The study of the history of the physical development of the structure, content and life of the earth by application of the natural sciences to the physical formations found inside and on the surface of the earth.
East Mojave & Mojave Preserve
Land Formation and Erosional Processes
Discussions of landform development applicable to the desert in general as well as the Mojave National Preserve.
Mojave Preserve Geology
Summaries of the geologic formations found in the Mojave National Preserve
Mitchell Caverns Geology
The formation of the Mitchell Caverns in the Providence Mountains
Death Valley
Death Valley Geology
The landscape is so varied and extreme, one cannot help to wonder what events have taken place to create such an ...
Golden Canyon Geology
Death Valley's Golden Canyon preserves geologic stories steeped in change. Like pages in a book, its rocks tell tales of ancient times when a ...
Alluvial Fans
Rising almost halfway up the steep mountain front of the Panamints are great aprons of rocky debris that spread out toward ...
Walk Through Time
The sample rocks in this tour are only "some" of the major geologic formations in the Death Valley area. Displayed in order from oldest to youngest, they show evidence of the ...
Joshua Tree National Park:
Arch Rock Geology
Geologists study the origin, history, and structure of the Earth and have been coming to this area for a long time wondering about these ...
Rockpiles & Intrusions
Geologists believe the face of our modern landscape was born more than 100 million years ago. Molten liquid, heated by the continuous movement of the ...
Geology Tour Road
The face of the earth at any time represents only a fleeting moment in a very long history. Major changes are going on all around ...
Other Places:
Red Rock Canyon, California State Park
Layers of red and white sediments, creating the accordion-like folds in the cliff faces, are capped with a harder, more resistant ...
Vasquez Rocks
Compressed, folded and tilted as much as 50 degrees, and up to nearly 150 feet high, erosion gradually ...
Yosemite Geology
Yosemite is a glaciated landscape, and the scenery that resulted from the interaction of the glaciers and the underlying rocks was ...
The Grand Canyon
The exposed geologic strata - layer upon layer from the basement Vishnu schist to the capping Kaibab limestone - rise over a mile above ...
New Section > Geomorphic Provinces
California's geomorphic provinces are naturally defined geologic regions that ...
New Section > Paleontology
The scientific study of prehistoric plants and animals in their geologic context.
New Section > San Andreas Fault
Summary of the earthquake fault shaping the southern boundary of the Mojave Desert.
Alluvial material in dry wash
Dry Lake - Playa
Desert Varnish