the field site

We will be working on the alluvial fans of the Providence Mountains and the basalt flows of the Cima Volcanic Field, both located in the beautiful Mojave Desert of Southern California. For both of these field sites, there have been numerous studies on the soils and geomorphology of the area (see adjacent links). They are both classic localities for Desert Geomorphology, Desert Pavements, Desert Ecology and Desert Soil Chronosequences, thus they represent great places for us to build on the existing work to try to understand the physical weathering processes acting in these locations.

View of the Providence Mountains from Kelso Dunes

View of Kelso Dunes from a Providence Fan. This fan is typical of those that we will be examining throughout the REU.

Desert Pavement from one of the Basalt Flows in the Cima Volcanic Field

Reading related to Cima and Providence field sites

Wells et al. 1985
an article discussing the geomorphic and pedologic evolution of basalt flows in the Cima.

McDonald et al. 2003
discusses the geomorphology and geomorphic history of the Providence Mountain Alluvial Fans

Woods et al., 2005
discusses the evolution of desert pavements in the Cima Volcanic Field

Hamerlynck et al., 2002
discusses the role of soil development in the ecology of the Providence Mountain Alluvial Fans