PHOTO FROM GOOGLE EARTH ABOVE SHOWS A 12 MOUND ELLIPSE NEAR SULLIVAN KNOLL, HURRICANE UTAH. I HAVE VISITED THIS CONFLUENCE OF TWO SMALL ARROYOS AND SOME OTHER MINOR DRAINAGE, TO DETERMINE THE LOWER EXTENT FOR THE PRACTICAL USE WITH THIS POWERFUL TOOL OF STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY (FOR FIELD WORKERS). THIS IS A CASE WHERE THERE IS A STRAIGHT-LINE SPLIT (LINEAR, WITH ADJOINING CURVILINEARS) TRACING ALONG THE CREEK BED, AND WHERE THE DIVISOR FOR THE RELATION TIME OF DEVELOPMENT= DIAMETER/EXPANSION PER YEAR IS UNKNOWN. THIS CASE SHOWS THAT THE DIVISOR IS EXTREMELY SMALL, SUCH THAT OUTSIDE INFORMATION MUST BE USED TO DETERMINE THE AGE. I HAVE REFERRED TO THE ASH CREEK CONFLUENCE WITH THE VIRGIN, WHERE THE AGE IS 100 K.Y. AND WHERE A HOGBACK HAS DEVELOPED TO FURTHER CONFIRM THE AGE. WE KNOW THAT THE AGE OF THESE GRAVELS IS GREATER THAN THAT OF THE NEARBY SULLIVAN KNOLL, SINCE THERE ARE NO SULLIVAN BASALT BOULDERS IN THE WASH (SULLIVAN VULCANISM IS YOUNGER THAN IVINS KNOLL- WHICH IS NEAR 1 M.Y.). FURTHER, I HAVE FOUND THAT THE CLASTS ARE THOSE FROM ASH CREEK, SO THAT THE LOWER CONGLOMERATE HAS AN AGE GREATER THAN 100 K.Y. I SUSPECT THAT THE BOULDERS REPRESENT THE ANCIENT ASH CREEK DEBRIS, WITH AN AGE NEAR 1 M.Y. THERE ARE ALSO KAIBAB LIMESTONES FROM THE NEARBY RIM AND MONZONITE AT LEAST AS OLD AS THE 21 M.Y. PINE VALLEY MOUNTAINS.
THE TOP OF THE CONGLOMERATE HAS SOME BASALT BOULDERS, LARGE ENOUGH TO HAVE ROLLED ONLY A FEW MILES, SO THAT THERE IS A TRANSITION OF PRE-BASALT CLASTS TO THOSE ROLLED FROM THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE ASH CREEK- NEAR THE TOWN OF TOQUERVILLE. A FIELD PHOTO IS SHOWN BELOW TO ALLOW INSPECTION OF THE BOULDERS: THIS CASE EXEMPLIFIES THAT ONE CANNOT USE THE TIME AND AGE CALCULATIONS, WHERE THERE IS A DIVIDING LINEAR! THIS LINEAR REPRESENTS AN OPENING IN THE EARTH, WHERE OLDER CRUST EMERGES, AND WHERE THE LUNAR TIDES ARE BEING OFFSET BY THE SOLAR TIDES ( OPENING IS CREATED BY THE OFFSET OF 20.48MM/YR LUNAR TIDES BY THE SOLAR 10.24 SLOWER MOVEMENT). THIS TYPE OF SITUATION OCCURS IN THE NW CORNER OF A BLOCK OF CRUST (THIS ELIMINATES SULLIVAN KNOLL FROM THE BLOCK, AND THE BOUNDARY EXISTS JUST TO THE EAST OF THE ARROYO. THIS EXAMPLE LIES JUST WEST OF A RISING MOUND- WHICH REPRESENTS A SEPARATE BLOCK OR CRUST.
ADJOINING CIRCULAR ARROYO PATHS RESULT FROM TWO SHEAR CIRCLES OF DIFFERENT DIAMETERS (TIME OF SHEAR IS PROPORTIONAL TO DIAMETER, OR TO RADIUS, WHICHEVER IS EASIER TO MEASURE):
NW of Sullivan Knoll, Hurricane town, there are gravels with Paleozoic clasts under the 1 m.y. Ivins basalt and above the eroded redbeds. These are exposed via an anomaly produced by the intersection of two circular arcs (from drainage pathways), which has been uplifted by the rising space between Lunar west and Solar east TIDES. Usually, I find that there is a canyon or other anomaly between the 2 disparate ages, which create arcs with different diameters (hence two different ages). Now we find that not only is there a small canyon (with a fairly young emergence- less than 25 k.y.), but that the bottom of the canyon has risen to present what should normally be at a depth not in view. THE INFORMATION HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP for US TO SEE- as with cuttings brought up in the oil well drilling process. The identification of the clasts will be of utmost importance in determining whether this conclusion is correct. I speculate that before the 2 million year age, there was no drainage of the Virgin south through the gorge to NV, and that there was internal drainage from the Fort Pierce Wash or some ancestor of the Virgin River- probably the Laverkin or Ash Creek. The latter would bring Paleozoic clasts from the limestones in upper Permian, while the Fort Pierce would introduce mostly red sedimentary rocks and basalts from the south,
THE FIELD TRIP, WHICH IS JUST 2 KM FROM THE SULLIVAN VOLCANO (KNOLL), REVEALED THAT THE ARROYO HAD NO BASALTS. THERE WERE PVM MONZONITE BOULDERS from the north, KAIBAB LIMESTONE CLASTS from the east OR NORTH, AND SOME QUARTZITES (PROBABLY FROM THE TRIASSIC SHINARUMP, WHICH SURROUNDS THIS LOCATION); FINALLY AT THE VERY TOP OF THE OUTCROP, BELOW YOUNG BASALTS, THERE ARE BOULDERS OF BASALTS OF 1 M.Y. OR MORE AGE, FROM THE ASH CREEK- WHICH IS OLDER THAN THE LAVERKIN RIVER (SHEAR DIAMETER IS LARGER THAN LAVERKIN DIAMETER AT THE CONFLUENCE OF THE VIRGIN);
digital PHOTO SHOWS THE CONFLUENCE OF TWO DRY ARROYOS, WHERE GRAVELS OLDER THAN IVINS KNOLL- 1 MILE TO THE SE (1 M.Y.)- OUTCROP ON THE EAST BANK, WHILE THOSE ON THE NW BANK HAVE SOME LARGE AND WELL-ROUNDED BASALTS AT THE TOP, JUST BELOW YOUNG ALLUVIAL.FOR COMPARISON, VIEW A SIMILAR EXTRUSION AT MONO-INYO CRATERS, CA.
MONOlake and MONOCRATERS, CA (ABOVE) are features which may be used as PROXIES for other regions where ANALEMMAS ARE STUDIED. ABOVE AREA IS WELL-KNOWN TO GEOLOGISTS, AND THERE IS AN ABUNDANT LITERATURE.
A FACTOR TO BE DETERMINED FROM THIS SET OF PHOTOS ARE THE QUESTIONS:1. SINCE THE FULL MOON AND THE SUN DETERMINE THESE INTERMITTANT LOCATIONS OF MOUNDS, DOES THE LOCATION OF 12-13 OF THEM IN THE SINK VS. ONLY 8 IN THE RISE MEAN THAT THE TIME OF CREATION OF THE AXIAL FEATURE IS NOT YET COMPLETE (CAN WE RELY ON THE TIME BEING LESS THAN THAT OF COMPLETION- AND BEING AN INDICATOR THAT THERE IS A PREDICTABLE TIME FOR THE NEXT EXTRUSION)?
2. DOES THE SMALLER AND YOUNGER PRECESSSIONAL CELL PRECEDE THE LARGER AND LONGER-TO-BE-DEVELOPED AXIAL CELL; AT WARM SPRINGS, NV, THE REVERSE HAPPENED (THE LARGER AXIAL WAS SUPPLANTED BY THE SMALLER CELL)?
3. THE "TIT" OF INTRUDING DEVELOPMENT EXISTS AS A LAKE. AT WARM SPRINGS,IT WAS A RISE OR TONGUE OF SEDIMENTARY ROCK. DOES THIS YIELD ADDED INFORMATION?
THIS MOVEMENT AND DETERMINATION OF "PREFERRED" VEGETAL LOCATIONS IS INFLUENCED BY SHEAR CRACKS- WHERE MOISTURE COLLECTS (ATTRACTING LIFE). BELOW ARE 2 PHOTOS OF PATTERNS OF ARCUATE MOVEMENTS, AND IF YOU ARE INCLINED TO GIVE THIS CONCLUSION AN OBJECTIVE VIEW, YOU CAN SEE CIRCULAR PATTERNS OF VEGETATION IN THIS STARK DESERT ENVIRONMENT:
