Amber BigottiProfessor LawlerGeology 103, SummerJuly 16, 2012

Fall River Mills California Field Assignment

Table of Contents

-Method Explanation-History and Geology of Fall River Mills-Geology of Ja-She and Tule Lake-Rocks Found in the Area

BasaltSandstone

-Plant Life and AnimalsMountain Lady’s SlipperCalifornia ThistleOspreyRainbow Trout

-Works Cited

Method

Early July I traveled to Fall River Mills California, a place were I spent many of my summers while growing up.

All of the photos were taken in Fall River Mills and the surrounding areas.

All of the plant life and wildlife I encountered are from the area as well.

The rocks were collected around Ja-She springs, only a short boat ride down Eastman Lake

*Fall River Mills is located in Shasta County with an elevation between 3,200 and 3,400 feet

*Fall River Mills is surrounded by the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Mountain Ranges

*Both Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta can be seen from any location in the Fall River Mills Valley

Mount Shasta

-Mt Shasta has an elevation of 14,179 feet-Mt Shasta was created by four overlapping volcanic cones-The South side is the only part of the mountain that contains glacier erosion-593,000 years ago an eruption caused the formation of the west side of the mountain-between 300,000 and 360,000 years ago the north face of Shasta collapsed and caused a huge landslide of volcanic debris-the last eruption, which was only 100 years later, formed the summit that we see today

Mount Lassen

-Mt Lassen has an elevation of 10,462 feet-Mt Lassen was formed over the past 35 million years-Lassen began to really take shape about 27,000 years ago and only took a few years to reach its height-the mountain was greatly changed by the erosion of glaciers during the last ice age-in 1914 Lassen became active after 27,000 years off no activity-in May of 1915 there was a series of small eruptions followed by a large explosion on May 22, 1915 which caused the large creator that we can see today-both of these mountains are considered the most active in the area and the most likely to erupt in the near future

Ja-She Springs

-Ja-She springs is feed from Tule Lake located 50 miles awaythe spring feeds out and created Eastman Lake and the surrounding water ways, all known for their amazing fly fishing-the main type of rock found between the Ja-She Springs and Tule Lake is basalt-the basalt is porous and allows the water to flow undisturbed under the ground-the water flows through lava chutes and emerges to form the springs where the lava flow ended

BASALT

Sandstone: found at McArthur Burney Falls

Description:Light in color (light brown with some reddish brown color)Fine grained Contains some fracturing and layering

Identification:I believe the rock is sandstone, it is a clastic sedimentary rock. It is created through the weathering of other rocks. Sandstone mostly consists of quartz and feldspar. It gets its reddish color from the presence of iron.

Mountain Lady’s Slipper

Name: Mountain Lady’s Slipper

Scientific Name: Cypripedium Montanum

Other Names: Large Lady’s Slipper, White Lady’s Slipper, Moccasin Flower

Description: A green leafy plant which has at least one flower. The blooms are maroonish with a white pouch and resemble a slipper.

Climate: Found in higher elevations, in wooded areas with only two hours of sunlight exposure. They are found in dry to moist areas.

Threat: Loss of natural habitat (trails, fire…), uprooting from hikers, collection for medicinal purposes, natural aging of the forest

EvolutionThe Mountain Lady’s Slipper evolved very quickly and over time contained less elaborate flowers, although they are still gorgeous. They have the ability to live up to one hundred years. They evolved from the Parviflorum species and closely resemble the Cypripedium Parviflorum.

OSPREY and RAINBOW TROUT

Name: Osprey

Scientific Name: Pandion Haliaetus

Common Names: Fish Eagle, Lang Siput, Tiram

Description: Large bird with a white head and breast, the rest of the body is brownish. They are one of the few birds who have two toes in the front and in the back. Their nostrils close when the bird dives after fish.

EvolutionThe osprey is believed to have started to evolve early on and managed to follow a different evolutionary path which lead feet with two toes in the rear and that contain bumps that give them a strong and non slick grip. The osprey also has nostrils which close when diving into water and their extremely oily feathers make them buoyant and able to fly right after a dive.

Name: Rainbow Trout

Scientific Name: Oncorhynchus mykiss

Other Names: Redband trout

Description: They contain colors of red, green, blue, and yellow with black specs along their body. They have white bellies and small fins. They have a dorsal fin making them part of the salmon family.

Climate: They prefer cold and clear lakes and rivers of North America west of the Rockies.

Works Cited

Websites:blm.govbss.sfsu.educourseswashington.edufs.fed.usgooglemaps.comgoogleimages.commountainnature.comnature.perorchid1.htmltrails.comabout.comwikipedia.com