The Geology of The Massif Montgris
Declaration
This report entitled "The Geology of the Massif Montgris" was composed by me and is based in my own work. Where the work of others has been used, it is fully acknowledged in the text and in captions to tables and illustrations.
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Chapter 1.0
Abstract
This is a study of the Massif Montgris, it is based on evidence gathered in the field over 21 days of field work. To supplement this data I have looked at papers and works by previous visitors to the Montgris. The units within the area are from the Upper Cretaceous the Tertiary and the Quaternary. I aim to give an overall guide to the geology on a smaller scale than has previously been accomplished. This study is mainly aimed at correctly dating the units of limestone using micropalaeontological data. The micropalaeontological data has also given light into the palaeoenvironment/geography during deposition.
Chapter 2
Introduction
2.0.1 Introduction
Between the 24th of June and the 24th of July 1995 Glen Burnham and I ventured to Catalunya. More precisely to Torroella de Montgris. Torroella is in the
North East of Spain, just inland of the Mediterranean sea. This remarkable old town lies at the foot of the rather imposing Massif Montgris.
Locally known as "El Montgris" (literally the grey Mountain) the massif rises up over the town and dominates the skyline. Torroella sits on quaternary conglomerate deposits. These are easily eroded, hence the valley between Pals
(10Km to the south) and Torroella is extremely flat. The valley is bisected by the river El Ter, which flows at a leisurely pace from the foothills of the
Pyrenees. The river flows to the south of Torroella and winds it's way to its conclusion in the Playa de Pals (6Km east of Torroella).
El Montgris has been known to humans since prehistoric times. It has some large caves on its slopes that served as a shelter to prehistoric man. The area was very popular with the Romans who cultivated the local area, built roads and towns (many of which still stand to this day) such as Peretelada to the south adjacent to Pals.
Since the time of the Romans Torroella has grown into a thriving market town.
It has always had close links with the Montgris which until recently still served a purpose as a shelter, not , however, against the elements but against
Pirates and marauders from the sea. In fact, on top of the Muntanya Santa
Catherina stands the remains of a thirteenth century castle (the last castle ever built in Spain).
El Montgris has provided for the local commerce since it was first settled.
Marshak, S. (2009) Essentials of Geology, 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, ch. 11, p. 298-320.
Hess, D., McKnight, T. L., & Tasa, D. (2011). McKnight's physical geography (Custom ed. for California State University, Northridge ; 2nd Calif. ed.). New York: Learning Solutions.
Glaciers are an integral part of the world’s climate. In fact, as Richard Armstrong of the University of Colorado says, “Glaciers are key indicators in monitoring and detecting climate change” (Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, 2003, p. 1). Not only are they an important part of monitoring current climate, they can hold many keys to the past. Glaciers are in fact, “a source of paleoclimate data…” (Meier and Dyurgerov, 1980, p. 37). This paleoclimate data can give geologists information on the conditions that were present at the time of the glaciers birth, as well as the approximate age. This has an important role in the geologic time scale of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. These Glaciers played a role in the carving of the present day Rocky Mountains in Colorado, which will be the primary focus of this paper. In addition, glacial formations will be discussed to give the reader background information and the future of the Glaciers in Colorado will close this paper.
Basically these are the general features of the Earth and I am going to give you
The sharp differences in elevation between the Badwater Basin and the surrounding mountains that include the highest point in the continental US (Mt. Whitney at 14,494 feet) stand as a representation of the regions violent tectonic past. The mountains themselves are considered fault block mountain ranges meaning that they were formed when blocks of rocks were squeezed through the Earth's crust along parallel faults or were loosened from the crust when it separated at a fault. In the valley, both of these methods not only were the cause of the current mountains formation less than four million years ago, but also are causing the mountains to be uplifted while the valley floor drops even further. This phenomenon is one of the reasons why the lowest and highest points in the continental...
... lava flows, vegetation, size and number of craters, and anything else you observe from the satellite images.
In this ancient place there were all different kinds of remnants from what looked to be a permanent settlement, which led us to believe that it was formed in the Neolithic period. Scientists also believe from the skull fragments found that the Cro-Magnons were the hominid type that inhabited the area. Some of the fossils found helped to prove that the settlement was immobile because the fossilized plants were apparently in a specific arrangement, showing that they were planted purposefully. Some of the cotton grown in this area was apparently used to make woven cloth. Remnants of corn meal were used to make some of the mortar for their establishments, along with mud and sand. They also made their bricks, which were much larger than today’s, from mud. Some of the teeth from the Cro-Magnons were found to be stained. They were thought to be from the coffee ingested due to the high amounts of caffeine deposits in the bones.
Mountain chain. In this paper I will pay particular attention to the formation of the
United States Geologic Survey. USGS: Your Source for Science You Can Use. Ed. Marcia McNutt. The United States Department of the Interior, 2000. Web. 20 June 2010. .
The skies were clear and a very bright blue. We unpacked our gear from the car and started hiking on the trail. Walking on the rocky trail was hard and tiring but the views were great. There were areas that were very grassy and green and others that seemed very dry. Our trail wasn’t on the green side.
which can be used as a river, and also attracts people as it can be
“You are to look upon this grim opening as travelers on foot confront a steep, rugged mountain: beyond it lies a most enchanting plain which they appreciate all the more for having toiled up and down the mountain first,” (Boccaccio, pg. 7).
Most cave and bench tombs were located in tell slopes or nearby wadi cliffs. In cave tomb burials, the dressed and adorned body was laid out near the center of a natural or hewn cave, and mortuary goods were positioned around the body. These cave burials were predominant in the Late Bronze Age and into the first centuries of the Iron Age. However, beginning in the 10th century BCE, the number of sites with cave tombs decreased as the bench tomb became more common. For bench tombs, a square or rectangular doorway in a rock-cut facade opened into an approximately 5 meter square chamber with waist-high ...
River's water comes from the annual snowmelt high in the Peruvian Andes. Between June and