1. South Lake Tahoe Field Assignment
By Yocelin Jimenez
Geology 103
Mark Lawler

2. Table of Contents
Lake Tahoe Basin
Granitic Rock
Basalt Rock
Metamorphic Rock
Lodgepole Pine
Blue Jay Bird

3. Lake Tahoe Basin
• The basin formed about 2 to 3 million years
ago by a geological block faulting (Facts,2012).
• Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the
United States and the tenth deepest In the
world (Facts,2012).
• Freel Peak is the highest peak in Lake Tahoe
basin at 10,891 ft. (Freel,2009).

4. Granite rock
Ingenious by nature but
granite lends itself to
being metamorphic as well
(Lake,2012).
The Sierra Nevada region is
full of granite with a
variety of colors, it may be
due to high levels of iodine
(Lake,2012).
Grains large enough to be
visible to naked
eye, composed mainly of
quartz and feldspar
(Granite,2005).

5. Basalt
Dark colored, fine
grained ingenious rock
(Basalt:what,2005).
Composed of
plagioclase and
pyroxene.
Most widespread of
ingenious rocks and
composes more than
90% of volcanic rocks
(Basalt,2005).

6. Metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rocks
have changed due to
extreme pressure and
heat
(Metamorphic,2013).
Uplift and erosion
helped bring the rocks
to Earth’s surface
(Metamorphic,2013).
Two basic types of
Metamorphic rocks:
foliated metamorphic
rocks and non-foliated
metamorphic rocks.

7. Lodgepole pine
Second most common pine
species in the Tahoe Basin
(Macrae,2009).
Easily recognized due to its
thin flaky bark, brownish-gray
color almost appearing as
orange from a distance
(Macrae,2009).
Lodgepole pine cones are
smaller than the other pine
trees with an open structure
and dark tips (Macrae,2009).
It has evolved several
geographic races that differ
morphologically and
ecologically (Lodgepole).
One of the few species with
ecological amplitudes and
tolerances (Lodgepole).

8. Blue Jay Bird • The Blue Jay is a common large
bird with a perky crest and
blue, white and black plumage
(Blue Jay).
• Intelligent with complex
social systems and tight
family bonds.
• “Their fondness for acorns
is due to the help in spread
of oak trees in the last
glacial period” (Blue Jay).

9. Work Cited:
• Basalt: What is Basalt? How is Basalt used?. (2005). In Geoscience news and information
Geology.com. Retrieved August 1, 2013, from http://geology.com/rocks/basalt.shtml
• Basalt . (2005). In Geology rocks & minerals . Retrieved July 29, 2013, from
http://flexiblelearning.auckland.ac.nz/rocks_minerals/rocks/basalt.html
• Blue Jay . (n.d.). In All about birds . Retrieved August 1, 2013, from
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/blue_jay/lifehistory
• Facts about Lake Tahoe . (2012, December 13). In Lake Tahoe Data Cleaning House . Retrieved July
29, 2013, from http://tahoe.usgs.gov/facts.html
• Freel Peak . (2009). In Sierra Nevada Geoturism Mapguide . Retrieved August 1, 2013, from
http://www.sierranevadageotourism.org/content/freel-peak/sieCB8B58C78F933B764
• Granite: What is Granite? What is Granite used for?. (2005). In Geoscience news and informtion
Geology.com. Retrieved August 3, 2013, from http://geology.com/rocks/granite.shtml
• Lake Tahoe Beauty.Fauna, rocks, and minerals. (2012, July 20). In Home grwn Hub . Retrieved July
27, 2013, from http://homegrownhub.org/2012/07/lake-tahoe-beauty-fauna-rocks-and-minerals/
• Lodgepole Pine-Pinus Contorta. (n.d.). In Tree species compendium-Lodgepole Pine . Retrieved July
29, 2013, from http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/silviculture/Compendium/LodgepolePine.htm
• Macrae, T. C. (2009, March 27). Trees of Lake Tahoe-The Pines . In Beetles In The Bush . Retrieved
August 1, 2013, from http://beetlesinthebush.wordpress.com/2009/03/28/trees-of-lake-tahoe-the-
pines/
• Metamorphic rock facts . (2013, July 13). In Earth Facts . Retrieved August 1, 2013, from
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/earth/metamorphicrocks.html