw a lot of good rock exposure on the top of the mountain where the rock was to steep for the snow to stick to. You will notice that Mount Baker has an abundance of all sorts of rocks. From the rocks I examined I observed a lot of extrusive igneous rock, metamorphic rock and sedimentary rocks and you will find few places where you can walk continuously from shale or basalt into well-metamorphosed gneiss (Tabor & Haugerud). I observed rocks such as gabbro, shale, and types of extrusive and intrusive igneous rock such as basalt. The ages of the rocks range from about as old as the mountain, which is about 140,000 years old.

First, we must examine the sedimentary formations; when they were formed, how they were formed, and what materials they consist of. About ninety-three to one hundred million years ago, the Western Interior Seaway rolled through the North American continent, eventually reaching the geographical area of today’s Mesa Verde National Park (National Park Service 2005). This sea deposited a thick, hard sandstone base that is called Dakota Sandstone, although this layer is not exposed in the park

A description of the grand canyon rock layers would include the Colorado River running at the bottom of the inner gorge with flats on both sides which consist of tapeat sandstone layers. There is also the Vishnu Complex, consisting of rocks that have been changed by heat and are buried at the lowest layers. These are tilted and are called the “Grand Canyon Supergroup” the Grand Canyon supergroups are at least 12,000 ft in thickness. These rocks or (the “Inner Gorge”) are usally steep and narrow with hard deep cuts in the lower tilted layers which raise above sea level.

This formation is a very fine grain Mississippian limestone. To test to see if this was the Bangor formation we used HCL and because there was a reaction we know its limestone. This formation could also be described as gray in color as well as an average thickness of 700 feet. We see the Bangor until stop eight, where we see a very different vertical bedding. Also different at stop eight is the outcrop no longer reacts with HCL. From this we gathered that we had moved into the Hartselle formation. In the Hartselle Formation, Mississippian aged sandstones are dominant. This particular stop had a large amount of jointing. After the Hartselle, we figured the Pride Mountain Formation would be next, however at stop nine we see the Maury Formation present. This stop focused on the rock located inside the creek. Because we were unable to go into the creek to get the strike and dips, we once again had to do a projected orientation. Also found on this stop were natural sulfur springs, easy to notice with the smell that it gives off. The Maury formation consist of Mississippian- Silurian aged shale. At the next stop, stop 10, we encounter the Ft. Payne formation. Although this area location was thickly vegetated, we were able to conduct the acid test and saw that the HCL reacts in some places but not all. From this we concluded that this was the cherty limestone of the Ft. Payne formation. The following stop, 12, we went up section and arrived at the Maury Formation once again. At the final stop, location 13, we see Ft. Payne Formation. All of the metamorphism and deformation in the southernmost Appalachians can be related to the movement of the thrust sheets and stacks (Higgins,

It is currently the largest exposed granite in the world weighing approximately one trillion pounds; although, only one third of the mountain can be seen as a majority of the mountain expands below ground as far as North Carolina. The enormous pluton mountain, as scientifically identified by geologist, was formed by a complex folding and faulting that had subsequently created the Blue ridge mountains. Though what remains as a mystery to many geologist is as to how such a massive granite mountain has become exposed. Although there are several theories that have been publicated to explain such a phenomena none are substantial or advocated the most. While the origins of Stone Mountain are elusive, the correlations of this landmarks with american history are intricately

The Piedmont is located between the Coastal Plain and the Mountain regions, in the middle region of the state. The origins of Piedmont are French, meaning “foot of the mountain”, because it’s located at the base of the Appalachians Mountains. From the western Coastal Plane to the mountains, the elevations range from about 300 feet to near 1,500 feet (Seaman 2006). The fall line, or fault zone, lies between the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont. The rivers that flow along the fault line are formed from shoals, low waterfalls and rapids. As the rivers flow from the Piedmont to the coastal Plain the rocks become younger and softer. The streams below the fall line are usually lethargic and smooth-flowing. The streams above the fall line are gravelly and shallow, making boating difficult. As for the land, the Piedmont is called a plateau because it is high and mostly flat. Most geologist separate the Piedmont into two different areas because the rock suites are so different. The eastern part, known as the Carolina Slate Belt and then the western part, known as the Inner piedmont. My main area of focus will be the Carolina Slate Belt, with attention to the ancient

Mr. Hyland is trying to find suitable markets for expanding his granite rock business profitably by relinquishing some control of his business. Mr. Hyland is also concerned with achieving a balance between his local business interests and family life in Canada.

     Rocks are classified to make it easier on people to identify them in the future. This can be done by a numerous amount of ways. Each rock type has their own specific ways, but there are two distinct characteristics that apply to all. These are texture and composition. These two, along with many others helps to classify igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.