San Andreas Fault - Palmdale Roadcut EarthCache
San Andreas Fault - Palmdale Roadcut
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(other)
Related Web Page
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
You can park at the posted corrds. PLEASE BE CARFUL. PLEASE STAY AT LEAST 3 FEET FROM THE CLIFF. YOU CAN ANSWER THE QUESTIONS IN A SAFE DISTANCE.
Plate Tectonics are very interesting to most geologists (and some geocachers). This spot above shows a great place to see plate tectonics in action. Pangaea was the biggest continent to ever form on planet Earth. It broke apart about 200 Million years ago and formed seven new continents called Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America.
Along these very large continents there happens to be many fault lines and several tectonic plates. These plates are in constant movement caused by convection currents in the magma of earth's mantel which is in constant circulation (heat rises, then cools then sinks, and so fourth). This action moves the plates around the earth as they travel above the outer mantle. Some faults located within the plates are caused by the stresses that build up and eventually crack the crust. Others, including what you will witness in the San Andreas Fault, are where two adjoining plates meet.
The three main types of faults are subductive (forces push an edge into and under the other), transverse (forces push one side length-wise sliding against the other), and sea floor spreading (spreading in the crust - the sides move away from each other). One of the most famous faults is the San Andreas Fault. This fault is located at the border line between two tectonic plates called the North American and Pacific plates. The North American Plate spans over half of California through half of Iceland. The Pacific Plate spans from the other half of California all the way to the eastern shore of Japan. The San Andreas Fault starts in the Gulf of California in Mexico and ends just a few miles south of Eureka, California for a total of about 800 miles!
This fault is the most famous fault of all because of the earthquakes it causes. About 100 earthquakes a day are measuerd along the San Andreas Fault! It is a dangerous fault because of all the deadly earthquakes it causes like the one during the World Series in California in the 1989. Geoloists are predicting a major earthquake along the San Andreas Fault, about a 7.5 to an 8.0 on the southern end of the fault (Southern California). History has shown that a major earthquake erupts along this area about every 100 years. The last major quake in the Southern California region of the San Andreas was the 7.9 Fort Tejon quake 1857 which was felt from Los Angeles to San Francisco. We are over due!!
This fault was named after geologists found the fault in Lake San Andreas up in San Fransico. Lake Palmdale was and still is a huge sag pond made by the San Andreas Fault. A sag pond (in this case) when an underground river leaks up towards the surface of the Earth. Lake Palmdale was formed by the San Andreas Fault. You right now are standing in the fault zone. A fault zone is when a fault is near (withen 200 feet or so). You can see more of the fault if you go to Google Earth and zoom in to Lake Palmdale. You'll be following the fault as it passes directly through this region. At the location you can see what the San Andreas Fault can realy do!
TO LOG A FIND ON THIS CACHE YOU MUST GIVE ME THE CORECT ANSWERS BEFORE YOU LOG A FIND. YOU CAN CONTACT ME THROUGH MY EMAIL OR THE GEOCACHING MESSAGE CENTER. ANY INCORRECT ANSWERS WILL RESULT IN A DELETED LOG
1. Describe the sediment in the area around GZ.
2. What is happening to the layers of sediments here?
3. Look at the sediment layers. What shape(s) does it make and why do you think so?
Update
Effective as of June, 2014
All answers that are received that say anything about Erosion will be not be accepted. This is the not the concept of this cache, and you did not see what this earthcache is about. Please actually do science on the field, and not just drive by it.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ernq gur pnpur qrfpevcgvba.