Monday, February 25, 2013

The last stop

The students are already back in Toronto and I am on my way from St. George to Vegas on another gorgeous morning.

It was a great trip with lots of excitement (planned and unplanned), and great company.

Last but not least I would like to acknowledge the most welcome financial support by Imperial Oil.

Below you see Pierre giving an impromptu lecture  on rock mechanics at our last stop (Hoover Dam near Las Vegas).

Thanks to all who came amongst for the ride, and to all who supported us!

Uli

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Snow in Flagstaff

What is this nonsense we woke up to? We left Toronto to get away from the snow and cold. It followed us to Flagstaff! We're headed back to Vegas today where it's apparently 16°C. Great weather to end our trip on!

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Meteorite

The largest meteorite found in meteor crator. It was travelling at 18km/sec (new york to los angeles in 5 minutes!!!)
It weights about 0.5 ton

Tube-like cave

Sam is checking out undercurrents structure.

Bigger spatter cone!



Group picture

Group picture in a small spatter cone

Earthquake!

Emmet is making his own earthquake.



Pasty lava structure

Squeeze-up structure

The local ski bar

Meteor crator museum

Best preserved crator on Earth (not oldest, not biggest BUT best preserved)



Gerry inside the crater

Everyone needs to learn howto take strike and dip

Historic photo of the astronauts training program.

P.R. & J.W. having a blast @ Meteor Crater

The sad end

True love II

The fool on the hill

True love

Microbial mats- stromatolites

Can you determine which way is up?





Model of the Grand Canyon



Thursday, February 21, 2013

Pillow basalts!

Pillow basalts with a felicia's fieldbook to scale

Disappointment

Sam, Tassos, Sadeed, and Pierre wanted the natural hot spring...
It was unfortunate it had to close down.

Slump deposit

Very ancient slump deposit in the Zion park

Normal Fault

Active!! Normal fault
Hanging wall on the left, footwall on the right.

Where to from here.....

And then they were 11.....

Channel

Younger channel cuts through bentonitic clay layer.





Landslide hazard in St. George, Utah

A retaining wall is built at the toe of the landslide. Compressional action of subsurface soil damages commercial and residential properties. It has been ongoing, dramatically, for the last 10 years through creeping processes by underground water.



Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Engineering failed

Tried to stop landslide with concrete pillars.

Failed ...


Vegetated dunes

Vegetated dunes in snow canyon park

Cinder cone hiking

Cinder cone in snow canyon

Dantes View

A geopanorama as seen from Dantes View. use the arrows to move around or zoom in. Follow the link to see a larger version....



View Larger Map

Starry starry sky....

Here a picture of our campsite in the Death Valley at night



and this, is a short time lapse video of the Milkyway moving over our tents. Please view it in HD.




Mexican food!!

Delicious Mexican dinner in St. George, Utah








Salt Flats

Halite evaporites develop below sea level on the lowest part of the states. There is a continuous water supply into the aquifer with no drainage - initiating salt evaporation from below. Vertical crystal growth can be seen on the ridges of these hexagonal salt flats.