2. FOOTHILLS AND BUTTES
My house is situated in one of
the many small valleys formed
by the butte foothills in between
Paradise CA, and Oroville CA.
These foothills are medium
sized recognizable mountains
that sit at the very foot of the
Sierra Nevada.
They are the first mountains to
rise from the Great Valley floor
and reach elevations ranging
from 200 – 2,000 feet.
For my field assignment I hiked
to the summit of one of these
buttes (Steamboat Rock) and
retrieved samples of plants,
animals and lithography.
Facing east towards the Sierra Nevada
Adams & Eugen (2012)
3. BRIEF GEOLOGY OF THE AREA
For much of the last 75
million years the area of
study has been under a
shallow sea.
Sedimentary marine rocks
from the sea bed are found
in this area as a result.
There are also batholiths.
Batholiths are large
formations of volcanic rock
caused by the multiple
subduction zones along
the California fault line.
Michaelsen (2010)
4. GRAYWACKE/GREYWACKE
I believe this sample to be
Graywacke
A dark grey, coarse
grained sandstone
Sedimentary
A carboniferous marine
rock, it is a remnant of the
sea bed
Formed by underwater
avalanches called
turbidites that churn and
mix sediments together
Often found on the edges
of continental shelves
Schweitzer (2013)
5. RHYOLITE TUFF/TUFA
I believe this sample to be
Rhyolite tuff.
Various colored with a fine to
medium grain.
Igneous
Rock composed of finer
kinds of volcanic debris that
get fused together by heat
Contains many different
minerals and particles
including quartz, feldspar and
glass
Usually accompanied by
other types of igneous rock
Schweitzer (2010)
6. INTERESTING GEOLOGIC FEATURE
I found this incidence all across
the upper crest of the
Steamboat Rock butte.
A large deposit of Rhyolite Tuff
is set on top of a thick layer of
Graywacke.
I believe this could be caused
by the plutonic intrusion of the
super hot Tuff over the pre-
existing areas of Graywacke.
Also the Graywacke has been
weathered much more, partly
because it is softer.
This also indicates that the Tuff
is much younger (possibly by
millions of years) than the
Graywacke.
Tuff
Graywacke
Monroe & Wicander (2012, 2009)
7. PLANTS AND ANIMALS
This area is home to
many different species
of plants, insects and
animals.
During summer grass
dies and turns to yellow
but the trees and shrubs
stay leafed out.
Ecosystems vary from
riparian to dry buttes.
Noted two jackrabbits
but couldn’t get a picture
in time.
Upper plateau of the Steamboat Rock
butte, where multiple game trails can
be found
8. CANYON LIVE OAK: QUERCUS CHRYSOLEPIS
A deciduous tree
common to the area with
sharp pointed tines on
its leaves.
Can reach heights from
6 to 30 meters with a
branch span of equal
length.
Found throughout the
southwestern United
States.
Plantae => Tracheobionta => Spermatophyta => Magnoliophyta =>
Magnoliopsida => Hamamelididae => Fageles => Fagaceae => Quercus =>
Q. chrysolepis
Peterson (2013)
9. POISON OAK: TOXICODENDRON DIVERSILOBUM
Small plant characterized by
leaves that grow in threes.
Best known for its ability to
inflict itchy and painful rashes
after contact.
Leaves and twigs have a
surface oil that causes an
allergic reaction.
May have developed as a
defense mechanism
Varies from small shrub to
large thick bush.
Twigs and leaves turn red
towards the end of summer.
Plantae => Tracheobionta => Spermatophyta => Magnoliophyta =>
Magnoliopsida => Rosidae => Sapindales => Anacardiaceae => Toxicodendron
=> T. diversilobum
Peterson (2013)
10. MANZANITA: ARCTOSTAPHYLOS MANZANITA
Small tree with distinctive red
bark that flakes from the tree.
Possesses twisted branches
and can grow up to 15 feet.
Healthy specimens feature
bright wedge shaped leaves.
This tree was a victim of a
wildfire five years ago that
came through the area. One
of the last reminders of the
fire.
Plantae => Tracheobionta => Spermatophyta => Magnoliophyta =>
Magnoliopsida => Dilleniida => Ericales => Ericaceae => Arctostaphylos => A.
manzanita
Peterson (2013)
11. NORTHERN GATOR LIZARD: ELGARIA COERULEA
A fairly large species of
lizard common to the
Sierra Nevadas.
Separated from Southern
Alligator lizards by stripes
on belly and darker eyes.
Enjoys sunny spots with
cover nearby.
Often found underneath
rocks or logs.
This specimen was found
right outside my back door.
Animalia => Chordata => Reptilia => Squamata => Anguidae => Elgaria => E.
coerulea
Lizards (2000)
12. TURKEY VULTURE: CATHARTES AURA
A large bird with a six foot
wingspan and brownish
black feathers.
Often seen gliding in
thermals rarely flapping its
wings.
Exclusively a scavenger.
Has very keen eyes and
sense of smell to detect
kills.
Descended from
dinosaurs.
Erik (2010)
Animalia => Aves => Falconiformes => Cathartidae => Cathartinae =>
Cathartes => C. aura
13. REFERENCES
Adams, R., Eugen, E. (2012). Geology, Soils, and Minerals.
http://lf.buttecounty.net/weblink7/ElectronicFile.aspx?docid=768148
Erik, C. (2010). Turkey Vulture. Carolina Raptor Center.
http://www.carolinaraptorcenter.org/treetest/turkey-vulture
Identifying California Alligator Lizards, (2000). In CaliforniaHerps.com.
http://www.californiaherps.com/identification/lizardsid/elgaria.id.html
Michaelsen J. (2010). Sierra Nevada Physical Geography. UC Santa Barbara.
http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~joel/g148_f09/readings/sierra_nevada/sierra_nevada.html
Monroe, J.S., Wicander, R. (2012, 2009). The Changing Earth: Exploring Geology and Evolution,
Sixth Edition. Belmont: Brooks/Cole.
Peterson, J.S., (2013). Plants profile: Arctostaphylos manzanita. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ARMA
Peterson, J.S., (2013). Plants profile: Quercus chrysolepis. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=QUCH2
Peterson, J.S., (2013). Plants profile: Toxicodentron diversilobum. U.S. Department of
Agriculture. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=todi
Schweitzer, P. (2013). Geologic units containing graywacke. U.S. Geologic Survey.
http://tin.er.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-lith.php?text=graywacke
Schweitzer, P. (2010). Rhyolitic tuff, tuffaceous rocks, and lava flows. U.S. Geologic Survey.
http://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=ORTsf;0
