Geological Features Of Death Valley
One of the most unique factors of Death Valley is its thoroughly different geological characteristics. There is volcanic activity, occurrences of erosion and deposition, as well as interesting types of landforms, minerals and rocks that all makes up Death Valley’s complicated, but interesting geological history and features. The current aspect of the geology of Death Valley as well as the shape of its future is all but dull, but how did Death Valley get this, both intriguing and beautiful, landscape?
The present topography and landscape of Death Valley National Park was formed by extremely slow, but major, changes over many many years. The oldest rocks found in Death Valley were formed over 1.7 billion years ago. These rocks date back to …show more content…
One of these types of rocks and sediments includes limestone, found in the Funeral and Panamint Mountains in Death Valley. Limestone is a biogenous type of marine sediment. Biogenous meaning ‘made up of life’, is composed of the hard and rock-like parts of dead organisms, such as the teeth and bones. The reason why geologists believe that Death Valley was once a shallow, warm sea is because limestone is typically formed and found in shallow parts of the …show more content…
Uninterrupted erosion was happening in Death Valley, although it was very slow. While the Earth would sink, the ground adjacent to the sinking part would wear off. As for deposition, water trailing down the mountains would bring down sand and rocks, which would be deposited at the base of the mountain. For example, beneath the surface of Badwater Basin, there is 11,000 feet of layered salt and deposition. Death Valley has been put through some major climate changes throughout the past three million years. Death Valley was part of a group of large lakes during North America’s last Ice Age. However, due to a sudden warming in the climate, the lakes disappeared 10,000 years ago because they evaporated. The lakes left behind large areas of salt deposits. An example of the salt deposits is Badwater Basin. Just 3,000 years ago, a smaller group of lakes occupied the floor of Badwater Basin, although that has vanished by now. Currently, only a small pond is what remains of the
The present topography and landscape of Death Valley National Park was formed by extremely slow, but major, changes over many many years. The oldest rocks found in Death Valley were formed over 1.7 billion years ago. These rocks date back to …show more content…
One of these types of rocks and sediments includes limestone, found in the Funeral and Panamint Mountains in Death Valley. Limestone is a biogenous type of marine sediment. Biogenous meaning ‘made up of life’, is composed of the hard and rock-like parts of dead organisms, such as the teeth and bones. The reason why geologists believe that Death Valley was once a shallow, warm sea is because limestone is typically formed and found in shallow parts of the …show more content…
Uninterrupted erosion was happening in Death Valley, although it was very slow. While the Earth would sink, the ground adjacent to the sinking part would wear off. As for deposition, water trailing down the mountains would bring down sand and rocks, which would be deposited at the base of the mountain. For example, beneath the surface of Badwater Basin, there is 11,000 feet of layered salt and deposition. Death Valley has been put through some major climate changes throughout the past three million years. Death Valley was part of a group of large lakes during North America’s last Ice Age. However, due to a sudden warming in the climate, the lakes disappeared 10,000 years ago because they evaporated. The lakes left behind large areas of salt deposits. An example of the salt deposits is Badwater Basin. Just 3,000 years ago, a smaller group of lakes occupied the floor of Badwater Basin, although that has vanished by now. Currently, only a small pond is what remains of the