The Fall 2005 field trip took us to the Baja peninsula of northwestern Mexico. The trip included discussions of geothermal power, climbing dunes, tides, playas, alluvial fans, granitic dikes, batholiths, sand ripples, stramatolites, marine terraces, impact induced landslide deposits and much more...
Below are my pictures from the trip. Enjoy!
 |
Medium Large |
Jade and Eve pack at 7 am |
|---|---|---|
 |
Medium Large |
|
 |
Medium Large |
|
 |
Medium Large |
A small burrowing owl at our first stop near the Cerro Prieto geothermal power plant, B.C. |
 |
Medium Large |
|
 |
Medium Large |
Curtis regales us with tales of geothermal power |
 |
Medium Large |
Cerro Prieto geothermal power plant |
 |
Medium Large |
Climbing dunes near Laguna Salada (note Bob and Ralph for scale) |
 |
Medium Large |
Sand ripples at sunset |
 |
Medium Large |
Fieldtrippers investigate the dunes |
 |
Medium Large |
~160 degrees of the Laguna Salada playa |
 |
Medium Large |
Dinner in San Felipe (without a flash) |
 |
Medium Large |
Sunrise over the Sea of Cortez from my sleeping bag on the beach! |
 |
Medium Large |
|
 |
Medium Large |
|
 |
Medium Large |
|
 |
Medium Large |
Beach south of San Felipe |
 |
Medium Large |
The picture speaks for itself... |
 |
Medium Large |
Dos picachos cerca Punta el Machorro en la Bahia de San Felipe |
 |
Medium Large |
Bob, Pete, and Jani install a new battery |
 |
Medium Large |
Laguna Diablo with Sierra San Pedro Martir in the background |
 |
Medium Large |
Granitic dikes in the Peninsular Ranges |
 |
Medium Large |
A field of napalitos (edible cactus) at 80 Km/hr |
 |
Medium Large |
The Pacific near Liguna Figueroa |
 |
Medium Large |
My giant face |
 |
Medium Large |
Volcanic peaks rise out of the Marine layer near San Quintin |
 |
Medium Large |
Setting up Camp at Laguna Figueroa |
 |
Medium Large |
Gwen and Ralph discuss ripple formation |
 |
Medium Large |
|
 |
Medium Large |
Fieldtrippers look for algae in the foul smelling muck |
 |
Medium Large |
|
 |
Medium Large |
John Keller plays in the mud |
 |
Medium Large |
|
 |
Medium Large |
|
 |
Medium Large |
John, Jade, and Eve enjoy lunch while sitting on top of marine terraces north of El Rosario |
 |
Medium Large |
|
 |
Medium Large |
Image shows current sea-level and two marine terraces (paleo sea-level) at center and upper right corner |
 |
Medium Large |
Jade falling over in the middle of her talk! |
 |
Medium Large |
Cardon cactus (elephant cactus) in Canon San Fernando |
 |
Medium Large |
John and Brian discuss possible impact induced landslides in Canon San Fernando in front of Tuff dated to 65 mya (K/T boundary) |
 |
Medium Large |
A Boojum tree (Cirio) |
 |
Medium Large |
Unidentified COUS (Cholla of unusual size) |
 |
Medium Large |
|
 |
Medium Large |
While clearly not a slide block (since no stratigraphy is preserved) this 1m long boulder of mudstone (?) clearly seemed out place mixed in with the surrounding conglomerate. Evidence for impact induced mass waisting? |
 |
Medium Large |
The block's (above) texture and color is consistant with the mudstones of the Maastrichtian |
 |
Medium Large |
Tarantula on alluvium |
 |
Medium Large |
Stopping for lunch in San Vicente |
 |
Medium Large |
mmm... Tacos |
 |
Medium Large |
House at Chocolate near Santo Tomas |
 |
Medium Large |
Cyclists practicing for the Baja 1000 off-road race |
 |
Medium Large |
Sea cliffs near Punta San Jose, our campsite for night 4 |
 |
Medium Large |
LPL finally finds Ammonites! |
 |
Medium Large |
|
 |
Medium Large |
A large concretion. Probably the result of fossilization |
 |
Medium Large |
Sea cliffs below the rising Moon |
 |
Medium Large |
Close encounter with the marine layer (morning of day 5) |
 |
Medium Large |
Sunrise on Day 5 |
