Geology Rocks Pittsburgh

The are back at training camp, and the NFL draft is right around the corner!!
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This calls for another Geology Rocks! Pittsburgh landscape lesson.
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Did yinz know that Zion National Park began forming over 270 million years ago??? The amazing canyon we see today went through a 4-stage process of sedimentation, lithification, uplift, and erosion. Originally, the area was a flat basin that lay near sea level, where ancient seas and vast deserts deposited massive amounts of sediment that, layer by layer, hardened to become what is now known as Navajo Sandstone. Over the course of tens of millions of years, the sandstone was gradually forced upward by tectonic forces that would inevitably form the Colorado Plateau. Within the last 5 million years, however, the uplift accelerated significantly, raising the plateau to its current height of over 10,000 feet. This rapid rise caused the Virgin River to act like a saw, cutting down through the sedimentary rock layers to form Zion's deep, steep, winding, and narrow-walled canyon that we have the opportunity to enjoy today.
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Don't get too comfy, though! Zion National Park is in a rapid state of geological change and will most likely look very different within the next several million years. This is because the Virgin River has not yet reached its "base level," meaning it will continue to cut downward at high speeds and has already down-cut 1,300 feet within the last 1 million years. Over time, erosion, landslides, and rockfalls will continue to cause the canyon walls to collapse outward, making the canyon wider and less steep; in addition, the Virgin River acts as an extremely efficient conveyor belt for the canyon and surrounding area, as it effectively carries away approximately 1 MILLION TONS of sediment ~every~single~year!
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THE MORE YOU KNOW!
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SiO2 // ZiOn
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Quartz grows in near-perfect hexagonal crystals, its symmetry controlled by the atomic lattice of silicon (Si) and oxygen (O). Under the right temperature, pressure, and silica-rich fluids, nature quietly builds crystals with absolute geometric precision /\
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Happy Monday 💎
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Malachite more like MalacTIGHT 💚
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Hey yinz 👋🏻 GeoBob () here, stepping in for a guest appearance back on the IG. Hope you are all doing well - I miss and love yinz so much. Okay back to business on the green goddess
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The formation of malachite is greatly influenced by the local environmental conditions, particularly the presence of water and carbon dioxide. The more H2O and CO2 in an area, the better the conditions for forming said malachite. I’d say the pocket this bad mamajama came from was getting plenty of nutrients because she’s extremely bubbly and beautiful
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But how does she get bubbly? ⬇️
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Botryoidal malachite forms in the oxidized zones of copper deposits, where mineral-rich, acidic groundwater interacts with limestone, causing copper to precipitate in bubble-shaped clusters 🫧
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Pyrite perfection & the beauty of bokeh. 🤤💛
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Pyrite is sometimes called " fool's gold"
because of its similarity in color and shape to
gold. However, pyrite is actually a metallic
compound of iron and sulfur, and has a Mohs
hardness of 6 to 6.5; whereas gold has a much
softer Mohs hardness of 2.5. Pyrite can be found
worldwide, but specimens from Navajun,
Spain and Peru are notably extraordinary, often
forming with a near perfect cubic crystal structure and luster. The name pyrite is derived from the Greek "pyritēs lithos," or "stone which
strikes fire", because of its ability to create a
spark when striking steel. 💥
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Pink Tourmaline // the sand dune stunna 💘
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Giant sand dunes at the base of the Rockies say whaaaaaaaaaa ¿ buuuut howwwww ? Tune into the next geologic landscape lesson to find out!
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Happy Sunday. Love yinz. 💛
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