Geology Field Assignment

2. INTRODUCTION
• This PowerPoint consists two animals on of which was taken outside my house and then the other at
Fallen Leaf. Then looking how the Geologic change at Eagle Falls. Then I went up to Twin Peaks and
stopped along Kingsbury Grade to examine the different types of rocks. I also used pictures from
when I visited Eagle Falls. Lastly, I took a look at all my pictures to determine which showed one of the
principles or laws from the list we needed. Then documented that. I did the same thing with the
unconformities.

3. TAHOE BEARS-CALIFORNIA BLACK BEARS
• Even though that these bears in
the picture are not black, black
bears are the only type of bears
that are located in California
and Nevada
• The cinnamon brown color is the
most common bear found in the
two states.
Diet: berries, plants, nuts, roots, honey, honeycomb, insects,
larvae, carrion, and small mammals. As well as anything left in
trashcans
Range: They are found all over the North American, but
California being the largest. They are also mostly found in
elevations over 3,000.
Adaptation: According to the Animal Spot the best adaptation
was the ability to eat a wide range of food. (Animal Spot, 2008)
Another adaptation is being able to hibernate once the
temperature gets to cold. During that time the bear’s heart rate
will slow down making it easy to sleep for multiple months.
Taken in the winter by my house

4. TAHOE BEARS-CALIFORNIA BLACK BEARS
Scientific name: Ursus americanus
californiensis
Higher classification: American
black bear
Rank: Subspecies
Appearance Description: large-bodied animals that have a
small, narrow head, powerful limbs, and small ears. Black
bears can run up to 35mph. They are great swimmers as well as
tree climbers.
Size: Adult females weigh 100 - 200 pounds
Adult males weight 150 - 350 pounds
Hibernation: large hollow trees 40 to 60 feet off the ground,
under rocks and in hollow logs.
Reproduction: Bears will mate in June to July. An adult female
will carry a fertilized egg in her womb for many months. The
cub will be born around the 1st of February. They normally
weight less than a pound at birth. Bears can start to reproduce
at age 3-4.

5. GOLDEN MANTEL GROUND
SQUIRREL
Scientific name: Callospermophilus lateralis
Higher classification: Callospermophilus
Rank: Species
T0 the left shows
where the
Golden Mantel
Ground Squirrel is
found
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel -
Callospermophilus lateralis -
NatureWorks. (2017). Retrieved June
24, 2017, from
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/go
ldensquirrel.htm
The Golden Mantel Ground Squirrel is responsible for
converting plant energy into a form useable by predators for
example, red tailed hawks, coyotes, bobcats, etc.
(animaldiversity). They have such a huge role in today
evolution by how the predators relay on the food of this
squirrel. Also when they dig in the ground it helps the earth
dirt aerate.

6. GOLDEN MANTEL GROUND
SQUIRREL
Adaptation: The golden brown fur of the squirrel is helps to
blend into the surrounding as well as hid from their
predators.
The sharpness of the nails helps the squirrel to climb up
trees. This comes in handing when running from their
predators.
When the squirrel is standing straight up they are trying to
see far away and it enchases their hearing.
Lifespan: The average life span is around 4 years while
the longest is 10 years.

7. EAGLE FALLS
The rock formation underlying Eagle Falls contains
metamorphosed sandstone that was uplifted to the
top of the Sierra Nevada’s during the Mesozoic Period.
Glaciation during the past 200 thousand years has
since then eroded the rock forming a trough through
which the water currently flows. When the water
freezes during the winter this creates cracks within
the rock.

8. IGNEOUS
GRANITE
Taken on Kingsbury Grade Taken at Twin Peaks
The granitic outcrops at Kingsbury Grade and Twin Peaks are both portions of the Mesozoic-Age Sierra Nevada batholith
which was created by the subduction of the Farallon Plate below the North America Plate. They are both Cretaceous-Age
Granodiorites. The rock was angular in the Kingsbury Grade exposure because the road had been recently cut through the
rock. The rock at Twin Peaks was rounded due to weathering over thousands of years.

9. METAMORPHOSED SANDSTONE
Taken at Eagle Falls in Emerald Bay
The sediment comprising this metamorphosed sandstone
began as mud and sand deposited on the floor of an ancient
sea that was buried underneath thousands of feet of similar
materials. About 210 millions years ago this material was
subducted as part of the Farallon Plate beneath the North
America plate. As the ocean plate was forced down the
increased temperature and pressure hardened the
sandstone. The metamorphosed sandstone was then
uplifted to the top of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

10. IGNEOUS INTRUSION OF METAMORPHIC ROCK
The lower right hand corner of this picture is a granitic
intrusion into a metamorphosed sandstone which forms a
portion of the Mount Tallac roof pendant. The
metamorphosed sandstone has been uplifted and tilted
90 degrees to vertical.
The Law of Original Horizontality:
The layers of sediment in the sandstone were originally
deposited horizontality under the action of gravity. The
rock has since then been uplifted and tilted 90 degrees.
Taken at Eagle Falls in Emerald Bay

11. Angular Unconformity:
Angular unconformity is when there is a slant from parallel
horizontal strata. When you look at the picture it shows how
one strata went diagonal towards the ground.
Taken at Kingsbury Grade

12. UNCONFORMITIES
Horn, J. (n.d.). Prof. Horn's Geology Home Page. Retrieved June 25, 2017, from
http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/hornj/ReviewUnconformities.htm
There are few if any
sedimentary rocks within the
Tahoe Basin. Therefore it is
difficult to find examples of
these unconformities. An
example of a nonconformity
would be the contact between
glacial outwash materials
lying on top of a granitic
bedrock.

13. CITATIONS
• AMERICAN BLACK BEAR. (N.D.). RETRIEVED JUNE 25, 2017, FROM HTTP://WWW.THEANIMALSPOT.COM/AMERICANBLACKBEAR.HTM
• BELLTAWN, M. (N.D.). SPERMOPHILUS LATERALIS (GOLDEN-MANTLED GROUND SQUIRREL). RETRIEVED JUNE 25, 2017, FROM
HTTP://ANIMALDIVERSITY.ORG/ACCOUNTS/SPERMOPHILUS_LATERALIS/
• BLACK BEAR FACTS. (2017). RETRIEVED JUNE 22, 2017, FROM HTTP://WWW.TAHOEWILDBEARS.ORG/BLACK_BEAR_FACTS.HTM
• EXPLORE THIS PUBLICATION IN THE NGMDB. (N.D.). RETRIEVED JUNE 25, 2017, FROM HTTPS://NGMDB.USGS.GOV/PRODESC/PRODDESC_5509.HTM
• GOLDEN-MANTLED GROUND SQUIRREL - CALLOSPERMOPHILUS LATERALIS - NATUREWORKS. (2017). RETRIEVED JUNE 24, 2017, FROM
HTTP://WWW.NHPTV.ORG/NATUREWORKS/GOLDENSQUIRREL.HTM
• GOLDEN-MANTLED GROUND SQUIRREL. (N.D.). RETRIEVED JUNE 25, 2017, FROM HTTP://WWW.ANIMALSPOT.NET/GOLDEN-MANTLED-GROUND-SQUIRREL.HTML
• HORN, J. (N.D.). PROF. HORN'S GEOLOGY HOME PAGE. RETRIEVED JUNE 25, 2017, FROM HTTP://WWW2.SUNYSUFFOLK.EDU/HORNJ/REVIEWUNCONFORMITIES.HTM
• WILDLIFE BRANCH - GAME MANAGEMENT. (2017). BLACK BEAR BIOLOGY. RETRIEVED JUNE 23, 2017, FROM
HTTPS://WWW.WILDLIFE.CA.GOV/CONSERVATION/MAMMALS/BLACK-BEAR/BIOLOGY#311311067-FOOD-PREFERENCES
Information was also grabbed from the lecture notes