Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Laverkin-Zion Spiral: a QUATERNARY Dynamics Portrait

EARTH SCIENCE postings from www.googleearth.com are reported in blogsites in: www.PorOgle.blogspot.com for other locations. THE ARTIFICIAL LINES ON THE PHOTO ABOVE ARE MY DRAWINGS FOR A LOCATION OF THE ZION SPIRAL- WHICH ROTATES AND "RIPS" ALL THE WAY TO THE TOWN OF LAVERKIN, PARTLY ALONG THE LAVERKIN CREEK, EAST OF THE TOQUERVILLE BLOCK FAULTING. THIS ADVANCING LATERAL FAULT IS SLOW (ON THE ORDER OF 1 MM/YEAR), BUT THE "RIP" OR TEAR IS DUE TO THE UPLIFT OF THE ZION HIGHLANDS, WHERE THE RISE CREATES THE TEAR (ADVANCING ABOUT 1 FOOT/YEAR). WE WILL SHOW WHERE THIS "RIP" MANIFESTS ITSELF ALONG THE HURRICANE FAULT, Hf:
This edition pertains to a circulating Crustal Feature, occurring now in the Zion National Park, and which has been creating canyons from the Great White Throne to the Laverkin Creek flowing through the town of Laverkin, Utah. We will dub this entity LZ- the Burden Qao, after the Quarry found at its aftershock operation in the local river bottoms. A photo is shown below, from Google Earth, which shows the trace of the great spiral exiting ZNP- creating canyons and vulcanism in its path.
BELOW IS THE PORTION OF THE SPIRAL TERMINATING IN THE QUARRY AND NEARBY GOUGE ZONE OF MESOZOIC SEDIMENTARY ROCKS:AND BELOW IS A DIGITAL PHOTO OF THE DISRUPTED AREA, NEAR THE SWITCHBACKS AT HIWAY 9 (ABOVE LAVERKIN TOWN): ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE OF THIS AREA, TAKEN FROM HIWAY 9 (TO ZION NP) IS SHOWN BELOW. THIS WILL BE AUGMENTED WITH DIGITAL PHOTOS:
BELOW IS A DIGITAL PHOTO OF THE LAVERKIN GRABEN, WHERE THE ZION SPIRAL IS ADVANCING RAPIDLY- YIELDING WIDENING GRABENS AND OPEN FRACTURES:
THE SEDIMENTS DEPOSITED RECENTLY (QUATERNARY) ARE FINE GRAINED- SHOWING THAT THE TERRACES WERE RELATIVELY FLAT AND LEVEL, AND HAD FEW BOULDERS OR COBBLES WHICH WOULD INDICATE STEEP SLOPES (LOOK AT WALLS IN THE TRENCH):
WHEN YOU TREK UPHILL FROM THE OBVIOUS GRABEN, THE ADVANCING "RIP" BECOMES VERY SUBTLE- YIELDING SEVERAL SPLAYS, WHICH WARRANT NO SUSPICION. THE "RIP" RESULTS IN A WIDENING VALLEY, WITH SHATTERED ROCK (LIMESTONE):

All this is hard to believe, but a fore-runner to this analysis is shown for the Aleutian chain, Alaska, which shows an easily-seen feature occurring on the sea bottom, north of the islands of the Aleutians, and which is being dragged by the SW- rotating chain. This is occurring now, but appears to have started after the asteroid strike occurring at the boundary of the Cretaceous to Tertiary periods, KT.

ANOTHER REFERENCE FOR ALL THIS IS THE MENDOCINO, CA ROTATION ABOUT THE 40N BULGE BOUNDARY (SIMILAR TO THE ELEVATION BULGE AT Hf), WHERE THE THICKER CRUST ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE 40N LATITUDE CREATES A ROTATION ABOUT THE WESTWARD SHEARING ZONE AT THE 40N LINEAR:
BELOW IS A MODEL FOR THE ELLIPTICAL CASE OF CORIOLIS ROTATIONS- IN THIS CASE, THERE IS THE COMPLICATION OF THE SIERRAS MOUNTAIN CHAIN CAUSING THE DRAG TO THE WEST, BETWEEN MENDOCINO 40N LATITUDE AND THE BASIN AND RANGE, B&R, ROTATING CW- OPPOSITELY TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE SIERRAS CCW ROTATION: BELOW IS A LOCATION MAP OF THE CA-DV, NV AREA, SHOWING THE GREAT CELLS WHICH ARE DETERMINING THE INTERFERENCE THERE:
THE DEATH VALLEY FAULTING IS SHOWN VIA A SHEARED VOLCANO, WHICH OCCURRED INITIALLY DUE TO THE SHEAR IN THE VALLEY; SINCE THE SHEAR CONTINUED, THE RESULTING VENT IS LATER SHEARED BY THE SAME CORIOLIS ROTATION:
BELOW IS SHOWN THE MOVEMENT OF THE SIERRAS CRUST (BECAUSE OF GREATER PROTRUSION OF THE MOUNTAINS INTO THE ATMOSPHERE) TOWARDS THE WEST. THIS WESTWARD SHOVE OCCURS DUE TO THE GREATER SLOWING OF THE CRUST, WHENEVER IT PROTRUDES MORESO THAN NEIGHGBORING CRUST- SIMILAR TO THAT AT THE ZION HIGHLANDS AND THE HURRICANE FAULT (BOTH OF WHICH PROTRUDE MORE THAN THE ST. GEORGE BASIN TO THE WEST: A BLOWUP OF THE CA-DV REGION IS SHOWN BELOW, FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING:
The movement of the "RIP" IS IN JERKS- WHERE PERIODICALLY, THE CRUST EXHIBITS EARTHQUAKES FROM VULCANISM (AND POSSIBLY MAGNETIC REVERSAL). THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 3 TIMES FROM TERRACES VIEWED ABOVE THE HURRICANE FAULT. AT KOLOB MESA, THERE ARE 5 JERKS SEEN ON THE SLUMPS ABOVE THE TOWN OF VIRGIN. WE'LL ESTIMATE THE TIME INVOLVED BETWEEN EPISODES BY THE LENGTH OF THE GRABEN, N-S, WHICH PROBABLY WAS IN ONE EPISODE. USING THE AVERAGE TIME FOR THE SPIRAL MOVEMENTM, AT 34 CM/YEAR, THIS YIELDS A TIME TO COMPLETE THE LATEST GRABEN OF 2470 YEARS. THERE ARE A LOT OF ASSUMPTIONS BEHIND THIS CALCULATION, BUT THIS GIVES AN ESTIMATION OF THE RISK AND HAZARD CYCLICITY TO THE LOCAL AREA. (This all reminds me of the famous quotation by Steven Gould, who is reported to have replied to the interjection by a listener to his lecture "You mean that evolution is gotten from a series of CREEPS? To which he replied "NO, IT IS QUESTIONED BY JERKS!). WE'LL LOOK AT THE ROADBED, CONCRETE SLABS, AND FRESHNESS OF SCARPS TO DETERMINE IF THE ASSUMPTION THAT THIS IS OCCURRING IN "JERKS", RATHER THAN A SLOW MOVEMENT, IS PROPER: There are several factors to be considered to solve the CASE OF THE SPIRALING OF THE ZION HIGHLAND AND ADJACENT MOVEMENT:
1. Although we started with the age of the Crater Hill, the uplands probably had been rising at least a million years before this extrusion. But even with this extension of time, the advancing “rip” would still have a velocity of 10 cm/year or so. We have calculated for the whole spiral, that there was a rate of 34 cm/year;
2. Offsetting this by rise and tearing of the sedimentary column by uplift would not involve more than 1 cm/year or so, hence this is not likely an alternative; The “rip” is likely occurring in spurts or jerks, so that a graben can be formed continuously between major movements of the Hurricane fault (and not due to slow steady rise);
3. The FAST SPIRALING OF THE ZION HIGHLANDS may occur in cycles, allowing vulcanism to be quiescent for long periods, and for fast movements to occur after lengthy cycles;
4. It is likely that this entire feature has occurred in late Tertiary to Quaternary time, since the 200 k.years vulcanism along Hf did not occur until after the 320 k.years Crater Hill extrusion. This is a regularity, with vulcanism moving westward and forming Hf with associated volcanoes in the Quaternary; and,
5. The ZION spiral crosses regular GRIDS OF PARALLEL FRACTURES, so that it is younger than those.

ASSERTION: THIS SPIRAL FITS ALL OF THE OBSERVATONS NOTED FOR OTHER ALEUTIAN, HONEYMOON, AND CORIOLIS SPIRALS, FOR THIS INTERMEDIATE CATEGORY. IT IS SO WELL-FORMED AND OBVIOUS THAT IT MUST PRESENT SOME NEW EVIDENCE FOR ITS DYNAMICS. LET'S FIND IT BY HIKING THE ZION NP- BUT THIS IS ONE TOUGH ASSIGNMENT FOR AN OCTOGENARIAN! THERE MUST BE SOME "SLEEPERS" OUT THERE, WHO CAN GET OFF OF THE COUCH AND PRESENT NEW EVIDENCE!
BELOW ARE PHOTOS MADE WHILE HIKING EAST OF THE LAVERKIN QUARRY- SHOWING THE TRIASSIC MOENKOPI, ROCK CREEK MEMBER (LOWEST). THIS OUTCROP HAS SLICKENSIDES, WHICH INDICATE N-S SHEAR AND ROTATION OF THE COLORADO PLATEAU TO THE EAST, AND DRAINAGE TO THE QUARRY TO THE WEST. THIS MEMBER IS THE OLDEST AND NEAREST FORMATION TO THE EARLIER PERMIAN EXTINCTION, PTr, WHERE THERE WAS A MAJOR UPLLIFT, LOSS OF MOST LIFE, AND PROBABLE ASTEROID STRIKE- CREATING THE DAMAGE:
PHOTOS ABOVE AND BELOW SHOW THE GREAT FAULTS ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE COLORADO PLATEAU, INCLUDING THE WASHINGTON FAULT IN THE TRANSITION ZONE. NOTE THAT THEY GENERALLY ARE CONCAVE TO THE EAST, INDICATING THAT THEY ROTATE CONFORMABLY WITH THE CCW MOVEMENT OF CP PROPER. I SUSPECT THAT THEY ARE DUE TO STRAIN RELEASE (MOVEMENT, NOT THE SAME AS STRESS, WHICH MAY HAVE DELAY IN CREATING STRAIN. THIS IS THE ENGINEERING DIFINITION OF STRESS-STRAIN TERMINOLOGY (NOT THE GEOLOGICAL PRACTICE OF USING BOTH AS EQUIVALENT)- WHICH WAS BUILDING UP DUE TO SPIRALLING OF THE CP. AT THE TIME OF ASTEROID (NOT ON ASTEROIDS, A-STEROIDS) STRIKES, THE STRAIN WAS ACCELERATED BY THE SHOCK, AND THE ROTATION ALLOWED INCREASED DISPLACEMENT TO THE WEST (ALONG WITH LATERAL MOVEMENT ALONG THE NORMAL FAULT- LATERAL SHEAR, CREATING SLICKENSIDES. WE WILL SEARCH FOR THESE INDICATIONS, TO CONFIRM THIS ENTITY WHICH GEOLOGISTS CAN'T SEE, BECAUSE THEY ARE SATISFIED FINDING NORMAL DISPLCEMENT, AND FURTHER CAN'T SEE AS LATERAL MOVEMENT, BECAUSE OF HORIZONTAL BEDDING ONLY SHOWING SLICKENSIDES, INSTEAD OF SHIFT OF THE HORIZONTAL BEDS LATERALLY:

TESTING WHETHER THE GREAT FAULTS ON THE WEST EDGE AND TRANSITION ZONE OF THE COLORADO PLATEAU, CP, RESULT FROM ACCELERATION OF STRAIN CREATED BY SIGNIFICANT ASTEROID STRIKES, I PRESENT A VIEW OF THE IMPORTANT ONES (CAUSING DIVERSION OF THE COLORADO RIVER IN THE GRAND CANYON IN TWO DIRECTIONS- ACCORDING TO TIME OF THE STRIKES AND DIRECTION OF IMPACT) BELOW:




I TEMPORARILY CEASE MY WORK, UNTIL PUTTING IN THE SUMMER AT A PLACE WHERE I CAN ASSIMILATE THE ROTATION VERTICALLY OF CRUST NEAR THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS- WHICH ARE PUSHING WESTWARD, OPENING THE PUGET SOUND (NOT A GLACIALLY-GOUGED DEEP AT ALL!). BEFORE THAT, GLANCE AGAIN AT WHAT STARTED THIS ENTIRE INVESTIGATION- THE BEAUTIFUL SLICKENSIDES, GLISTENING IN THE SUNLIGHT, WAITING FOR SOMEONE WHO IS NOT INDOCTINATED WITH MANTLE PLUMES, HOTSPOTS, AND HOT PLATES FOR ASSERTING NONSENSE ABOUT THE "SHIFTING SANDS" AS IN THE MINISTER'S VOCABULARY.
TO INDUCE YOU TO FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF ALL THIS "CORIOLIS TECTONICS", I EXHIBIT BELOW ANOTHER CASE I AM STUDYING FOR THE SUMMER (I AM PLANNING TO VISIT THERE FROM MY PUGET SOUND HOME):

PHOTO ABOVE SHOWS THAT THE WASHINGTON FAULT IS THE CENTERLINE OF A ROTATION ABOUT THIS REGION FROM THE VIRGIN RIVER TO SAND MOUNTAIN. I WILL CHECK FURTHER, REGIONALLY- BELOW, TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE REGIONAL VIEW SHOWS THAT IT IS LEFT-LATERAL (AS WAS SHOWN IN A HOUSE SLAB FRACTURE IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON CITY). WHEN YOU ANALYZE THESE LINEAR LATERAL FAULTS, SUCH AS Hf, YOU FIND THAT THE EASIEST WAY TO RELIEVE THE STRESS ALONG A LATERAL FAULT IS TO ROTATE THE CRUST SURROUNDING THE LINEAR, SUCH THAT THE ROTATION RELIEVES THE TENDENCY TO DRAG ONE SIDE OF THE FAULT COMPARED TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE:

THIS WILL CONTINUE, WITH MORE FIELD WORK (INCLUDING THE ALASKA DYNAMICS), SINCE THE RAPID ADVANCE OF THE "RIP" OF THE LAVERKIN CANYON AND NEARBY GRABEN IS A HAZARD TO ROAD MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS BELOW THE HIWAY 9 SCARP.

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