Field/Lab Assignment for my Geology 103 Class from Lake Tahoe Community College

1. Sweet Home Alabama's, Ca.
Brett Matthew Bell
Geology 103 Spring 2013

2. •Presentation Contents
Introduction into the Geological Variations within Lone Pine, Ca.
Metamorphic Presence in the Alabama Hills
Animal Life in the Owen’s Valley
Plant Life
Section I
Section II
Section VI
Section III
Section IV
Don’t take Mt. Whitney for Granite
Section V
Section VII
Owens Dry Lakebed
Final Thoughts

4. •Section II
Metamorphic Presence in the Owens Valley
The oldest type of rock found
in theAlabama Hills is
metamorphosedVolcanic rock
which is between
200 MillionYears ago and
150 MillionYears ago.
Orange Colored and
extremely weathered.
Photo Taken by Brett Matthew Bell

5. •Section II
Metamorphic Presence in the Owens Valley
Within theAlabama hills their
are two different types of rocks
so it is important not to get the two
Confused.The bigger, more round,
egg shaped rocks are different
then the metamorphosed volcanic
rock.These egg shaped rocks
are known as monzogranite, a
type of igneous rock.
Photo Taken by Brett Matthew Bell

6. • Mt. Whitney is the tallest
Mountain in the continental
United States at 14,505
feet.
• Is composed of an Igneous
rock known as granite.
• Intrusive
• Same as the granite rocks
found in the Alabama Hills
•Section III
Don’t take Mt. Whitney for Granite
Photo Taken by Brett Matthew Bell

7. • Section III
Don’t take Mt. Whitney for Granite
Mt.Whitney is located in California within the Sierra
Nevada Mountain range. Moulton rock created a sub-
duction during the Cretaceous Period which grew under
the soon to be massive mountain. Slowly over the past 10
million years the Sierra Nevada mountain range was
pushed up.As the mountain grew larger and larger, river
erosion washed away the layers of rock allowing the
granite rock to protrude into the sky as it does today.

8. •Section III
Don’t take Mt. Whitney for Granite
Massive Igneous Granite Mountain tops in the Sierra Nevada’s.
Photo Taken by Brett Matthew Bell

9. •Section IV
Animal Life in the Owen’s Valley
The survival of animals has always been
a constant battle against the
environment in which one lives.
Animals sometimes seem to have it
made at times while it seems some
animals struggle on a daily basis just to
survive the harsh conditions where they
reside. I believe this may be the case
with a few of the animals which reside
in Lone Pine, Ca. and the surrounding
area. It was hot and dry as I walked
through the desert during the couple
weeks I was there and I found that
animal life seemed to be extremely
minimal compared to the life which I
am use to here in South LakeTahoe.

10. •Section IV
Animal Life in the Owen’s Valley
Photo from: pinker.wjh.harvard.edu
The blue belly lizard can be found
in parts all over California. I spent
a couple hours trying to hunt
some down and catch one to take
a picture but it was extremely
difficult due to their agility and
speed.These attributes are
probably extremely vital in order
for them to survive because in this
environment, it is a constant
battle for food. Being slow could
ultimately cost one it’s life.
Blue Belly Lizard
(Western Fence Lizard)

11. •Section IV
Animal Life in the Owen’s Valley
While in the field I noticed a jackrabbit
running across the rough terrain in the
Alabama hills. He was too quick for me to
grab a quick picture but the one I saw was
almost identical to the one in the picture.
What I noticed about this rabbit was his big
size. I have always had this conception of cute
little bunnies but this rabbit was the exact
opposite. I am assuming that evolution has
caused this rabbit to grow in size in order to
survive the conditions.The bigger size
probably gives the rabbit an advantage from
others which could potentially be preying on
him. Good thing I left the dog at home
during my field day!
Jackrabbit
(Hare)
Picture taken from: www.flickr.com

12. •Section V
Plant Life
It is amazing to see that
plants, similar to
animals, have been able
to adapt to climates in
order to survive as well.
I noticed that it was
really dry while I was
here; however, plants
were still blooming and
cactus seemed to be
growing just fine.
Photo Taken by Brett Matthew Bell

13. • Opuntia humifusa Cactus
•Section V
Plant Life
Photo Taken by Brett Matthew Bell
13

14. •Section V-I
Plant Life
Photo Taken by Brett Matthew Bell

15. •Section V-II
Plant Life
Photo Taken by Brett Matthew Bell
Yerba Mansa Flowers

16. •Section V
Plant Life
Yerba Mansa Flower Fun Facts
• Yerba Mansa means “Fire andWater”
• Can help sooth insect bites, blisters, ring worm, & sunburn
• Can be used externally for sore, aching muscles
• Can be used internally via yerba Mansa tea
• Internal use helps colds, lung problems, cystitis, & stomach aches
• The Native Americans introduced it to Spanish Settlers
• Grows mainly in alkaline wetlands
Works Cited: "The Medicinal Plant of Our Past
,Present and Future."

17. Owens Lake was once a
beautiful, vibrant body of water
located in the heart of the
Owens Valley. Today, it can
account for the “single largest
source of dust pollution in the
nation” (Source). When I asked
a local resident how they felt
about the lake I got a response
of “I wish Los Angeles County
never stole our water in the late
1920’s because it would have
been so beautiful here. At least
the thief's decided to slowly give
us some water back into the
lake.” (Hnizdil)
•Section VI
Owens Dry Lake Bed
Photo Taken by Brett Matthew Bell

18. Photo Taken by Brett Matthew Bell
•Section VI
Owens Dry Lake Bed

19. •Section VI
• Owens Dry Lake Bed
“During the last period of glaciation in the Sierra Nevada
the nose of the glaciers reached into the Owens Valley
only to be melted by the desert heat.” (Owens Dry Lake)
The water which melted from these glaciers flowed into
the Owens Valley creating a lake which was once nearly
40 feet deep. Today, it is nothing more then a small pond
on a giant piece of small rocks and sediments.

20. Photo Taken by Brett Matthew Bell
Owens Dry Lake Bed
•Section VI

21. •Section VII
Final Thoughts
After traveling down to lone pine for a couple weeks I was able to reflect
on how driving just a few hours away from home can change my entire
quarter in school.The world is constantly ever changing as time continues
on.With the destruction of habitats brings life and new habitats for plants
and animals.Today, the elevation of Mt.Whitney is 14,505 feet but who
knows how tall it will be tomorrow. It took millions of years for this
enormous igneous rock to grow and it continues to grow today. Earth is
constantly reshaping and moving every second of everyday and I have spent
my entire 25 years of life never thinking twice about it, until now. I got to
see first hand that humans may think that they are in control of earth;
however, mother nature will always have the upper hand between
volcanoes, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc. Both land and sea is always dancing
with one another 24 hours a day.Thank you for viewing my journey out in
the field of Lone Pine, California.

22. Works Cited
• "Alabama Hills." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 June 2013.
• Desert Jackrabbit. N.d. Photograph. Death Valley, California. Flickr. Web. 21
June 2013. <www.flickr.com>.
• Hnizdil, Adrianne“Interview with Local." Personal interview. 23 May 2013.
• "Owens Dry Lake." Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce. N.p., n.d. Web. 22
June 2013. <http://www.lonepinechamber.org/sightseeing/owens-
lake.html>.
• "Owens Lake." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 June 2013.
• Pinker, Steven. Harvard University. About.com, n.d. Web. 21 June 2013.
• "The Medicinal Plant of Our Past ,Present and Future." Yerba Mansa. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 21 June 2013.