Geologic Secrets of Joshua Tree National Park in California

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  • Опубліковано 2 лют 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 217

  • @BennilocoLoves
    @BennilocoLoves 11 місяців тому +5

    I love my giant backyard desert! ☺️🏜

  • @Splusmer
    @Splusmer 11 місяців тому +38

    One thing I just love about your videos is that you don’t just focus on the specifics of the rock itself (composition, etc), but its context-its history, its *story*. That all helps it come alive to me, even for processes that happen-literally!-on geologic time scales.

  • @nancyadamson6755
    @nancyadamson6755 11 місяців тому +2

    I was just there. It is beautiful I love the rocks

  • @outlawbillionairez9780
    @outlawbillionairez9780 11 місяців тому +56

    I spent every free moment at Joshua Tree in the 70's And 80's. Camping, hiking,rock climbing. It sparked my interest in geology.

    • @bjdefilippo447
      @bjdefilippo447 11 місяців тому +1

      Great hiking!

    • @ericchristensen695
      @ericchristensen695 8 місяців тому +3

      Me too.

    • @Ralph-dj7my
      @Ralph-dj7my 7 місяців тому +1

      I went there on my honeymoon in the mid seventies in March. The snow and wind was blowing the tent over so we had to leave in the middle of the night but it is a great memory and a beautiful place

    • @davidschlesinger5523
      @davidschlesinger5523 2 дні тому +1

      Wake up like my YEAH

  • @tommunyon2874
    @tommunyon2874 11 місяців тому +7

    My late wife and I drove through Joshua tree country on our honeymoon in 1974. A revisit might be in order.

  • @ericericson4
    @ericericson4 11 місяців тому +31

    We love the flying sheep in your drawing....

    • @lauxmyth
      @lauxmyth 11 місяців тому +4

      I was so confused until I saw them.

    • @SingularlyNaked
      @SingularlyNaked 11 місяців тому +4

      I was waiting for a Bob Ross style "happy little clouds!"

    • @neclark08
      @neclark08 7 місяців тому +2

      😀...so I'm NOT😄 the only one 😁?!

  • @angellacanfora
    @angellacanfora 11 місяців тому +11

    Was thrilled to see this vid pop up! I enjoy all your videos but Joshua Tree is near & dear to my heart. I hope you got a chance to check out the spectacular Jumbo Rocks area. And I was happy to see you talk about the Pinto gneiss which I’m endlessly fascinated by. I’m a photographer and have taken many shots of the gneiss around that area by 29 Palms entrance. And on the other side of the park towards the Cottonwood entrance, you can see tall piles of gneiss the size of small mountains. I could blather about the rocks of JTNP all night but I’ll stop!😂

  • @theinstructor2687
    @theinstructor2687 11 місяців тому +13

    Thank you, Professor. I always enjoy your videos and enjoy learning about geology. I've been an avid off roader and hiker for over 50 years. But never knew much about the things I was seeing.

  • @EraX52
    @EraX52 11 місяців тому +2

    I have been to many sites and have seen these lines of rocks on the rocks. In mojave desert, alabama hills, etc, I have seen a lot of these lines, and I always suspected that these were place by the tribes long ago and they would stretch for miles, through rivers, and up other rocks. But now I know, thanks shawn

  • @LizWCraftAdd1ct
    @LizWCraftAdd1ct 11 місяців тому +17

    Nice gneiss, we have lots in Scotland. More new words to learn. Thanks Shawn. 👍

  • @jscottmaclean226
    @jscottmaclean226 11 місяців тому +16

    I've often wondered how some mountains could end up looking like a pile of boulders, didn't make sense (other than deep time somehow). Spheroidal weathering along with deep time is the answer. Thanks for posting Shawn, love all your stuff!

    • @briseboy
      @briseboy 6 місяців тому

      So much of San Diego county mountain areas have weathered like this, as well. Significant regions of Baja California Norte, as well.

  • @jaspermolenaar1218
    @jaspermolenaar1218 11 місяців тому +11

    I visited the Park a few years ago from Europe with my family. Thanks for the geological background story!

  • @judierickson7166
    @judierickson7166 11 місяців тому +9

    Road trips are going to be a lot more interesting from now on! Thank you.

  • @cyndikarp3368
    @cyndikarp3368 11 місяців тому +4

    Mom & Dad made sure we saw Joshua Tree in 1960's. Thanks for the memories. We did a lot of geology tours.

  • @RWBHere
    @RWBHere 11 місяців тому +3

    At c. 5:36, my first thought was 'Aww! Shawn's been doodling sheep!' 😉
    Thanks for sharing the amazing and interesting landscapes with us. 🙂👍

  • @burthburbankjr2813
    @burthburbankjr2813 11 місяців тому +1

    I have camped there many, many times as a boy scout. Never new any of this. I found it very interesting. Thank you.

  • @thomasauslander3757
    @thomasauslander3757 11 місяців тому +10

    Thank you Professor..

  • @Mark_in_Boulder
    @Mark_in_Boulder 11 місяців тому +3

    I climbed there several times during winter breaks in the mid-80s. One of my favorite climbing places with fantastic crack and face/slab climbing. I remember doing EBJBs and Rubicon and lots of climbs around the main campground and out in the hinterlands. Camping was free back then. Very nice to learn some of the geology. Thanks Shawn!

  • @LisaBelleBC
    @LisaBelleBC 11 місяців тому +5

    As always, spectacular! Thank you for taking us with you!

  • @maryt2887
    @maryt2887 11 місяців тому +5

    Another great field trip!

  • @JorgeSanchez-uk4cb
    @JorgeSanchez-uk4cb 11 місяців тому +3

    Love you professor 🤓🙏

  • @shawnwillsey
    @shawnwillsey  11 місяців тому +8

    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

  • @brucedymock6635
    @brucedymock6635 11 місяців тому +3

    Thanks again I’m enjoying seeing parts of US and learning about the geology

  • @skyepilotte11
    @skyepilotte11 11 місяців тому +4

    Joshua Tree is a great place to camp and explore...
    Thc Shawn

  • @marinangeli3250
    @marinangeli3250 11 місяців тому +4

    Thank you, Shawn... always love a stroll through JT, and it's so nice to get details about some of the formations.

  • @dennisbeam199
    @dennisbeam199 11 місяців тому +1

    Thanks for the video, me and a friend used to hike there when it was called Joshua tree national monument. A long time ago. I thought it was a beautiful place, all those rocks and interesting Joshua trees.

  • @hanspeterplanzer1837
    @hanspeterplanzer1837 11 місяців тому +4

    Thank you very much.
    I was here with colleagues in 1989.
    Greetings from central switzerland. 🇨🇭

  • @outdooradventureswithfayde6832
    @outdooradventureswithfayde6832 11 місяців тому +4

    I enjoyed the tour of the park learning about all the geological features. You travel to many places I probably won't get the time or chance to go but are on my list of places I'd love to see. Very interesting gneiss and schist and the desert varnish on the rocks. I always learn something from your videos 👍

  • @Jayne-z5s
    @Jayne-z5s 11 місяців тому +3

    Really good, educational and thoroughly enjoyable for someone who cant get over there. Thank you.

  • @alpineflauge909
    @alpineflauge909 11 місяців тому +4

    had my mid-term for native plant id class there. best mid-term ever

  • @glenncivale6824
    @glenncivale6824 11 місяців тому +3

    I used to live a mile from the entrance to the park. Mind blowing place. I miss the bright stars and the coyotes at night. Very special place! Thanks.

  • @Jefuslives
    @Jefuslives 11 місяців тому +2

    Yay! You made it there.

  • @allenra530
    @allenra530 11 місяців тому +2

    When I was in High School, we went there and camped for a week. I did a lot of rock climbing with my sister. We were all over those rocks in various parts of the park. At the time it was still a National Monument. It is one of the best memories of my life.

  • @robbirobin9657
    @robbirobin9657 11 місяців тому +4

    Love the "tippy top" mountains.

  • @jeffs72
    @jeffs72 11 місяців тому +3

    Aww you went without me! I live there, next time you're out, lunch/dinner is on me! You videos are the best, especially with flying sheep! Love it!

  • @acfanter
    @acfanter 11 місяців тому +3

    OMG … had no idea this was coming when I asked … so cool

  • @Mchelle021
    @Mchelle021 11 місяців тому +1

    Really enjoyed learning about this topography. Thanks Shawn! Camped here once and enjoyed bouldering and sketching some of the inspiring features. Found a small seashell and wondered if it was an ancient remnant of a time when water covered this land? Probably imaginative and unlikely, but one of my special takeaways.

  • @charleswelch249
    @charleswelch249 11 місяців тому +2

    Very nice job explaining the reason behind the landscape in southern California.

  • @lelandkelley2199
    @lelandkelley2199 11 місяців тому +2

    Never been to this national park, thank you 😊

  • @paulproctor5555
    @paulproctor5555 11 місяців тому +2

    Thanks Shawn, love these field trips.

  • @celticmugwump
    @celticmugwump 11 місяців тому +1

    Thanks

  • @jackmcmichael3560
    @jackmcmichael3560 11 місяців тому +1

    Thank you for stopping by one of my favorite parks and explaining some of the geology surrounding the Joshua trees this park is a awesome place to view the Perseus meteor shower every August

  • @hestheMaster
    @hestheMaster 11 місяців тому +2

    Awesome to see and understand what we are seeing geology- wise professor. So many Hollywood movies were made in
    areas just like this (some in the western part of Arizona south of Meadview, AZ) from what I've seen but with slightly
    different mountain geology.

  • @elainerhode2298
    @elainerhode2298 11 місяців тому +1

    Was stationed at 29 Palms MCB in the 70s and had many parties at Squaw Tanks and climbed around many of the rocks. My favorite rock shape was Skull Rock.

  • @marinangeli3250
    @marinangeli3250 11 місяців тому +5

    Interesting timing, Shawn... my late husband's last request was to have his ashes scattered at Joshua Tree (at the Gram Parsons pyre site). Today is the 29th anniversary of his passing, but I still have not been able to bring myself to do it.

  • @tjmorrow416
    @tjmorrow416 11 місяців тому +1

    We plan to visit the park in the next couple of weeks. Happy to learn the geology before our trip. Thanks

  • @alanhyt79
    @alanhyt79 Місяць тому

    I was born and raised in the Pacific NW in the cold, dark, wet.
    Just got back from a ten day vacation in Palm Springs where I spent many hours hiking at Joshua Tree NP. The trail to Barker Dam just blew my mind. I'd never imagined that such a place exists on this planet. It seems otherworldly. There is a flat, almost white, well-packed floor with those rounded granite rocks alongside the trail, occasional clumps of cacti and other plants that I had only before seen in photos and in films. If I had to pick one word to describe that place it would be "magical."
    Also in Joshua Tree NP, I saw the coolest campground in the galaxy. Stunningly beautiful. Like the Barker Dam trail, the campground has a nearly white flat floor, with camping spots set up next to clumps of those light-colored round rocks. It was incredible.
    Glad this video showed up in my feed. Now I have a better understanding of the geology of the place, and it is starting to seem more real.
    Everyone needs to see this place.

  • @SidarthDasari
    @SidarthDasari 11 місяців тому

    Appreciate you taking us to all these places

  • @jenibylsma9845
    @jenibylsma9845 11 місяців тому +1

    These rocky outcrops look very similar to many Australian landscapes I have seen. Absolutely fascinating stuff. Thank you for sharing … 😁

  • @seanwelch007
    @seanwelch007 11 місяців тому +2

    Handy dandy diagrams 🙌

  • @billhollinshead
    @billhollinshead 11 місяців тому +5

    A great example of spheroidal weathering is The Baths in Virgin Gorda, BVI. I am currently there, staying in a house that is nestled amongst house-sized round granodiorite boulders.

    • @infomolerat
      @infomolerat 11 місяців тому

      Need any company? Lol

    • @missingremote4388
      @missingremote4388 11 місяців тому

      Ive been to St Thomas X2 and walked to Megan's Bay.
      Only remember bouldering in Dinosaur Nat'l park and the Alabama Hills Calif. 50 to 20years ago

  • @Ice_Queen_Empress
    @Ice_Queen_Empress 11 місяців тому +1

    Thanks for sharing!

  • @Never2old2play
    @Never2old2play 11 місяців тому

    Thanks!

    • @shawnwillsey
      @shawnwillsey  11 місяців тому

      Thank you for supporting geology education

  • @TK-592
    @TK-592 Місяць тому

    Love this. Was at the park today and had so many questions about the rocks. This helped out so much.

  • @jeffsiegwart
    @jeffsiegwart 11 місяців тому +1

    Very interesting. Thank you.

  • @bradley-eblesisor
    @bradley-eblesisor 11 місяців тому +3

    This gave me a vision of what the magma chambers might look like under Iceland. This is so interesting.

  • @jimsafranek4286
    @jimsafranek4286 11 місяців тому +1

    Thanks! Shared to California Geology Forum on Facebook. All are welcome to join.

  • @crchuckh6852
    @crchuckh6852 11 місяців тому +1

    thanks for sharing

  • @stevewhalen6973
    @stevewhalen6973 3 місяці тому

    I've lived in this desert and enjoyed its scenery when hiking in it all my life but this is the first time I've had it clearly explained as to what it actually is and how it got there . Very fascinating .

  • @susannap.8834
    @susannap.8834 11 місяців тому +8

    Inselberg - I'm surprised to hear a German word! Island-mountain.
    I thought you only took over "Kindergarten" and "Sauerkraut" 😂
    Great explanation as always. I've been there in 1995 with my husband.

    • @ericfielding2540
      @ericfielding2540 11 місяців тому +4

      There are many German words in geology, especially the geomorphology terms. Another is the horst and graben, the features formed by normal faults. The downdropped block in Grindavik is a graben.

    • @Dragrath1
      @Dragrath1 11 місяців тому +2

      Isn't English funnily enough is originally a Germanic language crudely mixed up with heavy amounts of French into an unholy fusion of sorts? But yeah its drifted so much few German words remain especially as German has also been updated. In geology words come from all over generally wherever the literature first documents or at least recognizes a type of feature.

  • @bjdefilippo447
    @bjdefilippo447 11 місяців тому

    One of my favorite parks for hiking. Wish I'd known more geology then. Thanks for posting!

  • @Rachel.4644
    @Rachel.4644 11 місяців тому

    Very interesting and beautiful rocks! Joshua Tree rounded rocks are distinct. You're teaching us new ways to see formations plus new terms, as well. Great video Shawn.

  • @brandohi
    @brandohi 10 місяців тому

    Thank you for this education video professor. I didn’t know about inselbergs. It helps me better understand my area and how beautiful it is to live in the area.

  • @garyb6219
    @garyb6219 11 місяців тому +1

    I really enjoy your videos, thanks for bringing us all this great info. Does finer grained tend to be more weathering resistant?

  • @juliamarple3785
    @juliamarple3785 5 місяців тому

    All of that is so cool! -as usual. Thanks.

  • @minotaurbison
    @minotaurbison 11 місяців тому +1

    Love these videos, I would love to find an explanation of the rock layers and sediment found in my area of NW Alabama... some weird red clay like dirt with what appears to be limestone chunks that some of which in the upper layers appears to be deposited by dissolved limestone in the ground water... Locally we call it chert. Very odd shapes and often the chunks contain the red dirt/clay inside of them. There are areas where the red dirt is found alone and areas where the limestone seems to form layers near the grey bedrock in some of the deeper road cuts.

  • @jange26
    @jange26 2 місяці тому

    Thanks professor, I want there yesterday and wondered how the rocks formed and stumbled upon your video!

  • @loisrossi841
    @loisrossi841 7 місяців тому

    Thank you,Shawn, very interesting.

  • @tommccully2109
    @tommccully2109 3 місяці тому

    Very well done. Thank you.

  • @infreedomitrust1667
    @infreedomitrust1667 11 місяців тому +12

    I grew up in Joshua Tree CA and you should go out to Johnson Valley Dry Lake bed. There's some very interesting faults and volcanic areas there. One hill we use to explore is half white and half black with an almost perfect line in the middle.

    • @missingremote4388
      @missingremote4388 11 місяців тому

      It is volcanic basalt toped with tuff. Who would have thought these mountains are the bedrock

  • @owenkittredge3433
    @owenkittredge3433 5 місяців тому

    Thanks again so much for your "Field Trips" I need to get out in the field myself pound some rocks and wave my hands at the skyline, love this stuff

  • @gumbyresearch
    @gumbyresearch 11 місяців тому +2

    Great descriptions! Question about the desert varnish on the monzonite boulders: Is the iron & manganese found in the varnish present in the monzonite rock, or does it come from somewhere else?

  • @OdinsChosen208
    @OdinsChosen208 9 місяців тому

    love your videos its some genuine gneiss schist..... i use to live really close to there but now im up in idaho liking it much more then so cal

  • @tonyowen116
    @tonyowen116 11 місяців тому

    Thanks for the tour. Your information answered some questions I've had about the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine. I saw similar dikes in that formation.
    Of course the Alabama Hills eastern Sierra Escarpmennt have quite interesting stories as well.

  • @albertmorrissette3640
    @albertmorrissette3640 7 місяців тому

    I lived near there for many years, really enjoyed exploring the landscape and going to Copper Mtn college. There are petroglyphs near Johnson valley lava tubes that you can explore and so much more

  • @lindajohannsdottir4466
    @lindajohannsdottir4466 11 місяців тому +1

    So interesting place.

  • @ericschmidt6129
    @ericschmidt6129 11 місяців тому

    Great videos. Accessible and understandable for the amateur geologist.

  • @CAMacKenzie
    @CAMacKenzie 11 місяців тому +3

    Inselberg=German--island mountain. It doesn't say so in IMDb, but there are a couple of scenes in "Tarantula" (1955, John Agar, Mara Corday, Leo G. Carroll) that look like they were filmed at Joshua Tree, particularly where the monster climbs over the top of the mountain (with rounded boulders) and knocks off some.

    • @williamevans6522
      @williamevans6522 11 місяців тому

      Or maybe filmed outside Lone Pine- Alabama Hills

  • @brianbergeron2172
    @brianbergeron2172 11 місяців тому

    I was hoping for one on Joshua Tree! I noticed the Gneiss when I was there but didn't know anything about the area. Thank you for the overview.

  • @jackprier7727
    @jackprier7727 11 місяців тому +3

    Okay, thx. Aplite dikes makes sense and explains their presence as such. Roof pendant also exciting to see and hear explanation-

  • @edwardlulofs444
    @edwardlulofs444 11 місяців тому +2

    I have been waiting for this ….

  • @kmacdowe
    @kmacdowe 11 місяців тому +1

    That was gneiss, thanks Shawn 🤭 .

  • @ericfielding2540
    @ericfielding2540 11 місяців тому +3

    I am more of a geophysicist and geomorphologist than a geologist. I would call those granite, but I realize that there is a more precise name that you used.

  • @mandycleezehappyhour4238
    @mandycleezehappyhour4238 11 місяців тому

    Gah, it it sooooooo satisfying (truly) FINALLY understanding the geology there. I've visited (and camped in) JT multiple times and always marveled at the beautiful landscapes (also done photography workshops in the park). I had no idea there was basement, b.y.o rock exposed in Joshua Tree?! Shawn, I wish I had you in my pocket on every road trip....you or Nick Zentner... I'm always wondering about the geologic history everywhere I go but rarely understand any of it and I feel like I'm missing out. To me, understanding the history really enhances all my travels bc my imagination takes over, wondering what these places looked like milennia ago, or imagining processes taking place on the surface of or deep within the Earth (Eastern WA/OR and the Columbia River gorge and the hundreds of miles of dozens of layers of lava floes with columnar basalt everywhere...it is mind boggling imagining that happening here in WA). I drive my husband nuts, I'm sure, all the times I say, "wow, look at that formation! I wonder how that happened?!" on our frequent road trips or hikes.

  • @troyrager1352
    @troyrager1352 11 місяців тому +3

    First time I went to Joshua tree was like 7 years ago with my girlfriend, we had never been there but her sister had, and she said oh, you mean pile of rocks state park? Lol only once I got there did I know what she meant, the Joshua trees are definitely outnumbered by piles of rock😂

  • @newellbate
    @newellbate 11 місяців тому

    Thanks cool stuff

  • @hamidrezasepahian7608
    @hamidrezasepahian7608 11 місяців тому

    excellent as usual

  • @nufosmatic
    @nufosmatic 11 місяців тому +1

    Be on the lookout for Cholla cactus - one almost ruined my trip there...

    • @briseboy
      @briseboy 6 місяців тому

      They ruin nothing. I used to run among them in many places in shorts, at NIGHT.
      Your body KNOWS to avoid things, unless you are a pretend horse person who wears denim. - i have pried a number of cholla from a number of such girls, who oddly bump into them in broad daylight!

  • @ellenbryn
    @ellenbryn 7 місяців тому

    just went out to Joshua tree for a quick visit to test a telescope. Didn't have time to watch all your videos before I left so I'm doing so now while the rocks are fresh on my mind.
    I do love those big weathered rounded boulders with the crumbly granite stuff… And now I know why they don't seem like regular granite! I'll pay closer attention next time looking for the pendant rock above. ( I was in a bungalow on the hills above Yucca Valley and didn't get into the park so I may not have been high enough for that. )

  • @briseboy
    @briseboy 6 місяців тому

    My Dude, Joshua Trees are Yucca Genus, and ASPARAGUS Family.
    Although like a number of National Parks, it gets too many visitors, one CAN walk up mysterious canyons and even the jumping cholla can jump on you alone.
    We love your evocation of deeper time, everywhere you explore and describe.

  • @deborahriley1166
    @deborahriley1166 11 місяців тому

    Nice! Thanks 👍

  • @toughenupfluffy7294
    @toughenupfluffy7294 11 місяців тому +7

    Me and a friend went camping at Joshua Tree once, when we decided to put on our headlamps and hike out on the cliffs on a moonless, inky-black night. We were at a spot where there were hundred-foot drop offs, being very careful not to fall, when we heard a weird scampering noise. We both turned off our headlamps and sat there, listening intently, wondering if there were mountain goats or something more sinister out there.
    We were both pretty freaked out when suddenly four marines came walking sternly up to us, dressed in combat camos. One of them said, "What are you boys doing out here? Don't you know this area is off-limits?"
    We were both taken aback, apologizing profusely, when the marine finally broke into laughter, saying, "Jus f$%ing with you-we're out doing night exercises in the Park! Ha ha! You should've seen the look on your faces!" They'd been running around on the the high cliffs without any lights, just allowing their eyes to adjust to the darkness.
    We ended up following them back to their base at Twenty-Nine Palms and partied our a$$es off! I'll never forget it, we had such a good time, then wearily drove back to our camp as the sun was coming up, after they'd fed us a big breakfast. Those marines were so friendly, they actually made me respect the armed forces even more than I already did, which was a lot!
    _Semper Fideles!_

  • @jerryrounds8586
    @jerryrounds8586 11 місяців тому +1

    There are lots of armored tank track marks in Joshua Tree where Gen. George S. Patton Jr. trained his invasion forces preparing to engage the Germans in North Africa 1942-3.

  • @Gizathecat2
    @Gizathecat2 11 місяців тому +1

    All those rounded rocks look like they were inspiration for Roger Dean paintings.

  • @brown-eyedman4040
    @brown-eyedman4040 11 місяців тому +1

    Sure would be cool if you could do some videos in Yosemite NP.

  • @pizzafrenzyman
    @pizzafrenzyman 11 місяців тому +1

    Is there a different geologic process for a dike and a vein? Other than whether the word is being used by a geologist or a miner.

  • @felipericketts
    @felipericketts Місяць тому

    Insel berg = Island mountain? Always enlightening to see the landscape through your descriptions. Thanks 🙂

  • @SPak-rt2gb
    @SPak-rt2gb 11 місяців тому +1

    Kind of looks like the Alabama Hills in Lone Pine, California

    • @briseboy
      @briseboy 6 місяців тому

      They are the tops of a mountain range that was 10k feet above their valley floor, before Owens valley existed.

  • @grandparocky
    @grandparocky 11 місяців тому

    great information!

  • @jens.5676
    @jens.5676 11 місяців тому +1

    Always interesting to find German words in other languages like Inselberg = Island mountain