Shaver Lake Field Assignment

Melissa Allen

Geology 3 CO-1

Field Assignment

5-22-11

Sierra Nevada's

Primarily Granite Rocks, first laid down in Precambrian times

Was originally on the edge of Northern American continent

The sediment that formed the mountains was first in a shallow sea

During the mid-Paleozoic era, forces from a subduction zone collided the rocks and sediment, creating the continent.

Through many millions of years, all the rock in the area was meta morphed.

Rock

Sediment and Granite rock forms most of Shaver Lakes mountains

Shaver Lake

Shaver Lake, located on Stevenson Creek, is considered an 'artificial lake.'

The actual lake has several streams flowing into it and is man-made.

The lake was formed for the hydroelectric project.

Shaver Lake is formed from a dam from Southern California Edison.

The Lake

Dogwood Trees (Cornus)

Dogwood Trees are mentioned in the bible, though no information I could find on exactly how old they are.

The Dogwood tree was discovered by American botanist William Bactram in 1773.

They are mostly deciduous trees or shrubs and they have thin branches and beautiful flowers.

Dogwood Tree

Not fully bloomed yet!

Manzanita (Arctostaphylos)

Mazanita is an evergreen shrub or tree with smooth red bark and stiff twisting branches.

They are derived from a group of tree's called Madrones and have fossils dating back to 50 mya.

Through millions of years, the descendants of Madrones have created five different shrub species, one of them being Manzanita

Present in the Cretaceous period.

Manzanita

Cedar (Cupressaceae)

Cedar Trees were discovered in the Western Himalayan Mountains, as well as in the Mediterranean region.

These tree's also resemble pine tree's with their needle like leaves.

These trees can live on average of 800 years, though some have lived up too 1400 years!

These trees were present in the Eocene period of the Tertiary era

Cedar

Redwood (Sequioideae)

Redwood Tree's are some of the world's largest tree's.

They also evolved during the Tertiary time with the Cedar tree's.

Redwood's red-brown bark is a non-resinous wood and a bit spongy.

Redwood

Pine (Pinaceae)

Pine tree's are evergreen tree's that are quite resinous.

Pine tree's have tick and scaly bark

These tree's were more abundant during the mid-Cenozoic Era.

Pine

Redwood and Pine

You can see the difference between their bark!

An interesting rock :)

I'm almost completely forgot the name of this, but our family friend has this rock, and I thought it was interesting. Its not from shaver, but our friend lives in shaver :p It's a reverse something rock and I really wish I had written it down! :(

End

:)