The Changing Face of the East Mojave Desert
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The Changing Face of the East Mojave Desert Robert E. Reynolds, Editor LSA Associates, Inc. 1650 Spruce Street, Suite 500 Riverside, California 92507 and Abstracts from the 2001 Desert Symposium California State University, Desert Studies Consortium Department of Biological Science California State University, Fullerton Fullerton, California 92834 in association with The Western Center for Archaeology & Paleontology Western Center Community Foundation 1160 University Avenue, Suite G Riverside, California 92521 April 2001 Table of Contents The Changing Face of the East Mojave Desert: Field Trip Guide ........................................................................... 3 Robert E. Reynolds Vertebrate Ichnostratigraphy of the Glen Canyon Group (Jurassic) in Zion National Park, Utah ...........15 Joshua A. Smith and Vincent L. Santucci Bird Footprints from the Miocene of California .........................................................................................................21 William A.S. Sarjeant and Robert E. Reynolds Neogene Erosional Surfaces in the Northeastern Mojave Desert, California .................................................41 Robert E. Reynolds and James Calzia Kelso Depot ..............................................................................................................................................................................44 Valerie Prehoda A Field Investigation of the Clark Mountain Fault Complex, San Bernardino County, California ..........46 David R. Jessey, Don W. Tarman, Miho Waki, and Suzanne M. Baltzer “Borax” Smith and the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad ..........................................................................................50 Stephen P. Mulqueen Climate Variation since 1900 in the Mojave Desert Region ..................................................................................54 Richard Hereford and Robert H. Webb Mojave Desert Invasive Species Awareness ................................................................................................................56 Valerie Prehoda Wolves of Shoshone, Southern Death Valley ..............................................................................................................58 Robert E. Reynolds The Franklin Wells Hectorite Deposit, Inyo County, California ............................................................................61 Greg Wilkerson, Larry Vredenburgh, Thomas J. Serenko, and Ted H. Eyde The Hanging Gardens of Amargosa Canyon ..............................................................................................................65 Maria Lum, Robert E. Reynolds and Andrew Sanders Abstracts from the 2001 Desert Symposium ..............................................................................................................69 Front cover: View north of Salt Spring. The saddle contains the Salt Spring gold mine. Strata and surfaces dip to the east. Quartz monzonite is overlain by Miocene basaltic andesite which in turn is overlain by Proterozoic rocks. Back cover: Eastern Star Mine. Landslide sheets of Paleozoic carbonate rocks interfingering with Miocene siltstone in Shadow Valley Basin have been tilted eastward by listric faulting. Kingston Peak (distant) consists of the 12.4 Ma Kingston pluton, unroofed about 10 Ma. Reynolds, Robert E. (editor). The Changing Face of the East Mojave Desert. ©2001 California State University, Desert Studies Consortium 2 The Changing Face of the East Mojave Desert Reynolds: Field Trip Guide The Changing Face of the East Mojave Desert: Field Trip Guide Robert E. Reynolds, LSA Associates, Inc., 1650 Spruce St. Ste. 500, Riverside, CA 92507 Introduction On this trip we will look at changes to the surface of the clasts have been transported six miles across slopes of 1.5º Mojave Desert from the distant past, the prehistoric and and another six miles across slopes of 2º to 4.º historic past, and the very recent past. We will see tracks of 4.0 (3.3) The outcrop ahead is Teutonia Quartz Monzonite. extinct animals, the paths of ancient avalanches, soil pro- Beyond at 10:00–10:30 and at 2:00 are granitic domes below files and fault scarps that have shaped today’s topography, elevated late Miocene basalt flows. To the right are young wagon tracks from pioneers and argonauts, and the bed of basalt flows roughly coincident with the modern drainage railroads that opened access to mines and tourist resorts. and topography, just slightly elevated by erosion. On the Natural or man-made, all of these events left traces on the skyline at 2:00 are older Pliocene basalt flows which have fragile crust of the Mojave Desert. This guide is the result been severely undercut by erosion. of contributions and discussion from many individuals. Kelbaker Road is surrounded by granitic alluvial fan prod- Special acknowledgment is made to David Miller and David ucts. These granites provide favorable conditions for bio- Bedford, U.S. Geological Survey. We suggest you allocate logic soil crusts (Hereford and Webb, this volume). Basalt three days to enjoy the entire trip. cobbles armor the surface, slowing the rate of erosion on You can help protect natural and cultural resources for pediment surfaces. future generations on federal, state, and private land. Don’t drive off approved roads. View an archaeological or historic 5.6 (1.6) The road bends to the right and ascends toward site from a distance to reduce impacts to the site. Do not the southern part of the Cima volcanic field. The next collect cultural resources: potsherds, flakes and other pre- nine miles provide views of the pediment domes that form historic artifacts or historic remains, including can dumps prominent elements in this part of the eastern Mojave Des- and glass. Fossils are also part of our national heritage and ert landscape. may not be collected. Do not disturb wildlife or plant life; 10.2 (4.6) Slow for an abrupt 90º curve to the right (south). do not pick wildflowers or plants or gather firewood. Take Large inselbergs of granitic gneiss block the view on the only pictures! If you travel to remote areas, be certain that left. The road crosses an active piedmont northwest of the your vehicle has been serviced and carry adequate emer- Cima volcanic field. Alluvial debris from floods are regu- gency supplies, including plenty of water. Tell someone larly plowed from the next two miles of road. Several cones where you are going and when you expect to return. Ar- of the Cima volcanic field are visible on the left. On the chaeological, historical, and natural resources are protected right, Old Dad Mountain is at 12:00 to 2:00 and Soda Lake by law. Severe civil and criminal penalties can be brought is at 2:00. against individuals who damage or destroy resources. You can join and enjoy a volunteer program that helps protect 13.0 (2.8) STOP 1. 17-Mile Point (named because it was resources: ask the Bureau of Land Management, National midway along the 35-mile stretch between Marl Spring on Park Service, and Desert Discovery Center for details. the east and Fort Soda on the west). Petroglyphs in the vicinity may have been left by Native Americans traveling Field Trip Guide on the Mojave Trail. The Old Government Road crosses here at a point between Marl Spring and Fort Rock Spring to the The trip starts at Kelbaker Road, south of Baker, California on Interstate 15. 0.0 (0.0) EXIT freeway at Kelbaker offramp, cross first cattle guard, and go easterly on Kelbaker Road. Notice the “Mojave National Preserve” sign on the right; it is located approximately at the elevation (935’) of the high stand of pluvial Lake Mojave. 1.7 (1.7) Cross a second cattle guard. On the right skyline, Old Dad Mountain at 1:30 and the Cowhole Mountains at 2:30 flank the northern edge of Devils Playground. Climb- ing dunes bury the north flank of Little Cowhole Mountain at 3:00. The Little Cowhole Mountains contain Goodsprings Dolomite above a contact with quartz monzonite. For the next several miles the road crosses Holocene and modern distal fan deposits from the Cima volcanic field, ap- proximately 15 miles east. Well-varnished basaltic boulders and cobbles are scattered across this arkosic surface. These Figure 1. Petroglyph near 17 Mile Point on the Mojave Trail/Old Government Road. The Changing Face of the East Mojave Desert 3 Reynolds: Field Trip Guide Monzonite (TQM) terrane to the east. 19.0 (2.5) Pass the junction on the left with the Aiken Cinder Mine Road, marked by a dirt pile with a sign. Note your mileage for the next turn that leads to the microwave station access road on the right in 0.4 mi. 19.4 (0.4) TURN RIGHT and proceed south toward the transmission towers and microwave complex on the ridge. 21.3 (1.9) Join the powerline road at a complex intersection and proceed south-southwest toward three transmission towers. Continue south along “Radar Ridge” to the micro- Figure 2a (above). View north across Cima volcanic field toward wave station. Kingston Peak. Figure 2b (below). View north toward Cima Dome. Clark Mountain 23.0 (1.7) STOP 2. PARK near the cut at the south side (left); Kessler Peak (right). of the microwave station. The fine-grained sediments in the cut dip approximately 20ºE. The rocks exposed in the cut are primarily TQM, a black gneiss, and large clasts of zircon-bearing tuff with a sanidine-rich lithophayse. Look down to the ridge to the west to a thick sequence of granitic cobbles. Sediments dipping 20ºE suggest that this fault block is in the modestly-tilted Cima terrane. The Cima ter-