Why Are There Volcanoes And Obsidian At California's Salton Sea?

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  • čas přidán 30. 01. 2024
  • Explore Obsidian Butte on the shores of California's largest water body, the Salton Sea, with geology professor Shawn Willsey. Learn why volcanoes exist there, how the land can be both below sea level and have high mountains, and how obsidian formed in this location. GPS location: 33.17126, -115.63763
    Support my efforts to make geology education videos! Send support via:
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    or click on the "Thanks" button above.
    Or a good ol' fashioned check to:
    Shawn Willsey
    College of Southern Idaho
    315 Falls Avenue
    Twin Falls, ID 83303
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Komentáře • 409

  • @shawnwillsey
    @shawnwillsey  Před 4 měsíci +30

    Be sure to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. You can support my educational videos by clicking on the "Thanks" button just above (right of Like button) or by going here: www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=EWUSLG3GBS5W8
    or here: buymeacoffee.com/shawnwillsey

    • @user-fu6yu3jj7w
      @user-fu6yu3jj7w Před 4 měsíci +1

      I'm watching your video now sir but I am genuinely wondering how did you get the link you've posted to work?? I ask this because CZcams doesn't allow links posted to work anymore allegedly due to scammers and hackers so Google says! I honestly don't think it's due to that at all and more due to links take people away from CZcams and less people here on CZcams then there's less people watching their ads! Less people watching ads means less money they make! Idk maybe I'm wrong but I seriously don't think so! There are some links that slip through and work like yours does but not very many at all! Even old links have altogether for the most part been disabled as well! If you could please get back to me I'd really appreciate it please and thank you!

    • @saffronskies333
      @saffronskies333 Před měsícem

      it used to be the best place to go fishing... Corvina fish. ...they make great ceviche...

  • @TheDenisedrake
    @TheDenisedrake Před 4 měsíci +128

    You often joke about your drawings, but they are VERY helpful. Thank you.

    • @MyMemphisable
      @MyMemphisable Před 4 měsíci +6

      I love the cartoon diagrams too! I pause and study them for a few minutes. They're really helpful.

    • @marknovak2413
      @marknovak2413 Před 4 měsíci +2

      @@MyMemphisable Geologic mapping itself is an exercise in cartoon-drawing.

    • @JNosewicz7569
      @JNosewicz7569 Před 4 měsíci +2

      I agree! 💯

    • @jeebusk
      @jeebusk Před 4 měsíci +1

      I don't care about geology,
      I'm just here for the drawings :)

    • @JNosewicz7569
      @JNosewicz7569 Před 4 měsíci +2

      @@jeebusk set up some merch😉

  • @davidk7324
    @davidk7324 Před 4 měsíci +69

    Outstanding Shawn. I learned a lot. I appreciate your organization and the cartoons. “Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them."

    • @sonjo2419
      @sonjo2419 Před 4 měsíci +5

      My feelings exactly. Just not able to express it so well😎

    • @lotharschiese8559
      @lotharschiese8559 Před 2 měsíci

      @@sonjo2419 Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Eh?

  • @marjieestivill
    @marjieestivill Před 4 měsíci +42

    Your diagram in this video tells me so much more than just seeing maps of faults. Never knew there are divergent plate boundaries through there…thanks!

  • @lotharschiese8559
    @lotharschiese8559 Před 4 měsíci +13

    Anywhere I have moved to in my 71 years, I had a burning desire to learn of my local geology and how it came to be!

  • @Firebuck
    @Firebuck Před 4 měsíci +25

    The releasing and restraining bends were really interesting. I've heard that plate tectonics is a pretty recent science (1960s), and this discussion made me wonder how the details were worked out. Imagine being the guy that figured out the mountains over yonder were formed by the same fault movement as the volcano over here. Just a right turn vs. a left turn.

  • @outlawbillionairez9780
    @outlawbillionairez9780 Před 4 měsíci +27

    Hiking Joshua Tree countless weekends sparked my interest in geology decades ago. Only now, the pieces of the puzzle are revealing themselves.
    Standing atop San Jacinto Peak, you get a sense of the magnitude of forces at work throughout this area. I always wanted to know the geological story. Thanks for your help.
    The diagrams are indispensable. Thanks for the time you put into them.👍

  • @thecottagerose
    @thecottagerose Před 4 měsíci +43

    This was very informative. I grew up in El Centro, and experienced several large earthquakes on the Imperial fault. It’s always great to learn more about the Valley geology. Thank you

    • @mindysdad3110
      @mindysdad3110 Před 4 měsíci +6

      I vividly recall the earthquake swarms there in the early '80's. I was living in Imperial at the time and there was quite a bit of damage to the old downtown buildings. Aside from that; Professor Jay Van Werloff of IVC brought attention to the mini volcanoes (mudpots)of Salton Sea years ago; he was passionate about the local geology and anthropology.

    • @user-zq3iz3zn5m
      @user-zq3iz3zn5m Před 3 měsíci +3

      I was supervisor on a drilling rig at the southern end of Salton Sea in the 80s. On our days off, we would explore the out cropping and come back with chuncks of obsidian larger than 1 cu. ft. On the border, we would find very tall outcroppings in the Anza Borrego with some pretty good garnets. Some private jewelers would pay 50 to 100 bucks a piece for the best ones. The desert
      Want a wonder filled environment.

    • @susancuenin2137
      @susancuenin2137 Před 3 měsíci

      Lived in the Imperial Valley for several years and we had earthquakes when the weather changed from cool to hot and back again. Pretty amazing area, geologically.

    • @user-zq3iz3zn5m
      @user-zq3iz3zn5m Před 3 měsíci +1

      @@susancuenin2137
      Yes miss. And hot is hot. Below sea level. Takes really different and hearty folks not only to live in the desert but to love it as well.

    • @Philip-gn8wx
      @Philip-gn8wx Před 12 dny

      😉@@mindysdad3110

  • @fenixgirl9
    @fenixgirl9 Před 4 měsíci +21

    The map you made is very helpful..and then to actually see the physical look of the rocks and terrain really helps geology be understandable.

  • @davidinsocal3032
    @davidinsocal3032 Před 4 měsíci +16

    Found many pieces of knapped obsidian and arrowheads in the Poway Valley area of San Diego County... Was told by 'experts' that the obsidian came from the desert tribes who traded with coastal tribes. Now I know where they got it! Thanks!

  • @markhanish4463
    @markhanish4463 Před 4 měsíci +10

    Very nice discussion on how deflections of the strike slip faults can alternately create areas of extension and resulting basins or compression and resulting mountains. This is one of the areas of the western US that I haven’t had a chance to see first hand and I know little about. After this video, I know a little more. Thank you.

  • @hestheMaster
    @hestheMaster Před 4 měsíci +8

    The geological features of Southern California are rather unique and you took great time in explaning why things are the
    way they are there Shawn. And I thought this place was a dead zone of activity. It is very much not so. Another YT'er was
    here exploring and there were huge piles of pure unweathered Obsidian where she was. Was amazing seeing both views
    of roughly the same kind of geology out in what looks like the middle of nowhere. Thanks again for this cool visit.

  • @mikeladley5149
    @mikeladley5149 Před 4 měsíci +3

    I lived in San Diego for 36 yrs, been to the Salton Sea as a kid, but never knew of Obsidian Butte. What a cool place! When I was rockhounding in Oregon, I got some nice specimens in Davis Creek in Northeastern California, along with Sunstones near Plush Or, and Opal in the Virgin Valley near Denio Nv. I'm the guy that lives 18 miles from Taal Volcano Philippines. Miss the rockhounding sites of the Western US. Thanks for the video's and their insight into Mother Nature's impact on the Earth. 👍💖

    • @jdcaldwell5088
      @jdcaldwell5088 Před 3 měsíci +2

      The old timers called that area black rock. When the water was up to the rocks. Was Great fishing area for corvina, croaker, sargo fish. Because the water warmer in the winter & spring from heat bubbling up from underneath.

  • @shelbykeefe971
    @shelbykeefe971 Před 4 měsíci +8

    I love the Salton Sea! Lots of history with a storied past! Please do another video on it!

  • @wendygerrish4964
    @wendygerrish4964 Před 4 měsíci +10

    Oh filling great gaps in my knowledge and understanding . Thank you so much.

  • @justhim1710
    @justhim1710 Před 4 měsíci +12

    Cheers Shawn, Nice video and Great information, JH 🙏🏻✌🏻

  • @wendygerrish4964
    @wendygerrish4964 Před 4 měsíci +3

    Thanks!

    • @shawnwillsey
      @shawnwillsey  Před 4 měsíci

      Thank you kindly for supporting these educational videos.

  • @jayculp7530
    @jayculp7530 Před 4 měsíci +9

    Great video. I can now say I have walked over some of the same geological area as you have. My son lived in San Diego for 8 years and while on a trip to see him and family, we made a road trip to Obsidian Butte at the Salton Sea. I actually mailed about 50lbs of rock and obsidian samples back to North Carolina by the USPS for $38. Was cheaper than a $50 airplane carry on bag. Keep exploring and learning my Friend.

    • @Anne5440_
      @Anne5440_ Před 4 měsíci

      Did you knap it?

    • @jayculp7530
      @jayculp7530 Před 4 měsíci +1

      No, I don't do any knapping. I use rocks in a geology/rock presentation I do for Elementary age school kids on a routine basis. I'm just a RockHound that shares the things that God created.

    • @Anne5440_
      @Anne5440_ Před 4 měsíci

      @jayculp7530 That is wonderful! By far, a more important use of the rocks.

    • @jayculp7530
      @jayculp7530 Před 4 měsíci +1

      I actually did a Presentation yesterday for 15 adult Special Needs students at a local Community College.

    • @Anne5440_
      @Anne5440_ Před 4 měsíci

      @jayculp7530 As a retired sp Ed teacher I am delighted by this.

  • @alisalavine1052
    @alisalavine1052 Před 4 měsíci +3

    Great content, Shawn. I learned so much. I'm forever confused by the different types of faults. Hybrid faults are even worse. But your "art" really made it easy to understand.
    I was born and raised in Southern California. At 22, my young family was uprooted to Kansas and decades later, I'm still in Kansas.
    It wasn't until about 10 years ago that I even heard the name, Salton Sea. Crazy, right? It's really cool to be able to add some geological history to such a weird place. Thanks, for taking the time to teach this 50something year old in an easily digestible format.

  • @Rachel.4644
    @Rachel.4644 Před 4 měsíci +4

    So interesting! You are a great teacher. Especially your explanations about the faults. When I last went to that area it was to bird watch. (Tilapia bones, fish were dying all around the shore) Thank you so much!

  • @edwardlulofs444
    @edwardlulofs444 Před 4 měsíci +5

    Thank you for that nice video.
    I haven’t been to that particular spot so I watched with interest.
    Since you are a geologist, you understood the geology there quickly.
    As I am not a geologist, it has taken me years to understand this wonderful area.
    Every time I get to drive through or visit that area I learn a little bit more about it.

  • @constanceschemmel7973
    @constanceschemmel7973 Před 10 dny

    I watch you and Myron Cook as much as I can, especially since you each look at geology in a different way and it helps round out my education. I love learning about why there are outcroppings, how they evolved, the underlying and obvious. Welll, just everything. Thank you. And your sketches help a Great deal.

  • @gregindavis
    @gregindavis Před 4 měsíci +1

    Another great explanation Shawn, Thank You, You can't live in California without appreciating the varying Geology that surrounds you!

  • @rollsandfloats
    @rollsandfloats Před 4 měsíci +3

    Love your maps and explanations of this fascinating area. Thanks for the education and keep up the great work Shawn!

  • @saddlelac
    @saddlelac Před 4 měsíci +2

    Really enjoy these educational videos. You project well and are easy to understand and follow. Very appreciated. Thank you.

  • @gunningopher
    @gunningopher Před 3 měsíci +2

    I've been playing my whole life and working as a land surveyor off and on in the Imperial Valley for 30+ years. This was such a great description of what is going on in that area and was at a perfect level for a land surveyor to understand why our geodetic control is so challenging there. I'm going to share it with our younger surveyors. I kind of knew most of this stuff but you really put it all together just the right way.

  • @jenniferlevine5406
    @jenniferlevine5406 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Great video and an incredible place. Thanks for the view through a geologists eye! Fascinating!

  • @muzikhed
    @muzikhed Před 4 měsíci +2

    Great video. Such a complex and interesting tectonic setting. Nice diagram and explanation. Love that Pumice and Obsidian mix.

  • @judierickson7166
    @judierickson7166 Před 4 měsíci +2

    Thank you for another fascinating video. Your teaching style makes it easy to understand.

  • @michaelryan4108
    @michaelryan4108 Před 4 měsíci +2

    Wow! This video is loaded good information! A great combination of field trip exposure and classroom lecture is showcased. Thanks for the effort!

  • @CraigInNC
    @CraigInNC Před 4 měsíci +3

    Professor, thank you so much! I am getting more interested in earth sciences, with quakes, volcanoes, tectonics and your channel has helped me much.

  • @oscarmedina1303
    @oscarmedina1303 Před 2 měsíci

    Thanks Shawn. Definitely on my "must visit' list.

  • @rogerharris8081
    @rogerharris8081 Před 4 měsíci +2

    Very well explained and demonstrated. You have wonderful teaching skills.

  • @exoplanet11
    @exoplanet11 Před 8 dny

    Wow, so informative! I'm a lifelong California hiker, scientist and amateur geology enthusiast, and I learned a TON from this video. Thanks!

  • @everettnichols9062
    @everettnichols9062 Před 4 měsíci +1

    I've wondered about this area for years. Thank you very much!!!

  • @jscottmaclean226
    @jscottmaclean226 Před 4 měsíci

    One of your better ones Shawn, LOVE IT!!

  • @marjowag8806
    @marjowag8806 Před 2 měsíci

    Enjoyed the very informative video & helpful diagrams!

  • @user-oo1yk6is9e
    @user-oo1yk6is9e Před 3 měsíci

    Excellent video. Thanks for posting.

  • @user-sg4ei3vv2t
    @user-sg4ei3vv2t Před 4 měsíci +1

    Excellent description and diagrams, really easy to understand thank you so much, I too am learning so much. Watching you climb over the rocks brings it all alive.😊

  • @catsandcrafts171
    @catsandcrafts171 Před 11 dny +1

    I'm loving these road trips! You are fascinating!

  • @rv6amark
    @rv6amark Před 3 měsíci

    Great video with wonderful hand-drawn graphics!

  • @oscarmedina1303
    @oscarmedina1303 Před 4 měsíci

    Fantastic episode Shawn. Just a short drive from my place. Definitely on my "must visit" bucket list. Thank you!

  • @crazybill49
    @crazybill49 Před 4 měsíci

    Wow! That was a great explanation of the area. You put it into a whole new perspective for me.

  • @jennasyseng
    @jennasyseng Před 4 měsíci

    Great explanations of the geologic processes that have happened and continue to happen in this region. I live near this area and I really appreciate the detail you went into. Thank you for making your way down to Southern California and doing some exploring around here!

  • @TomBrucker-GoldenYears
    @TomBrucker-GoldenYears Před 4 měsíci

    Very well presented and illustrated. You are teacher who enjoys his work and makes it interesting for your students/viewers.
    Keep going, and thank you for your time and energy !!! ⚒️

  • @susiesue3141
    @susiesue3141 Před 2 měsíci

    I love these videos! Thanks for sharing! 😊

  • @xfirehurican
    @xfirehurican Před 14 dny

    BRAVO ZULU! Excellent commentary and such useful information. Cheers from JT.

  • @3xHermes
    @3xHermes Před měsícem

    Great job explaining the Plate Boundaries and their implications! Thx!

  • @jonsword2590
    @jonsword2590 Před 2 měsíci

    Enjoyed the video and liked the way everything was explained.

  • @PennyLTracy
    @PennyLTracy Před 4 měsíci

    Thank you so much! Love seeing it and hearing about the area!

  • @StanGraham1
    @StanGraham1 Před 4 měsíci

    I just "stumbled" upon this video and loved it! Im hooked!!! Wanna see more!

  • @andreweppink4498
    @andreweppink4498 Před 3 měsíci

    Good work Sir. Learned a lot from you.
    Thx.

  • @Gail8280
    @Gail8280 Před 3 měsíci

    I shared this video with my son. I used to live at Salton Sea so I perked up when I saw the title. He thought it was so interesting he took his 11-year-old daughter out on a weekend trip from San Diego to see area. Thanks so much for the great info!

  • @xxx-mike-xxx9007
    @xxx-mike-xxx9007 Před 3 měsíci

    Thanks. So much Shawn for your excellent explanation of what’s going on geologically around Yuma, Arizona.
    Keep them coming

  • @paulproctor5555
    @paulproctor5555 Před 4 měsíci

    Excellent show…Thank you Shawn!

  • @srudine
    @srudine Před 4 měsíci

    Great summary. Love those rhyolites. Thanks for highlighting the spherulites in the obsidian. Keep up the great work. Rock on!

  • @JamesWalters1
    @JamesWalters1 Před 3 měsíci

    Fascinating and enlightening. Thank you.

  • @EileenMKeyes
    @EileenMKeyes Před 3 měsíci

    Thank you! Wonderful video.

  • @user-sg4ei3vv2t
    @user-sg4ei3vv2t Před 4 měsíci +1

    This video is beautiful with the light patterns on the rock

  • @danarello2563
    @danarello2563 Před 3 měsíci

    Enjoyed your video about the geology of the Salton Sea. You inspired me to make a trip out there.

  • @mazilpado
    @mazilpado Před 4 měsíci

    Thank you so much, Professor!! It was a great outside classroom experience, and I learned so much with all your nice explanations and very helpful diagrams and drawnings! Make me want to learn more and more about Geology!

  • @pookiedust2517
    @pookiedust2517 Před 4 měsíci

    Thankyou shawn, what a fantastic vid really enjoyed it 👍

  • @yakaronielyak8299
    @yakaronielyak8299 Před 3 měsíci

    thank you, great video from the field

  • @slhurtt
    @slhurtt Před 22 hodinami

    Great explanation of this geological area. I live about 30 miles away and was curious of this very thing. Thanks for your insights.

  • @williamsohveymah5550
    @williamsohveymah5550 Před 17 dny

    Totally awesome, Shawn...

  • @lencrites7044
    @lencrites7044 Před 3 měsíci

    Thank you for this vlog. Amazing! I know there is much more to learn about the Salton Sea.

  • @jhoigaar
    @jhoigaar Před 24 dny

    Love your very clear explanation

  • @user-wk1mw9nj3i76
    @user-wk1mw9nj3i76 Před 4 měsíci +1

    A great video in an amazing location! Your diagrams, artfully held in place by cool rocks, 😊 made the complexities much more understandable. Never apologize for your hand-drawing ever again! There’s so much to learn about the Salton Sea area, and I hope you’ll make that extra video about it. Living in Minnesota, I hadn’t heard much about that area. Now I want to know a lot more. Thank you SO MUCH!!!

  • @marsharose2301
    @marsharose2301 Před 4 měsíci

    Great explanation, thanks so much!

  • @hopegreer3357
    @hopegreer3357 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Thank you so much for the diagrams (cartoons). They help me so much more than any map of the area!! I'd love for a more detailed description of the Salton Sea. Great video!!

  • @johnmccaffery5186
    @johnmccaffery5186 Před 4 měsíci

    Great explanation, thanks! I was out there last summer and collected some really nice samples of obsidian.

  • @robertdiehl1281
    @robertdiehl1281 Před 4 měsíci

    There is a massive amount of geologic history surrounding the Coachella Valley. Excellent video and enjoyable to learn from.

  • @mariejanes7207
    @mariejanes7207 Před 3 měsíci

    Really excellent episode

  • @SuNami-ok3pk
    @SuNami-ok3pk Před 3 měsíci

    Nice, hands on great explanation. Thank you.

  • @josephrabinowitz5290
    @josephrabinowitz5290 Před 4 měsíci

    Another well explained educational video. I love them.

  • @stevewhalen6973
    @stevewhalen6973 Před 14 dny

    So beautiful the volcanic dynamics .

  • @Graciesmom247
    @Graciesmom247 Před 4 měsíci

    Thank you for this video I learned a lot from you. You definitely clarified things I didn't know I was missing until now hope you make more...

  • @joycebarker1488
    @joycebarker1488 Před 4 měsíci

    Thank you for a great explanation!

  • @edkastlie8602
    @edkastlie8602 Před 12 dny

    the developing "divergent plate boundary" discussion with its volcanism was eye-opening to me... never heard that before. thanks.

  • @grumpy3543
    @grumpy3543 Před 4 měsíci

    Wow. So cool. Thanks professor. I really enjoy your classes. I really learn a lot.

  • @rickplan
    @rickplan Před 3 měsíci +1

    Wish I had seen this before my recent road trip through this area. Very informative.

  • @YewtBoot
    @YewtBoot Před 4 měsíci +1

    Another fun episode. Gotta get there sometime soon. I'm one of those who are enthralled with obsidian. Fun stuff!

  • @marcosfreijeiro8763
    @marcosfreijeiro8763 Před 4 měsíci

    Fantastic content,very very interesting thank you

  • @KatyIrick
    @KatyIrick Před 4 měsíci

    Very interesting, I would definitely enjoy your lectures.

  • @metamorphiczeolite
    @metamorphiczeolite Před 4 měsíci +2

    Thanks for this video! Another good one. Net time you are down there, consider hiking spectacular Painted Canyon, just about 60 miles north of Salton Buttes, northeast of the north shore of the Salton Sea. Visible offsets on faults in young sediments (Pleistocene, Pliocene) and old metamorphic rocks (Proterozoic), flash flood deposits, slot canyons, seasonal wild flowers, and more. Outcrops there illustrate most of a geology 101 course!

  • @scottazevedo7628
    @scottazevedo7628 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Thanks Shawn, great video. I was wondering if you were planning on making a video about Walker Lane?

  • @pauloconnell7668
    @pauloconnell7668 Před 4 měsíci

    Great video, I really enjoyed.

  • @BRUSHYSURFING
    @BRUSHYSURFING Před 4 měsíci

    very cool. thanks. great explanations!

  • @sonjo2419
    @sonjo2419 Před 2 měsíci

    Thanks Shawn.. Seeing and learning makes me want to go visit all the geology. Hopefully I can remember. 😎

  • @LizWCraftAdd1ct
    @LizWCraftAdd1ct Před 4 měsíci

    Always interesting. Love obsidian. Thanks Shawn.

  • @nowistime8070
    @nowistime8070 Před 3 měsíci

    that was really interesting ! thank you

  • @sonjo2419
    @sonjo2419 Před 4 měsíci

    Hey Shawn.. So interesting and great reference for faults. Really enjoy these vids. Looking forward to yours and Nick Ventner get together. Have a great day.

  • @sharonseal9150
    @sharonseal9150 Před 4 měsíci

    Thanks Shawn for a very informative video on the Salton Sea. I lived in El Centro in the 1960's and so it was exciting to finally learn about the geology.!

  • @Rawshella
    @Rawshella Před 4 měsíci

    I learned so much, thank you 🙂

  • @mhick3333
    @mhick3333 Před 4 měsíci

    Great presentation

  • @damonbanks259
    @damonbanks259 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Finally I understand how normal and reverse faults develop from transform faults! Thank you!

  • @skyepilotte11
    @skyepilotte11 Před 4 měsíci

    Thx Shawn...your drawn depictions of the plate movements and topography are excellent show and tell...I've hunted the Niland area and am amazed by the sandstone outcroppings from the ancient Lake Cahuilla...thank you look fwd to your geologic explores.

  • @pauldietz1325
    @pauldietz1325 Před 4 měsíci +2

    I've read (Economic Geology (1967) 62 (3): 316-330) that one geothermal well there produced 2 to 3 tons/month of siliceous scale that was 20% copper and 6% silver. The ore minerals present included bornite, digenite, chalcopyrite, chalcocite, stromeyerite (AgCuS), and native silver. This could be considered a model for the formation of ore bodies.

  • @zorion3324
    @zorion3324 Před 4 měsíci

    Learned so much in so little time.

  • @TheDanEdwards
    @TheDanEdwards Před 4 měsíci

    Neat, thanks for doing this.