Field Trips
AEG 2014 Scottsdale Field Trips
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- Sedona – Red Rocks and Red Wine
- Kartchner Caverns
- Grand Canyon
- Valley of the Sun (Phoenix Area Geology)
- Ray Mine Tour
Red Rocks to Red Wine
The group will travel by bus to beautiful Sedona, Arizona in the Red Rock country below the Mogollon Rim in north-central Arizona. The area is renowned for its formation of red to beige colored Paleozoic-age sandstones and siltstones. Paul Lindberg, a consulting geologist for the Arizona Geological Survey and expert on the sinkholes located in Sedona, will take us on a tour of Devil’s Kitchen Sinkhole and Devil’s Dining Room Sinkhole. There will be some moderate hiking involved with this trip and the weather should be sunny and in low 70’s. The sinkholes tour ends in Page Springs were the artesian outlet for the groundwater flow that cause the sinkholes is located. This area is also the location of several local vineyards. We will be gathering at the Javelina Leap Vineyard and Winery for lunch and a wine tasting. The head wine maker is going to be there to tell us about the local terroir.
This tour is strictly limited to 30 people so get your tickets soon before it fills up. The tour will leave Scottsdale early morning on Tuesday, September 23rd and be back in the afternoon in time for the Ice Breaker in the evening. Details about the sinkholes are available in the Contributed Report CR-10-C, entitled: Sedona Sinkholes and Groundwater Flow: The Geologic History of Their Evolution written by our tour guide Paul A. Lindberg. It is available on the Arizona Geological Survey website at the link above.
Kartchner Caverns
The Karchner Caverns is an awe-inspiring living limestone cave located in southern Arizona. It was discovered in 1974 but was not revealed to the public until 1988 when it was approved as a State Park which allowed for supreme preservation of this natural wonder. Water percolated from the surface and travertine calcite formations continue to grow today as they have been for the past 50,000 years or longer. This tour will go through the Rotunda-Throne Room where Kubla Khan, a massive 58 foot tall column. AEG is receiving a special technical tour guided by Dr. Robert Casavant the Park Cave Resources Manager and former University of Arizona Geology Professor. After the cave tour the group will sit down to and outdoor lunch and have a question answer session with Dr. Casavant. On the trip back to Scottsdale we will stop at Barrio Brewing Co., located in Tucson, AZ, for a couple of local brews and a snack before heading home.
This tour is strictly limited to 20 people so get your tickets soon before it fills up. The tour will leave Scottsdale early morning on Tuesday, September 23rd and be back in the afternoon in time for the Ice Breaker in the evening. For more information visit the Kartchner Caverns State Park website.
Grand Canyon
This three-day trip will traverse all three of Arizona’s geologic provinces (Basin and Range, Central Highlands/Transition Zone, and Colorado Plateau) and will include stops and points of interest in each province. The feature of the trip will be a full day visit to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon guided by Wayne Ranney, a local geologist and writer, for an introduction to the geology and history of the canyon will be provided by . Final details are subject to change, but stops considered during the travel to and from the Grand Canyon include Sedona and Prescott. Guided by Phil Pearthree of the Arizona Geological Survey trip attendees will be presented with a roadside geology overview of central and northern Arizona and will see evidence of past faulting and volcanism, engineering geology of historic and current transportation routes, historic and current mining operations, and other associated environmental and engineering geology sites of interest. The trip may include a few short, easy to moderate hikes and traveling to altitudes of over 5,000 feet while in northern Arizona.
The tour will travel by bus and leave from Scottsdale on the morning of Saturday, September 20th and travel the scenic route north to Flagstaff, AZ where they will be staying the night in the Embassy Suites. Flagstaff is a wonderful little pine tree studded mountain town with a winner ski resort. We plan to get in early enough for people to explore and enjoy the local scenery. The next day we will travel to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Wayne Ranney will give a presentation of the canyon for the group and there will be sufficient time for exploration of the upper levels, hiking down too far is strongly discouraged do to time constraints. A group dinner will be provided at the Maswik Lodge and accommodations for the evening will be at the Yavapi west. The bus will leave the canyon in the morning to head back to Scottsdale.
Valley of the Sun (Phoenix Area Geology)
This field trip will focus on the Valley of the Sun (urban Phoenix area) and will be led by Dr. Steve Reynolds of Arizona State University. We will start in the Phoenix Mountains (Dreamy Draw area) to examine aspects of Proterozoic evolution and then proceed into the South Mountain Park to visit spectacular exposures related to mid-Tertiary extension. Dr. Steve Reynolds spent ten years directing the geologic framework and mapping program of the Arizona Geological Survey, where he completed the 1988 Geologic Map of Arizona. He has authored or edited over 200 geologic maps, articles, and reports, including the 866-page Geologic Evolution of Arizona.
Short hikes, will be part of both stops. The short hikes and walks will be performed on unpaved, but well-traversed trails. Please bring sturdy walking shoes, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, and personal snacks as appropriate to make yourself comfortable during the day. As part of the event, we will have lunch at Los Dos Molinos restaurant, located at 8646 South Central Avenue.
This tour is strictly limited to 30 people so get your tickets soon before it fills up. The tour will leave Scottsdale early morning on Saturday, September 27th and be back in the late afternoon. For more information on Steve Reynolds and Arizona geology please visit Dr. Reynolds’ website.
Ray Mine
Ray mine is the second largest open pit mine in North America. It has been dug deep into the canyon of Mineral Creek a tributary of the Gila River. The primary copper deposits are essentially all chalcopyrite although bornite, enargite, and tetrahedrite are occasionally found in the ore. The main host rocks at Ray are all middle or late Proterozoic; the Pinal schist, Ruin granite, and late Proterozoic diabase and gabbro. The tour will cover the mine geology, the open pit operations, the processing plant and other aspects of the mining process. Out field trip leader will be Sterling Cook, chief geologist at ASARCO Ray Operations.
Please bring steel toed shoes, safety glasses, sunscreen, and personal snacks as appropriate to make yourself comfortable during the day. As part of the event, hard hats and lunch will be provided. On our way back to Scottsdale we will stop at OHSO Brewery, located in Phoenix, AZ, for a couple of local brews and a snack before heading back to the hotel.
This tour is strictly limited to 30 people so get your tickets soon before it fills up. The tour will leave Scottsdale early morning on Saturday, September 27th and be back in the late afternoon. For more information on ASARCO Ray Operations and the Ray Mine, please visit: ASARCO Ray Operations.