Lab field assignment (geology)

LAB/FIELD ASSIGNMENT:
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
REGION
PRESENTED BY: M. FLAHERTY

INTRODUCTION
This presentation is to provide as much information as possible
on the various aspects of the greater Sacramento area,
specifically Folsom, California. Research is comprised of history
of the area, chosen elements (e.g. Colorado Pikeminnow*, North
American Beaver; and Milk Thistle) their history, evolutionary
changes and current living environments. Three different
indigenous rocks were studied, providing formation and
elemental make-up information, how, why and where they were
formed.

FOLSOM,
CALIFORNIA
HISTORY:
In Northern California, commonly found in many
different areas of California is Granite, a Tertiary and
Quaternary volcanic rocks.
• Northern Sacramento Valley is a result of complex
geologic processes that have shaped the valley,
mountains, and the unseen subsurface sediments
over millions of years.
• The Sacramento Valley was born in the Cenozoic era,
meaning “new life” and also referred to as “Age of
Mammals.”
• It is the most recent of the three Phanerozoic era’s
after the Mesozoic era.
• To date this area dates back to 66 million years ago.
(Cenozoic Era, n.d.)
Picture of Folsom Lake; Courtesy of Getty Images; with stream
sound attached

HISTORY AND
CONDITIONS OF
SACRAMENTO
Arial view of Folsom Lake w/Bridge
 The elevation of Sacramento increases northward, ranging
from around 40 feet mean sea level (ft-msl) near the Sutter
Buttes to about 240 ft-msl near Red Bluff. The elevation of
the surrounding mountains ranges from 10,456 ft-msl at
Lassen Peak in the Cascade Range to an average peak
elevation of about 6,500 ft-msl in the Coast Ranges.
(Geology of the Northern Sacramento Valley, California,
2014)
 The Sacramento area is a Mediterranean type of climate
with hot dry summers and cold & wet winters. During the
Cenozoic era was cooler than the hottest part of the
Paleozoic, it was much warmer than today. Oxygen isotope
ratios show the ocean was 10° to 15° Celsius warmer than
today. For Americans who know nothing of metric units,
that's 18°-27° Fahrenheit warmer than now. (Geology of the
Northern Sacramento Valley, California, 2014)
 Folsom Lake is actually a reservoir on the American
(Sacramento) River is a fairly young river; the borders of its
watershed began to form only a few million years ago as
magma welling up below the Earth's crust pushed up by
the Pacific Plate colliding with the North American
Plate caused the formation of the Sierra Nevada. The
northern part of the Sacramento watershed is more ancient,
and was formed by intense volcanic activity over 25 million
years ago, resulting in lava flows that covered and created
the Modoc Plateau, through which the Pit River flows. Mount
Shasta and Lassen Peak are among the numerous Cascade

COLORADO
PIKEMINNOW
(PTYCHOLCHEILUS LUCIUS)
 Also called the Colorado Squawfish
 Native to Colorado River
 Belongs to the Cyprinidae family
 It is predatory and length of the Colorado
pikeminnow is 52.5 cm (20.7 in) with the
longest reported length being 180 cm (70.9
in).
 High on the IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species and is an Endangered Species by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the
Endangered Species Act in 1967. The
pikeminnow was given full protection under
the Endangered Species act in 1973.
• (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, n.d.)
Colorado Pikeminnow is a holding tank; with bubbling sounds attached
*Note: Due to lack of historical information on the Sacramento
Pikeminnow, the Colorado Pikeminnow was used as they share close
traits and information.

HOW & WHY
DID THEY EVOLVE?
 Coming from a long lineage of the
cyprinids are thought to have
evolved over three million years ago
 Emerging during the Cenozoic Era
(66 million y/a to present; in the
Tertiary period; during the Pliocene
epoch (5 to 2 million y/a).
 Arriving in the New World from Asia
during the aforementioned era, by
way of shifts in landmasses and
changes in currents.

ADAPTATIONS OF COLORADO SQUAWFISH?
• ADAPTATIONS?
 Growth from small sized to larger to
avoid/reduce predation from larger species
 Long distance movements for reproduction,
feeding and other unknown reasons
 From salt waters to fresh, as well as colder
climate to warmer and then back depending
on season. Colder for spawning, warmer for
feeding and living
 Noticeable physical changes as noted in
picture to left.
• (Martin & Bonett, 2015)

NORTH AMERICAN
BEAVER
(CASTER CANADENSIS)
 Also known as just “Beaver”
 Native to North America and to
Patagonia in South America and some
European countries (e.g. Finland)
 Belongs to the Castoridae family
 Adults usually weigh from 11 to 32 kg
(24 to 71 lb), with 20 kg (44 lb) being
typical (but vary in different regions in
USA)
 Low on the IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species
• Wikipedia, 2019
N. American Beaver in woods; with Beaver sounds attached

EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF
NORTH AMERICAN BEAVER
• Most people believe there is only one kind of beaver when in fact there are two very different and separate
species Eurasia Beaver (Castor fiber) and the North America Beaver (Castor canadensis).
• Both species are even more distant as species than Darwin’s examples; they have different number of
chromosomes (48 in European and 40 in N. American)
• There is no known hybridization of the two species and assumed no viable offspring can be produced. (On
the Origins of the Beaver, 2015)
• There is however common ancestry. Approximately 7.5 million years ago the N. American species branched
off (during the Miocene period) of Europe as it migrated to N. American from Asia. (On the Origins of the
Beaver, 2015)
• Both European and N. American species have one common ancestor dating back to the Cretaceous period
(145.5 to 66 million years ago) (On the Origins of the Beaver, 2015)
• Adaptation: N. American beavers have been able to adapt to various parts of the country (cold to warm
waters) with various fur lengths (short and long) and their ability to create castoreum, making its fur
waterproof. (On the Origins of the Beaver, 2015)
• They are also able to adapt to streams, lakes, rivers and tidal river deltas creating a air and water tight dam to
protect them from outer temperatures during winter and predators. (On the Origins of the Beaver, 2015)

NORTH AMERICAN BEAVER

MILK THISTLE
(SILYBUM MARIANUM)
 Also known as Blessed Milk thistle,
Marian thistle; Mary thistle; St.
Mary’s thistle; Mediterranean Milk
thistle; Variegated thistle or Scotch
thistle
 Originally native to Southern Europe
through Asia. Now found
throughout the world.
 Belongs to the Asteraceae family
 Milk thistles can grow to be 30 to
200 cm (12 to 79 in) tall, and have
an overall conical shape. The
approximate maximum base
diameter is 160 cm (63 in). The
stem is grooved and more or less
cottony. The largest specimens have
hollow stems.
Milk Thistle in full bloom; with nature sounds attached

NORTH MILK THISTLE
• Thought to originate from southeast England through Asia to North America as well as
Iran, Australia and New Zealand where it is believed to be an invasive weed.
Exkursionsflora Fuer Kreta by Jahn & Schoenfelder (1995, page 326) states that the
distribution is Mediterranean-near east. They quote it as a native plant of Crete, Greece.
(Wikipedia, 2019)
• Traditional milk thistle extract is made from the seeds, which contains approximately 4–
6% silymarin. (Wikipedia, 2019)
• Milk thistle has been used for a number of purposes including treatment of liver disease,
prevention and treatment of cancer, and supportive treatment of poisoning from death-
cap mushrooms. (Wikipedia, 2019)
• Milk thistle has also been known to be used as food. The roots can be eaten raw or boiled
and buttered or par-boiled and roasted. The spiny bracts on the flower head were eaten
in the past like globe artichoke. (Wikipedia, 2019)
• Because of potassium nitrate content, the plant has been found to be toxic to cattle and
sheep. (Wikipedia, 2019)

GRANITE:
IGNEOUS ROCK COMPARISON
Igneous “Granite” Rock on hillside in Cameron Park; Rock slide sounds attached Folsom State Prison barrier wall and Tower 1; wall is made of Granite rock

GRANITE:
IGNEOUS ROCK COMPARISON
• HOW DO THEY DIFFER?
• In both pictures of granite rocks there is a
noticeable difference due to various minerals
causing them to be different.
• The large rock on the left is comprised of a
majority of quartz and feldspar (opaque white)
minerals. The black specks within are
amphibole grains. This could be due to a lack
of chemical components needed to form
amphibole, or the cooling process was not
amenable to formation of amphiboles. (Noce,
2016)
• The large brick shape rocks used to build
Folsom State Prison are equal parts black and
white quartz. It contains equal parts of quartz
and feldspar and amphibole which make it
speckled. One of the most common types of
granite found in California. (Noce, 2016)
• HOW WERE THEY FORMED?
• Intrusive rocks occur as magma cools, minerals
crystalize, and the resulting rock is
characterized by a texture of interlocking
mineral grains, when magma cools slowly
beneath the surface. (Monroe & Wicander, p.18)
• Magma is less dense than the rock from which
it formed, so it tends to rise towards the
surface, but much of it cools and crystalizes for
underground. All igneous rocks ultimately
come from magma, but two separate processes
account for them. (Monroe & Wicander, p.88)
• I believe Granite is part of the Law of Original
Horizontally and to be a disconformity type of
unconformity.

ALLUVIUM
(QUATERNARY)
 Quaternary is the current and recent of three
periods of the Cenozoic era.
 Alluvium is the depositing of sediment,
poorly sorted sands, gravels and boulders.
 I believe this to be part of the Law of
Superposition and an paraconformity.
 Quaternary Alluvium occurs/d between 2.58
million to .012 million years ago.
 Tightly compacted and under pressure.
• Quaternary Alluvium (n.d.)
Close up of Quaternary rock; rock slide sound attached

QUATERNARY ALLUVIUM
• 2.6 million years of the Quaternary
represents a time which
recognizable humans existed.
• There has been relatively minor
changes in distribution of
continents due to plate tectonics.
• Emergence of the Strait of
Bosphorus and Skagerrak
• Different shorelines have existed
over the course of Quaternary
period.
• CLIMATE?
• Periodic glaciations with continental
glaciers moved as far from the
poles as 40 degrees.
• Major extinction of mammals in
Northern areas at the end of the
Pleistocene Epoch
• Sabor-toothed cats, mammoths,
mastodons, glyptodonts went
extinct worldwide
• Horses, camels and American
cheetahs went extinct in North
America.

RHYOLITE ROCK
(EXTRUSIVE IGNEOUS ROCK)
• Rhyolite, an extrusive igneous rock
contains very high amounts of silica.
• It is a felsic rock and I believe is part of
the Law of Included Fragments and a
disconformity.
• Used as Pumice stone.
• Generally pink or grey in color, grains
so small they are unable to be seen by
the naked eye.
• Made of quartz, plagioclase, sanidine,
hornblende and biotite.
• Gases trapped while forming can
produce “vugs” which often contain
crystals, opal or glassy materials.
• (King, 2019)

RHYOLITE ROCKS - DETAILS
• Many rhyolites form because of granitic magma, partially
cooled quickly in the subsurface of Earth. Rocks with two sizes
of grain can form from magmas erupting. Large crystals
forming beneath the surface are called phenocrysts, small
crystals called groundmass’s are formed at the surface.
• Rhyolite forms within continental or continental-margin
volcanic eruptions where granitic magma has reached the
surface. Oceanic eruptions rarely produce rhyolite.
• This rock, to me appears to be actual rhyolite because of its
fine grain (aphanitic texture) and its smooth surface with a
band-ish lines running through it.

REFERENCES (IN ORDER OF USE)
 Folsom Lake & Bridge picture, courtesy of Getty Images;
https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+northern+California+secram
ento+area&
tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjs2ZXRgqbiAhWOHXwKHc3vAyoQ
7Al6BAg JEA8&biw=1389&bih= 794#imgrc=nl4XxNyH8ROlDM
 Cenozoic Era, (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/cenozoic/cenozoic.php
 Ariel picture of Folsom Lake; https://images.app.goo.gl/m7mpFvLmRDAEXNKw9
 Geology of the Northern Sacramento Valley, California, 2014
https://cawaterlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/050Geology-of-th-
Northern- Sacramento-Valley.pdf
 John Baez, 2006. Retrieved from http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/temperature/
 Sacramento River. (2019, May 07). Retrieved from
https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento_River

REFERENCES CONT.
 Ronbonett.weebly.com. (2019). [online] Available at:
https://ronbonett.weebly.com/uploads/2/2/8/5/22856406/martin_and_bonett_mp
e_2015.pdf [Accessed 20 May 2019].
 North American Beaver, picture provided by PowerPoint picture search
 North American beaver. (2019, May 09). Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_beaver
 On the origins of the beaver. (2015, February 13). Retrieved from
http://dolly.jorgensenweb.net/nordicnature/?p=2099
 Milk Thistle Plant, picture provided by PowerPoint picture search
 Silybum marianum. (2019, April 16). Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silybum_marianum
 Granite Rock and building of Folsom State Prison, picture provided by PowerPoint
picture search

REFERENCES CONT.
 Nace, T. (2016, June 06). Why Granite Colors Range From White To Black. Retrieved
from https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2016/06/05/granite-
colors-white-black- countertops/#459812177b98
 Alluvium, Quaterary Rock, picture provided by PowerPoint picture search
 Quaternary Alluvium (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://westerncordillera.com/quaternary_alluvium.htm
 Quaternary. (2019, April 24). Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaternary
 Rhyolite. (n.d.) and picture. Retrieved from
https://geology.com/rocks/rhyolite.shtml

Lab field assignment (geology)

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Similar to Lab field assignment (geology) (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

Lab field assignment (geology)