1) The author lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and conducted their field assignment locally by observing and documenting various geological features and organisms near their home. 2) They describe the Rocky Mountains which were formed 80 million years ago and have been shaped by glacial movement, reaching heights of 14,000 feet. 3) Aspen trees are observed, which spread through interconnected root systems and have adapted leaves that change color in fall. 4) The Desert Cotton Tail rabbit, native to Colorado, has light coloring adapted to the desert sun. 5) Various local rocks were examined - pegmatite, scoria, and granite - illustrating principles of geology.

1. Field Assignment
By Peter Fellows

2. Colorado
• I go to school in California but am on summer break so I did my assignment
at home in Colorado! More specifically I live in Steamboat Springs, Colorado
which is a mountain town in the north western part of Colorado. Steamboat
is surrounded by some amazing mountains as well as beautiful valleys.
• Steamboat has an elevation of around 6,600 feet in town and an elevation of
around 12,800 feet at the peak of some of the mountains close by. There are
many rock features standing hundreds of feet tall in the surrounding area
that are popular attractions because of their stature.

3. The Rocky Mountains
The first geological change that I have observed is the mountains around me. I
live in Steamboat Springs, Colorado so I am surrounded by some very unique
and big mountains. The mountain range going through Steamboat is called the
Park Range which is a sub-range of the Rocky Mountains. The Rockies were
formed around 80 million years ago when plates started to slide underneath the
North American plate. Over the years the Rockies have changed drastically
because of glacial movements. The glaciers helped shape the tall peaks of the
Rockies that reach up to 14,000 feet.

5. The Aspen Tree
The Aspen tree seen in North America is actually called the Quaking Aspen
and can be easily confused with the aspen trees from Europe and Asia. Its
family name is Salicaceae and genus is populus. These trees are very tall, up to
30 feet, and have leaves that change colors in the fall before they fall off. A very
interesting fact about the aspen tree is how they spread. Every aspen in a
cluster is actually connected through a common root system which makes it
one of the largest plants in the world. Through out time the aspen has changed
to from being a shorter tree with leaves all up and down to a tree that stands
tall and the leaves are clustered closer to the top leaving the bottom bare trunk.

7. The Desert Cotton Tail Rabbit
The Desert Cotton tail Rabbit is a rabbit that is native to Colorado as well as
many other desert climate states. Many people don’t know that Colorado is
technically a desert climate. This rabbit is part of the Leporidae family which
consists of many different rabbits across the world. The Leporidae evolved
around 44 million years ago and have evolved into many species including the
desert cotton tail rabbit. The rabbit is smaller than most, but looks like any
other rabbit. Some defining features of the desert cotton tail rabbit are their
light colors to help protect them from the strong desert sun. This variation in
their color was adapted because of the harsh conditions they face and is not
found in other rabbit species that live in more mild climates.

9. Rock 1
• I found this rock in my back yard in Steamboat,
Colorado.
• This rock is heavier than expected and has a
smooth surface. There are spots of purple and
grey scattered through out with a base color of
yellow/white.
• I classified this rock as Pegmatite.

10. Rock 2
• I also found this in my yard in Steamboat,
Colorado.
• This rock is very light weight with a grey/white
main color. It also has a lot of different colored
crystals that come out.
• I classified this rock as Scoria.

11. Rock 3
• This rock was also found in Steamboat,
Colorado.
• This rock is larger and heavier than the other
two. It has a base white/grey with lots of clear
and brownish crystals.
• I classified this rock as white granite.

12. Principle of Lateral Continuity- Flat Top
Mountains
• The Flat Top Mountains just outside of
Steamboat are a great example of the
principle of lateral continuity. They are
mountains that were once all connected,
but years of glacial movements has
separated them across many valleys.

13. Angular Unconformity – Red Rocks, CO
• Red Rocks is a great example of an
angular unconformity. It is a group of
large sandstone rocks that were
deposited on top of the earth and then
titled upwards. They are now above
ground because of years of uplifting
and tilting.

14. Works Cited
• Alden, A. (n.d.). Geology of Red Rocks, Colorado. Retrieved June 25, 2017, from
https://www.thoughtco.com/geology-of-red-rocks-colorado-4122859
• .. (n.d.). Desert Cottontail. Retrieved June 25, 2017, from https://www.desertusa.com/animals/desert-
cottontail.html
• Flat Top Mountains. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2017, from
http://www.rockymountainhikingtrails.com/flattop-mountain.htm
• Neighborhood Rocks Search this Site. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2017, from
http://saltthesandbox.org/rocks/namesrocksall.htm
• Populus tremuloides. (2017, June 22). Retrieved June 25, 2017, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus_tremuloides#Ecology
• Rocky Mountains. (2017, June 24). Retrieved June 25, 2017, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountains