Ibapah Peak is one of the 3 rare 5,000 ft. The highest summits of the Western Desert are the legacy of metamorphizing intrusions, which left behind the granites of Deep Creek Range near Nevada state line. The weakened, rift-ridden crust resulted in strong recent (Tertiary) volcanism. Further south, it is carved by unique limestone slot canyons such as Upper Hell'n Moriah. A sheer limestone cliff of Notch Peak, over 4,000 feet tall, has a number of technical rock climbing routes. The west escarpment of the House Range, near the geographical center of the area, stands out as the most prominent. In the past 20 million years, the Earth crust here has experienced extension by as much as factor of two. The area was stretched in East-West direction by mighty tectonic forces, creating a series of sunken valleys separating ranges and escarpments running North to South. The western desert of Utah is located near the eastern boundary of the Great Basin. This page is at the moment, the best resource for learning about this area on the web at this time. How about the Confusion range containing peaks like King Top or Conger Mountain? Or the Drum or Keg mountains ranges? Well, you may be getting the picture I am trying to paint here, there are a lot of varied ranges in the western Utah great basin/desert area and all are worthy of exploration. Nor are they aware of the wonders of the Newfoundland range or the sheer drop from the summit of Notch Peak to the desert floor below. Few have heard of Ibapah Peak, a gem on the nevada border nor of the Wah Wahs or the Fish Springs range that contains George Hansen Peak. Mainly ignored by the large population base of the Ogden-Salt Lake-Provo urban areas, the western desert area of Utah is a true treasure waiting to be discovered. Now, onto the main body of work, which is a work in progress. Perhaps the best way to look at the information contained on this page is to think of the Great Basin with this page covering those ranges and peaks that are contained in the portion that is in Utah. Armed with a sturdy vehicle, proper preparation and good maps, you can minimize the middle of nowhere feeling. It’s also known as White Snowflake Obsidian and Gray Snowflake Obsidian.Large deposits of Snowflake Obsidian can be found in Mexico, Iceland, and the USA.Ĭhrysanthemum Stone: Natural Flower Stoneĭocument.Oftentimes, when you are in the western Utah desert, you feel like you are indeed in "the middle of nowhere". An example of obsidian that formed the first way is along the margins of basaltic lava flows at Kilaeua Volcano (Hawaii Hotspot, central Pacific Ocean). United States: The western United States is home to a number of obsidian deposits, including the Obsidian Cliff in Yellowstone National Park.ġ) very rapid cooling of lava, which prevents the formation of crystals.Ģ) cooling of high-viscosity lava, which prevents easy movement of atoms to form crystals.Mexico: The state of Puebla in Mexico is home to a number of obsidian mines, including the famous Teotihuacan mines.Iceland: The Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa in Iceland, is known for its beautiful snowflake obsidian formations.Some of the most famous locations for snowflake obsidian include: Where to find Snowflake ObsidianSnowflake obsidian is found in many areas around the world where volcanic activity has taken place. The spherulites can be seen as small, white speckles or as larger, snowflake-like patterns. TextureSnowflake obsidian has a smooth, glassy texture. The size and distribution of the cristobalite crystals determines the appearance of the snowflake obsidian. These bubbles then solidify into cristobalite crystals. As the lava cools, the water molecules escape and form tiny bubbles. The white or grayish spots in snowflake obsidian are formed when the lava contains small amounts of water. The composition of obsidian can change over time, just as any type of rock changes over time, moving through different phases of the rock cycle. It also has a low water content, since as the magma reaches the surface, most of the water evaporates as steam. Obsidian's high silica content makes the lava it forms from highly viscous, or thick. It’s basically a volcanic glass that formed as an igneous rock. Snowflake Obsidian is formed when the felsic lava from a volcano rapidly cools down with very minimum crystal growth. The geology of snowflake obsidian is similar to that of other types of obsidian.
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