The Geomorphological Evolution of Tilted Block Mountains
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
EARTH SCIENCES CENTRE GÖTEBORG UNIVERSITY B193 1999 THE GEOMORPHOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF TILTED BLOCK MOUNTAINS - a case study from Sierra Nevada, California Kerstin Ericson Department of Physical Geography GÖTEBORG 1999 GÖTEBORGS UNIVERSITET Institutionen för geovetenskaper Naturgeografi Geovetarcentrum THE GEOMORPHOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF TILTED BLOCK MOUNTAINS - a case study from Sierra Nevada, California Kerstin Ericson ISSN 1400-3821 B193 Projketarabete Göteborg 1999 Postadress Besöksadress Telefo Telfax Earth Sciences Centre Geovetarcentrum Geovetarcentrum 031-773 19 51 031-773 19 86 Göteborg University S-405 30 Göteborg Guldhedsgatan 5A S-405 30 Göteborg SWEDEN “The Ninth Symphony is the Yosemite of music! Great is Granite And Yosemite is its prophet!” Rev. Thomas Starr King 2 Abstract Landscape evolution is complex and extends over a long geological time period where temporal variations in crustal movement, eustatic levels and climate are established factors. Hence, these parameters will determine whether deep weathering, pedimentation, glacial, fluvial or eolian erosion etc. will be the dominating exogenic process. The aim of this study is to describe crystalline bedrock forms in order to genetically classify landforms and evaluate the relative importance of different processes for the present morphology according to this form-process concept. The westward tilted Sierra Nevada batholith was studied owing to its well known and remarkable geological history. The batholith started to form during the early Mesozoic, 210 Ma, and the intrusions took about 130 Ma to complete. At the end of the Cretaceous period Sierra Nevada began its uplift from the sea. Hence periods of orogenic activity such as faulting, uplift and westward tilting succeeded each other during late Cretaceous-early Tertiary. In connection with the orogenic activity deep weathering and subsequent stripping and fluvial incision have remodeled the landscape. During Pleistocene major parts of Sierra Nevada was exposed to heavy glaciation. The gross morphology in Sierra Nevada suggest a structurally controlled landscape exposed to deep weathering. Remnants of saprolites cover parts of the western side of Sierra Nevada and the slopes towards the Central Valley of California. The relief on exposed plateaus suggest that the major landforms in Sierra Nevada are inherited and preserved predating the Pleistocene glaciation. The glacial erosion has been confined to the more elevated High Sierra and has only remodeled the valleys. The study points at important steps in the geomorphic evolution of tilted block mountains which may be applicable to the evolution of formerly glaciated continental margins such as the Scandinavian peninsula and the North American Cordillera. 3 Sammanfattning Landskapsutveckling är komplex och verkar över en lång tidsperiod där temporala variationer i jordskorpans rörelser, eustatiska nivåer samt klimatförändringar är etablerade faktorer. Följaktligen bestämmer dessa parametrar om djupvittring, pedimentation, glacial, fluvial eller eolisk erosion etc. kommer att bli den dominerande exogena processen. Ändamålet med denna studie är att beskriva de kristallina berggrundsformerna för att klassificera landformernas genes och värdera den relativa betydelsen de olika processerna har för den nuvarande morfologin enligt detta form-process begrepp. Den västligt lutande Sierra Nevada batoliten studerades på grund av dess välkända och anmärkningsvärda geologiska bakgrund. Batoliten började formas under tidig Mesozoikum, 210 Ma, och intrusionerna tog cirka 130 Ma att fullfölja. Vid slutet av Krita påbörjade Sierra Nevada upplyftningen från havet. Under sen Krita-tidig Tertiär följde orogenisk aktivitet såsom förkastningar, uplift och västlig lutning på varandra. I samband med den orogena aktiviteten omformade bland annat djupvittring med påföljande stripping och fluvial nedskärning landet. Under Pleistocen var stora delar av Sierra Nevada utsatt för glaciation. Stormorfologin i Sierra Nevada tyder på ett djupvittrat strukturkontrollerat landskap. Saprolitrester täcker delar av den västra sidan av Sierra Nevada samt sluttningarna ner mot Great Valley of California. Reliefen på exponerade platåer påvisar att de huvudsakliga landformerna i Sierra Nevada är nedärvda samt antedaterar den Pleistocena glaciationen. Den glaciala erosionen har varit begränsad till det högre liggande High Sierra och har endast omformat dalarna. Studien påvisar flera viktiga steg i den geomorfologiska utvecklingen av lutande bergsmassiv vilket kan appliceras på utvecklingen av tidigare nedisade kontinentala gränser såsom den Skandinaviska halvön och den Nordamerikanska Cordilleran. 4 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................. 7 2 THE STUDY AREA - SIERRA NEVADA, CALIFORNIA.......................................................................................... 8 2:1 TOPOGRAPHY ..............................................................................................................................................................8 2:2 GEOLOGIC SETTING....................................................................................................................................................8 2:3 PHANEROZOIC EVOLUTION.......................................................................................................................................9 2:3.1 The origin and history of the present geomorphology ............................................................................. 9 2:3.2 Faulting, uplift and westward tilting.........................................................................................................10 2:4 QUATERNARY EVOLUTION AND THE GREAT ICE AGE......................................................................................11 2:5.1 Glacial reshaping of the landscape ...........................................................................................................12 2:6 FORM-PROCESS RELATIONS.....................................................................................................................................14 2:6.2 Bedrock forms related to deep weathering processes and stripping...................................................14 2:6.3 Conditions favorable for glacial erosion..................................................................................................15 2:6.4 Bedrock forms related to glacial erosion..................................................................................................15 3 METHODS .......................................................................................................................................................................16 3:1 DEMARCATION OF STUDY AREAS..........................................................................................................................16 3:2 MAPS AND TOPOGRAPHIC PROFILES.....................................................................................................................16 3:3 FIELD MAPPING.........................................................................................................................................................17 3:4 MANUAL FOR FIELD MAPPING...............................................................................................................................18 4 RESULTS .........................................................................................................................................................................19 4:1 TOPOGRAPHICAL PROFILES OVER TIOGA PASS QUADRANGLE........................................................................19 4:2 TOPOGRAPHICAL PROFILES OF YOSEMITE VALLEY..........................................................................................21 4:3 YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK – FIELD MAPPING.................................................................................................25 4:3.1 Yosemite Valley ..............................................................................................................................................26 4:3.2 Yosemite Valley - weathering forms............................................................................................................26 4:3.3 Yosemite Valley - glacial forms ...................................................................................................................27 4:3.4 Tamarack.........................................................................................................................................................27 4:3.5 Tamarack - weathering forms......................................................................................................................27 4:3.6 Foresta.............................................................................................................................................................28 4:3.7 Foresta - weathering forms ..........................................................................................................................28 4:3.8 Foresta - glacial forms..................................................................................................................................30 4:3.9 Road sections in Yosemite National Park.................................................................................................30 4:4 HETCH HETCHY........................................................................................................................................................31