Weekend field trip to the Mojave Desert

The students of GEOL 316 embarked on a weekend excursion to study ancient and recent volcanism in the Mojave desert. Students were able to examine rocks produced from relatively non-explosive, lava dominated eruptions from basaltic cinder cones which occurred thousands of years ago. Climbing the margins of the volcanoes to examine the scoria (bits of lava which crystallized in the air after being thrown from the volcano) and spatter deposits (bits of lava which were thrown from the volcano and still molten when they hit the ground) also gave great views over the Mojave desert.

These relatively non-explosive volcanoes stood in stark contrast to the large deposits of volcanic ash (ignimbrite) found in the vicinity of Hole-in-the-Wall campground in Mojave National Preserve. These deposits formed from large, explosive eruptions, followed by collapse of the ash cloud to create large, devastating, fast moving ash and gas flows known as pyroclastic density currents, which are one of the main volcanic hazards for society. In addition to seeing evidence for past devastating eruptions, students were able to examine ancient plumbing systems for explosive volcanoes in the form of the rock type granite.

Join the Earth Sciences department today to learn more about the dynamic processes which shape our planet!