Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Coal "Miner's" Canyon, Arizona: Tuba City's Pancake Geology Surprise

        Whoa. This "striking" image was my first introduction to Coal Mine Canyon on the Navajo Indian Reservation near Tuba City, in northeast Arizona. Have you heard of this magical, amazingly-tinted place before? Ok, now I'm just making up words. . .

      Well, you know what I'm thinking, right? 







       Field trip! Mom and I were already planning a trip to the Great Sand Dunes, CO, and to Santa Fe, Taos, Abiquiu, and Albuquerque, NM, in the spring of 2016. What's another 320 miles further west of the Albuquerque when this adventure awaits?!






 Really, whoa.





      Whoa. Whoa. Whoa!





     

         Whew! Just had to get that awe out of my system. Wait, one more. . .



     It is a breath-taking, stark and yet inviting, clear example of "pancake geology, with oldest rocks on the bottom of the stack and youngest rocks on top." One may easily follow those red marker beds in the foreground of the above image all through the canyon. It's easy to see which way the beds are "striking" or trending and that these beds dip very little in any direction. Drop some water (or maple syrup ;-)) on top of one of those beds and it just sits there or dribbles ever do slowly down one side of the stack. . .


   

         More specifics on how to get to this spectacular edge of the Painted Desert in the vicinity of Georgia O'Keeffe country just to the east in NM are described in this link to lesser-known vistas of the southwestern U.S.




        Today's post honors my mom, June, recovering after 6 days in the cardiac unit (she is doing much better now) and my friend-since-second-grade, Liz, also recovering from recent surgery. The three of us will report on Coal Bed Canyon in the spring. . .and have a stack of pancakes, syrupy sweet, if that strikes our fancies ;-)..[We may need to bring our own real maple syrup, of course]. 

      Here's to much healing, Mom and Liz!





Love may be a many splendored thing . . . . .but geology is a many layered thing,

Steph


>>>>>> Chemistry Month with Kindergartners:

 "Is it Alive?: Honeycombs, Carbon-Rings, and Mystery Containers" <<<<<<<

















41 comments:

  1. And, from, Wikipedia, "The name of the town, Tuba City, honors Tuuvi, a Hopi headman from Oraibi who converted to Mormonism. The Navajo name for Tuba City, Tó Naneesdizí translates as "tangled waters", which probably refers to the many below-ground springs that are the source of several reservoirs. Tuba City is located within the Painted Desert near the western edge of the Navajo Nation."

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  2. I only know Tuba City as the home of Jim Chee, of the Navajo Police, from Tony Hillerman's books.

    My son played trombone in high school (and college), but picked up a euphonium and a glass mouthpiece to join other low brass players at Rockefeller Center in New York each year for Tuba Christmas, which probably ought to be held in Tuba City (not that they need to play that far away). (The usual brass mouthpiece would get cold enough to stick to after a few hours outside.)

    Hope Mom is feeling better!

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    Replies
    1. She is, jan, thanks. Feisty once more.

      And, how can we mention Tuba City without asking "What's a tuba for?"
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      Home-building, of course.
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      .
      .

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    2. Isn't that the answer to "What's a tuba for for?" I thought the answer was "1 1/2 x 3 1/2."

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    3. WW, not accusing you of plagiarism, but more like great minds think alike (and so do ours), but I posted the following on Puzzleria on 11/5/15:
      Also, the TUIBA, which reminds me of the old joke:

      Q. What's a tuba for?
      A. A piece of lumber you can use to make houses.

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    4. Hehe, David. That's likely why it had surfaced to the top of my gray matter.

      We still look forward to your Utah photos including cryptobiotic soil crusts. Are the photos two by four? ;-)

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    5. Just sent a teaser photo by email.

      Delete
    6. I'm cairn a lot about this fun photo, David. Thanks!

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. There's a sandstone in Arizona called the Bliss Sandstone. This E.B sculpture reminds me of the Bliss. . .or vice versa perhaps.

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  4. Replies
    1. Three times in two years--I don't know any groups that meet like that. And yes, I had to look it up.

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  5. Replies
    1. Are we cross-blogging again?

      Delete
    2. I think we need a czech on this sort of thing. Nothing humerus about it. Do the priests there wear real scapulas as scapulars? Are the calvaria relics from Calvary?

      OK for Halloween, I guess. Speaking of seeing the Devil in the Dark,didn't Bones once say, "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer!"

      Delete
  6. Since we were just invoking RICHARD SCARRY'S BOOKS a little while ago. . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Today's Jeopardy! Clue of the Day:

      ABBREVIATIONS

      ITS MEANING AS AN INDIVIDUAL PRODUCT DATES TO 1977; ITS MEANING AS CONFORMING TO ORTHODOX OPINION DATES TO 1986

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    2. Just noting a coincidence, BTW; I think the changes in the book are fine.

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  7. Steph,
    City slogan: Pancake layers ABUT in TUBA
    Love may be a many splendored thing but geology is a many layered thing.
    And, according to Erich, Ryan and Ali,
    Love means never having to say you’re sorry but geology means always having to mine the quarry.
    jan,
    Glass euphonium mouthpieces, eh? Guess they should make flagpoles outta glass also.

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    Replies
    1. Ow, now my tongue hurts, lego.

      Well, not always. . .

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  8. Quodlibetal questions are the best kind of query, eh?!

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    Replies
    1. Listened to this sultry Nina Simone song sitting in this perfectly sunny November afternoon, about to swim. Thank you, Paul.

      It's been a day of not knowing where I was headed and every time I have been pleasantly surprised at where I landed.

      Was planning to do litmus paper for Chemistry Month with the kindergartners this morning but I could not locate the litmus paper.

      So I made up "Is it Alive?: Honeycombs, Carbon-Rings, and Mystery Containers" instead. We talked about and experimented with efficient packing, steel, carbon-rings, atoms and bonds. It was a wee bit hexagonally magical :-).

      I will post a photo or two above.

      Delete
  9. In Wisconsin we have a Cuba City. I have not the faintest idea why it is named Cuba City. It is self-nicknamed the "City of Presidents."
    Fidel? Raul?
    There is a Yuba City in California. I think there might be a Dubya City in Texas. And a Zubaz City in Mexico, or wherever Jesse Ventura is hanging out these days.

    LegoIfILivedInCubaCityI'dOpenACigarShoppe

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    Replies
    1. Lego, would you really open a cigar shoppe?

      As a teenager in the CT River Valley, I sewed together cigar leaves in the summer. There were fingers sewn in the machine, giant tobacco bugs. . .and that 3 mm coating of tar on my hands at the end of the day made me never want to have anything to do with tobacco products. . .

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  10. Perhaps there is a connection from yesterday's events to the upcoming climate change talks in Paris, slated to begin November 30.

    Keeping Paris and the planet in our thoughts. . .

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  11. New post on "Red Ember Mine in Massachusetts: "Gar"-net Almandine Versus Trout Almondine" is now up!

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