Geography 5 Professor Schmidt

1. FIELD JOURNAL
GEOGRAPHY 5
LAURA GODOY
NOVEMBER 25,
2012

3. The Mormon Rocks are a beautiful part of the Cajon Pass. Mormon
settlers named them during their trek from Salt Lake City to Southern
California. The San Andreas Fault is the creator of the Cajon Pass, as it
runs underground, splitting the Pacific and North American plate.
Laura Godoy

4. When looking at the sandstone up close, it is easy to tell the different types of
years it’s lived through. The different layers in the strata of rock portray the
natural events that have passed through. Heavy precipitation, drought, high
wind, etc. These natural events helped to form these beautiful layers of
sedimentary rock.
Laura Godoy

5. Water once ran through this area in the Cajon Pass, creating a lovely stream.
This photo shows the now, dry, stream bed.
Laura Godoy

6. The San Andreas Rift Zone is a continental transform fault whose motion is
right-lateral strike-slip. It is located between the San Gabriel and San
Bernardino Mountains, created by the southern segment of the San Andreas
Fault.
Laura Godoy

8. The Cinder Hill is a very beautiful landmark in the Coso Volcanic field. It is
reddish color because it is a basaltic cinder cone.
Laura Godoy

9. The Lava Flows are completely basaltic. The flows occurred between 400,000
years and 10,000 year ago.
Laura Godoy

10. FOSSIL FALLS

11. The Fossil Falls Stream Bed in Inyo County is now dried up. The stream once
went through Fossil Falls and was appreciated by the Native Americans in the
area.
Laura Godoy

12. These falls were formed
by melted waters from
glaciers, named the
Tioga, in the Sierra
Nevadas. That melted
water flowed into what
became a river. Over
time, the river flowed
through the lava flow and
smoothed the basalt
out, giving Fossil Falls its
sleek image.
Laura Godoy

13. These unique and
circular holes are
smooth and deep. They
were created when
small pieces of debris
would find their way into
the basalt from the
water flow. Over time,
with the speed and
strength of the water
flow, the pieces of debris
would spin and spin in
the basalt, forming the
holes.
Laura Godoy

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15. The Native Americans
that lived in this specific
area used the obsidian
they found from the Coso
Mountains for weapons
and tools. They would
haul chunks of obsidian
over towards the flowing
water for a peaceful
working experience. The
chippings from their work
litter the ground to this
day, creating a beautiful
sparkling walkway for all
visitors.
Laura Godoy

16. A petroglyph is a rock
engraving created by
carving, picking, and other
methods. A Native
American who lived in this
area thousands of years
ago created this petroglyph.
The actual meaning of this
specific petroglyph is
unknown and debated. It is
a beautiful site to see.
Laura Godoy

17. This house ring
made out of rocks
was used as a living
area for the Native
Americans of this
area. When it was
warm, like the
summer, they would
stay in the cool
Sierra Nevadas and
when it was
cooler, they’d
migrate to the flatter
dry valley. House
Rings made
migrating easier for
them.
Laura Godoy

18. MT. WHITNEY

19. Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the entire state! It’s highest
elevation is 14,505 feet. A true marvelous sight.
Laura Godoy

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21. DIAZ
LAKE

22. Diaz Lake is a sag pond that was created after an earthquake in 1872, along
the Lone Pine Fault. The earthquake caused the land to sink and displaced the
land which led water from the natural spring to fill the area.
Laura Godoy

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24. At the base of the Alabama Hills, lies the Lone Pine
Fault. In 1872, an earthquake caused a lot of
destruction to the surrounding towns, killed 29
people, and formed the Diaz Lake.
Laura Godoy

25. MANZANAR

26. Manzanar is infamous for
being a Japanese
internment camp opened by
the U.S. government during
World War II. Sitting quietly
in the Owens
Valley, Manzanar held
almost 120,000 Japanese
Americans at its peak. They
were brought here, stripped
from their
belongings, forced to live
through extreme weather
and harsh conditions. The
internment camp was
closed in 1945.
Laura Godoy

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The land around the area is completely barren. When Manzanar was closed, the
people were forced to leave and the wood from the shacks was used to build
buildings in Lone Pine.

28. More of its barren
environment, along with
a strip of concrete
engraved by names of
the Japanese
Americans who built it.
Laura Godoy

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30. MONO LAKE

31. Mono Lake is an extremely saline lake in Mono
County, California. Because it has no outlet, it is considered
a dead lake. Unfortunately, the water level has decreased
incredibly by Los Angeles diverting its water for their own
drinking ability. Since it is hyper saline it does not have a
wide variety of ecology, only, brine shrimp, alkali flies, and
some migratory birds.

32. Beautiful tufa
formations crowd the
area, standing as a
testimony to the water
deprivation the lake
has experienced. In
1978, David Gaines
formed a committee in
hopes to change the
lake’s destiny and
demand its water back!
The story of Mono Lake
is an inspiring and
influential one in
California’s history.
Laura Godoy

33. Here are the well known islands on Mono Lake. Paoha is a volcanic island that
formed in the 17th century. It gets its pale look by clay and other types of
sediments from the Island. Negit, Paoha’s neighbor, is the darker and smaller
one. It is older than Paoha and is actually a volcano. It is dark because it is
composed of lava flows.
Paoha Island Negit Island
Laura Godoy

34. Since the population of Los Angeles increased so rapidly after World War
II, Los Angeles decided to rob the streams of the Mono Basin for its aqueduct.
Since Mono Lake was no longer receiving fresh water, its lake level dropped
dramatically. The tufa formations are not the only symbols of water
deprivation, this photo shows the former shorelines that appeared when the
lake shrunk. Each former shorelines shows just how far the lake shrunk. It is
scary to think that it was that high up and then shrunk to where it is now.
Laura Godoy

35. Tufa formations are gorgeous testimonies to where the lake once was. They
formed when underground freshwater springs entered the lake, which caused
the spring water to react with the alkaline water in the lake. Limestone then
formed through the combination of those things. Tufa only expands under the
surface of the water because their growth relies on the reaction within the
water. It is sad to know that tufa’s are visible because the lake shrunk so far.
Laura Godoy

36. CONVICT
LAKE

37. Beautiful Convict Lake is
among the Sierra Nevadas.
The name for the lake
comes from a true story in
which a group of convicts
escaped from Carson City
Prison in 1871 and were
then caught and hanged at
this exact lake. Laurel
Mountain is the oldest rock
formation in the Sierras. It is
amazing to be able to see it.
Laura Godoy

38. JUNE LAKE LOOP

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43. EASTERN
CALIFORNIA
MUSEUM

44. This autograph album really impressed me because I, personally, am
fascinated by intimate gems from someone’s past. That is why I love
thrifting, visiting antique shops, and getting to know stellar museums. Finding
this autograph album, tucked away at the back of the museum felt like
winning the lotto! Reading such a private note from Stella’s friend, Ella, felt
like winning a million bucks. I bet Stella never thought that something so
private of hers would be on display. It really caught my attention.
Laura Godoy

45. UNUSUAL EVENTS/
SIGHTINGS
OF WILDLIFE/
WEATHER RELATED
PHENOMENA, ETC.

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49. IN TRANSIT
OPTIONAL

50. This alluvial fan lies at the bottom of the San Gabriel
Mountains and is built up by streams or debris flows in the
Rancho area.
Laura Godoy

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53. These towers are used to collect information from the
atmosphere and locate precipitation; these towers help
predict the weather.
Laura Godoy

54. These are hills made from leftover mining material. They
appear to be completely isolated, in the middle of nowhere
off Highway 395. They are there because miners are
searching for gold and silver. It appears to be deserted and
dangerous.
Laura Godoy

55. The Garlock Fault is a left lateral strike slip fault and runs
runs along the base of the Tehachapi Mountains. The
Garlock Fault borders the Mojave Desert and is the second
longest fault in all of California!
Laura Godoy

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58. The Owens Dry Lake is dry because when the City of Los Angeles needed
water after World War II, they purchased Owens Valley and sent its water over
to their county. This led the lake to be drained which led to horrible ecological
effects to the land and health defects to Owens Valley’s residents.
Laura Godoy

59. THE END