In December 2019, we performed a paleomagnetic sampling campaign in the Coast Range ophiolites of the Bay area of California. Prime target was the Mt Diablo ophiolite, where we sampled sheeted dykes and pillow lavas to reconstruct a paleo-spreading direction that will aid the reconstruction of the complex (plate) tectonic history of western North America and the eastern Panthalassa ocean. Participants in the trip were my MSc student Cemil Arkula, my post-doc Nalan Lom, Grant Rea-Downing, a PhD student at the University of Utah at Salt Lake City, and John Wakabayashi, a professor at the University of California at Fresno and a leading specialist in Californian geology. In addition, we got great help from Josh Goodwin and colleagues from the Geological Survey of California. Below a picture summary of the trip!
Participants in the trip included Utrecht MSc student Cemil Arkula
Nalan Lom, post-doc in Utrecht (on a pillow lava)
Grant Rea-Downing, PhD student at the University of Utah at Salt Lake City
John Wakabayshi, here with Nalan, Grant, and Cemil
Josh and David from the Geological Survey of California, and me.
The aim of this trip was to collect paleomagnetic data from the Coast Range ophiolite to reconstruct paleo-spreading directions of the ridge at which it formed. This included some hiking to find good pillow lavas for paleolatitude reconstrutcion
And hikes in the winter of California are quite beautiful!Right?The targets of the field trip are here caught in one photography: in the foreground Mitchell Rock, consisting of pillow lavas, in the distance Cemex Quarry, one of the two quarries in Mt Zion that contain sheeted dykes.Pillows of Mitchell RockGrant, on top of Mitchell Rock
Nalan and Grant, in the fog, early morning, on Mitchell Rock
We got permission to sample both Hanson and Cemex Quarries (thanks for your help Josh!), where there are beautiful sheeted dykes exposed
Which were drilled by David of the Survey
By John
By CemilBy NalanAlso by Grant, but without a picture 🙂 And by meTeam, inspecting the quarry from a distance
Nalan, Grant, and Cemil, on our way back to Mitchell Rock
John and Josh, looking for John’s hammer and discussing…beer.
Wheels of the survey…I like that field car!
Cemil, measuring
Grant, collecting samples
Epidosite mineralizations in the dykes
Drill hole!
Uh…
Right…weren’t you supposed to hibernate?
California in the winter
Ready to go into the field!That was a great trip, let’s do that again!
