Geology 103Field AssignmentAlyssa Lopez

Upper Truckee River and Trout Creek Watersheds

● The landform was shaped

primarily by tectonic and glacial processes.

● Present-day landforms were the result of:

– Basin-and-range, fault- bounded blocks

– Glacial erosional/ depositional action (USGS, 2000)

Glaciation● Deep, basin filled deposits

● Steep mountain slopes

● Large, lateral moraines that divide the Trout Creek watershed from the Upper Truckee River watershed

● Basin filled deposits of Trout Creek include stream and glacial deposits (USGS, 2000)

Deterioration● 1870- Early settlers began logging resulting in:

– Stream flow alteration– Erosion– Loss of native flora and fisheries– Modified habitats

● For the past 8,000 years, little is known about Native American impact on the environment (Elliott-Fisk, n.d.)

Lupine● Angiosperm

● From the Fabaceae family/ Plantae kingdom

● Highly common in South and Western North America

● Genus consists of 280 species

● Great companion plant:

– crops that need significant amounts of nitrogen

● Located in North America, New Zealand, parts of Australia, secondary centers of Mediterranean region, and Africa (Lupinus, 2013)

Potentilla● Angiosperm● Also known as Cinquefoil● Plantae kingdom/ Rosaceae

Family● Usually yellow, but can be pink or

white● Grow in cool or cold regions● Most creeping or erect shrubs,

others can be weeds or garden plants

● Usually found throughout Northern continents of the world (Potentilla, 2013)

Angiosperms● Flowering plants● During the Early Cretaceous, the dominance of seedless plants and

gymnosperms ended.● Early Cretaceous, possibly Late Jurassic, angiosperms replaced dominant

plants● Closely related to gymnosperms, but precise ancestry of angiosperms is

still unclear● Since evolution, angiosperms have adapted to nearly every terrestrial

habitats including shallow, coastal waters (Monroe, 2009, p.593)● Continued to diversify throughout the Cenozoic Era along with seedless

vascular plants and gymnosperms (Monroe, 2009, P.632)

Ponderosa Pine ● Pinaceae- Pine family● Found in mountainous areas● Largely distributed through

North America● Pollinates and is flowering● Seeds largely consumed by

smaller animals– Birds, quirrels,

chipmumnks, etc (Oliver, n.d.)

Igneous Granite● Light colored with large grains● Slow crystallization of magma

underneath Earth's crust● Mineral composition gives light

color● Uplifted, overlying sedimentary

rocks were possibly eroded● Composed mainly of quartz and

feldspar with minor amounts of mica, amphiboles and other minerals (King, 2013)

Igneous Andesite● Fine Grained● Extrusive● Composed mainly of:

– Plagioclase– Hornblende– Pyroxene– Biotite (Geology.com,

2013)

ReferencesElliott-Fisk, D.L. (n.d.) Lake Tahoe Case Study. Retrieved from

http://nature.berkeley.edu/stephens-lab/Publications/Elliot%20Fisk%20et

%20al%20Tahoe%20SNEP%20Tahoe%2096.pdf

Geology.com. (2013). Andesite. Retrieved from

http://geology.com/rocks/andesite.shtml

King, H. (2013). Granite. Retrieved from

http://geology.com/rocks/granite.shtml

Lupinus. (2013, May 31). en.Wikipedia.org. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupin

Monroe, J., & Wicander, R. (2009). The Changing Earth: Exploring Geology

and Evolution. Belmont: CA: Brooks/ Cole, Cengage Learning.

Oliver, W.W., & Ryker, R.A. (n.d.). Ponderosa Pine. Retrieved from

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/SPFO/PUBS/SILVICS_MANUAL/Volume_1/pinus/

ponderosa.htm

Potentilla. (2013, May 29). en.Wikipedia.org. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentilla

USGS. (2000, April 12). Surface and Ground Water Characteristics in the

Upper Truckee River and Trout Creek Watersheds. Retrieved from

http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri004001/Text/description.htm

* All pictures taken by author, Alyssa Lopez