 Part of the San Andreas Fault system by Palmdale, California:
in order to get to the Owens valley, we had to leave the Pacific Plate and cross the fault
|
 A cinder cone by Coso Junction, California:
a series of volcanic explosions created rocks called pyroclasts, that eventually settled and formed this small volcanic cone |
 The Fossil Falls by Coso Junction, California:
a waterfall suspended in air, carved out of basalt by a river that was active during the last glaciation |
 The so-called bathtub rings at Owens Lake, California:
a retreating lake left a mark at its edge as a series of rings and ridges of salt |
 The Alabama Hills in Lone Pine, California:
the mechanical and chemical weathering of granite leaves behind fantastic shapes;
because of its scenery, this area has been used as a background for many western movies by the Hollywood industry |
 A glacial valley in Convict Lake, California:
the classic U-shaped valley stands out beyond this glacial lake in the Sierra Nevada |
 Having fun in the Sierra Nevada:
a student was filming an intense snowball fight and suddenly found himself knee-deep in snow |
 Ice starts to melt at Convict Lake:
we brought the spring from Santa Monica to the Sierra Nevada |
 A glacial moraine extending east of the Sierra Nevada:
a complete view of the U-shaped glacial valley and the sediments the glacier left behind |
 A volcanic glass dome, north of Bishop, California:
we have been walking on the rim of a vlcanic dome, looking for obsidian and other volcanic glass |
 Tufa towers in Mono Lake, California:
calcium carbonate-rich springs at the bottom of Mono Lake create this spectacular landscape.
The lake level has been slowly but steadily rising, and many towers are now submerged,
after the city of Los Angeles was forced to decrease its water intake from this area |
 Looking at the outcrop:
sedimentary structures are abundant in these sandstones at Devil's Gate, California |
 The class on the outcrop:
students look for more details! |
 Discussing rocks across the Pacific/North American plate boundary:
what is this rock, and what is it doing there? |
 On a lonely road, on the western edge of Death Valley National Park, California:
we spent a few hours at this location and we did not see anybody around |
