GEOL 256 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Death Valley National Park, Flash Flood, Calcium Sulfate

• School: College of Charleston
• Department: Geology and Environmental Geosciences
• Course: GEOL 256
• Professor: Chadwick

Document Summary

Form in cavities due to flow of water through rocks. Water dissolves elements, transports them into cavities, and minerals precipitate. Minerals form in old rocks from changed pressure and temperature. Quartz solubility in aqueous solutions decreases dramatically with decreasing temperature. Dissolves at high temp, precipitates as solution cools and becomes. Water deep in crust moves in fractures, hot water dissolves elements, water goes to surface, temperature drops, minerals precipitate out (au) Faults and fractures are filled, as well as permeable sedimentary rocks. Not in veins, water percolates through a permeable rock and gold. Minerals precipitate back out when they hit the water. Oil and gas migrate with hydrothermal fluids too. Rainstorm in the mountains - flash floods, water goes across surface ad dissolves minerals on the way down to the floor of death valley. Evaporates and leaves gypsum, halite, borax, calcite deposits. Good at dissolving lots of different elements and breaking different bonds.