Subj : ES Picture of the Day 11  2022
To   : All
From : Dan Richter
Date : Sun Dec 11 2022 11:01:06

 EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes
and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and
archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


 Crystal Forms in Petrified Wood

   December 09, 2022

    TomMc_EPODImage2.WolverineLoopPetrifiedForest2022#2 (003)

    TomMc_EPODImage1.PetrifiedWoodWolverineClose2022#1 (003)

   Photographer:  Thomas McGuire

   Summary Author:  Thomas McGuire


    Grand Staircase National Monument is a spectacularly rich geologic
   area in remote southern Utah. Within this monument,  Wolverine
   Petrified Forest, shown above at top, features silicified (petrified)
   tree trunks and sections. The variety of colors is caused by  iron
   oxide and other oxide minerals.


   In the bottom photo, the geometric forms at right are dark stained
    quartz crystals that probably grew by groundwater deposition in
   openings called “ vugs.” Quartz is extremely common, but visible
    quartz crystals less so. When an  igneous rock cools and
   crystallizes, quartz is the last common mineral to harden, so it
   usually fills in the irregular openings between previously formed
   minerals including feldspar, mica, amphibole and pyroxene. What
   surprised me was the texture on this exposed surface. The radial forms
   at the bottom of the photo are new to me, and I have yet to understand
   how they formed. Photos taken in July 2022.



   Grand Staircase National Monument, Utah Coordinates: 37.799633,
   -111.214906


Related EPODs

    Crystal Forms in Petrified Wood  Mt. Baker at Sunrise  Fossil
   Find in Sicily, Italy  Arizona’s China Wall  Fossil Lake’s Legacy
   at Wyoming’s Fossil Butte  Wagon Tracks from the Old West?
    More...

Geology Links

     *  Earthquakes
     *  Geologic Time
     *  Geomagnetism
     *  General Dictionary of Geology
     *  Mineral and Locality Database
     *  Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
     *  This Dynamic Earth
     *  USGS
     *  MyShake - University of California, Berkeley
     *  USGS Ask a Geologist
     *  USGS/NPS Geologic Glossary
     *  USGS Volcano Hazards Program

-
   Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the  Universities
   Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu
 
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