23 June 2014

The Shoshone Road Cut

Posted by Dan Satterfield

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I know just enough geology to be dangerous, but I highly recommend a trip through Death Valley NP. Make sure you bring a good roadside geology book, and better yet, read it before you go.

I took advantage of the drive back to Las Vegas from the AMS weather conference in Lake Tahoe to spend a Sunday in the park, and it is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. It truly is, in the words of the second man on the Moon, magnificent desolation. I’ll share some pics from it soon, but on the road out, I came across an amazing road cut.

This road cut is on CA 178 about 4 miles east of Shoshone, CA. Can you spot the fault on the right? If not, look at the yellow band on the far right side of the pic, just above the road, and trace it to the left. The black rock is a Vitrophyre.

The story behind it is HERE.

We have some geological experts here on the AGU Blogosphere who can likely add more!