The Restless Earth
What existed before Death Valley? The rocks of Golden Canyon provide evidence of an older basin. The tilted layers surrounding were were nearly horizontal when they were initially deposited. Why do these layers tilt so steeply now? Movement along the major faults of Death Valley has created a large fold centered near the Texas Spring Campground. In the process, these basin sediments have been uplifted and tilted, and erosion now carries sediment out to a new valley floor. Tilted layers of rock are relatively common in Death Valley; tortured rocks have been fractured, faulted, and folded because the dynamic tectonic activity that continues to shape this restless land.
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| GLOSSARY | > erosion, fault, rock, sediments, , |
GOLDEN CANYON GEOLOGY TRAIL
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Tilted rock layers