Winter 2015
GES183: California Desert Geology
Spring Break Field Trip to Death Valley and Owens Valley
March 21-26, 2015
During the field trip, we will see stunning desert and mountain scenery, and examine
spectacular geology that includes active faults, recent volcanoes, hot springs, rocks that
have been stretched and melted deep in the earth's crust, peaks carved by glaciers, vast
ancient lakebeds that are now huge salt flats, and shifting fields of sand dunes. Along the
way, we'll have a look at some interesting plant and animal communities, investigate how
water comes and goes in one of the world's hottest and driest places, and note how ancient
and modern humans have interacted with this arid environment.
Instructor: Prof. Gail Mahood (mahood@stanford.edu) 207 Braun Hall (Geo Corner)
Teaching Assistant: Molly Witter (mrwitter@stanford.edu)
Field Studies Coordinator: Ian Hagmann (ihagmann@stanford.edu)
1 unit
S/NC
No exams.
Assignments: Attend three preparatory meetings at the end of Winter quarter at which
Prof. Mahood will address trip logistics and provide some geologic background for the trip,
be an active participant on the field trip, and, at the end of the field trip, turn in a journal
documenting things you learned on the trip.
Class Schedule
Meetings: Thursdays 3:15 p.m. in Rm 227 Braun Hall (Bldg 320/GeoCorner). If you can’t
make this meeting time, you can still enroll in the course, but you’ll need to (1) inform
Prof. Mahood you won’t be at the meeting ahead of time, and (2) meet the logistical
deadlines for each class session by meeting individually with Prof. Mahood or the class
T.A. Molly Witter.
Date
Topics
1/15
Informational meeting: Where are we going? How will we spend our days? And
what will we do at night? Come prepared with questions about this desert
road trip!
2/19
Logistics: Equipment list distributed and discussed. Arrangements made for
equipment to rented from Stanford OEP for students needing it.
Lecture: An introduction to the geologic setting of Death Valley and Owens
Valley: Plate tectonics and how it relates to earthquakes, fault-bounded
mountain ranges, volcanoes, and hot springs.
2/26
Logistics: Bring $100 food fee in form of check payable to Stanford University
(adding rental fee for personal camping equipment if necessary). Let T.A. know
of any dietary restrictions. Turn in completed medical and emergency contact
information sheets.
Lecture: Water in the desert: Flash floods, alluvial fans, playas, springs, and
ancient glacial lakes.
3/12
Logistics: Final details about departure on 3/21
Lecture: Desert denizens and plants.
Field Trip
The field trip will assemble at 7:30 a.m. outside the Mitchell Building and leave Stanford
at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday March 21 (the day after the last day of Winter final exams). We
will return Thursday March 26 night (by ~9:00 p.m., barring bad weather or traffic).
Weather on the trip may be hot (100˚F) and sunny, or cold and stormy, as we range from
elevations of -300' to +7,500'. Students must be prepared for bad weather as well as good,
with proper clothing (rain gear, warm clothing in case night-time temperatures drop below
freezing, hiking boots, etc.). We will be camping out and preparing most of our own food.
The first night we will stay in dormitories at the Sierra Adventure Center at Bernasconi
Ranch near Big Pine in Owens Valley. In Death Valley National Park we will camp for
four nights at the Furnace Creek Campground. It has water taps and flush toilets. A
spring-fed swimming pool, showers, and a general store are located at Furnace Creek
Ranch, about a 15-minute walk from the Campground.
A detailed equipment list will be provided. Students will bring their own personal camping
gear (or we will arrange to rent it at student expense through the Stanford Outdoor
Education Program). The GES Department and School of Earth Sciences will supply all
the other necessary equipment, including group tents, as well transportation in vans.
There is a $100 fee for food, but all other costs are covered by the Department and School.
(If the fee is a hardship, let us know, as there is a procedure to get it waived for students
on financial aid.)
Approximate Itinerary (subject to change due to poor weather or road conditions)
3/21
3/22
3/23
3/24
3/25
3/26
Depart Stanford at 8:00 a.m. Long drive to Owens Valley.
Owens Valley, Panamint Valley, Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley
Owens Valley or Searles Basin; return to Stanford by around 9:00 p.m.
Reading Materials
There are no required texts for the course, but if you’d like to do some preparatory
reading, some suggestions are listed below. Most should be available in Branner Earth
Sciences Library.
General audience books on the geology of the areas we will be visiting
Harden DR (2004) California Geology, 2nd ed.
Sharp RP, Glazner A (1997) Geology Underfoot in Death Valley and Owens Valley
Miller MG, Wright LA (2004) Geology of Death Valley National Park
Hunt CB (1975) Death Valley: Geology, Ecology, Archeology
Bateman P, et al., edited by J Putman and G Smith (1995) Deepest Valley: A Guide to
Owens Valley, Its Roadsides, and Mountain Trails, 2nd ed.
Moore JG (2000) Exploring the Highest Sierra
Annual field trip guidebooks by the South Coast Geologic Society (for geologists)
#16 (1988) Geology of the Death Valley Region
#22 (1994) Mojave Desert
#27 (1999) The Long Valley Caldera, Mammoth Lakes, and Owens Valley Region
Recent monographs with collections of primary geologic papers specific to the field trip area
(for specialists):
Calzia, J.P., ed. (2005) Fifty years of Death Valley research; a volume in honor of Lauren
Wright and Bennie Troxel. Earth-Science Reviews, Volume 73
Rehies MC, Hershler R, Miller DM, eds. (2008) Late Cenozoic drainage history of the
southwestern Great Basin and lower Colorado River region; geologic and biotic
perspectives. Geological Society of America Special Paper, Volume 439.
Related general interest books (highly recommended as bedtime reading!)
Mary Austin (1903) The Land of Little Rain (my favorite, and available digitally at
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Literature/Austin/LandOfLittleRain/)
Marc Reisner M (1993) Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water
John McPhee, anything he writes is good, but for the purposes of this class: Basin and
Range and Assembling California