Figure 1. Road Cut on I-35 in
the Arbuckle Mountains, Oklahoma
For each site in this field guide are: site map(s),
figure(s), cross section(s), a materials list, a list of potential safety
issues, a site description, and question(s) to be answered in the field.
Procedure to begin field trip.
1.
Legibly
sign and print name on “waivers of liability” and return to T.A.
Credit will be assigned only to legible names.
2.
Listen
to instructor(s) for pre-trip instructions.
3.
After
pre-trip instructions read the following.
Procedure for site visitation and
field guide completion.
1.
At
each site, exit the van quickly, watch for traffic, and gather around the
instructor(s).
2.
For each site there will be from 1 to 5 questions or exercises. Make
sure you answer all
question(s). Hint: answer(s) will be either given
during site lectures or may be found in the included text.
3. After the instructor(s) has lectured about the site you
will have time for collection and observation.
4.
After
collection and observation, board the van(s) quickly.
5.
To
receive full credit for the field trip you must participate at all ‘sites’
during the field trip. Note: Because of time restraints, we may not be able to
visit every ‘site’ on the field guide map. You are not responsible for the
‘sites’ we do not visit.
6.
Upon
successful completion of the field trip, which includes correctly answering
the applicable questions at the end of each section of the field guide, turn
in the field guide and it will be returned to you after credit is assigned.
Figure 2: Little Niagara Falls, Chickasaw National
Recreation Area, Sulphur, Oklahoma
FIELD TRIP OVERVIEW MAP
FIELD GUIDE
Start
from the parking lot west of the EESAT building.
Set your trip meter to “0”. Mile(s)
Total
Exit north and turn east on Hickory, go
.9
.9
Turn north onto Carroll, go
1.3
2.2
Turn east onto Sherman, go .3
2.5
Turn north onto Locust/2164, Go
5.2
7.7
DENTON METRO MAP
DENTON NORTH MAP
Point
of interest:
On the east side of the road, south of Clear Creek, in the tributary (it is an
eroded ditch) are “ostrea carinata” in slabs several inches thick. Also,
observe the terracing and abandon stream channels created by Clear Creek. Just
north of Clear Creek is the town of Gribble Springs. (See Denton North Map)
Continue north on Locust/2164
4.9
12.6
Turn east onto 455, go
10.0
22.6
Point
of interest: 455
crosses Lake Ray Roberts Dam. This is an earthen dam approximately 1.9 miles
long. Exposed on the east side Lake Ray Roberts is the Bokchito Formation
containing Pawpaw, Weno Limestone and Denton Clay. The outcropping west of the
dam is the Woodbine Formation. The Woodbine Sandstone controls boundary for
the eastern cross-timbers. (See Denton North Map)
SITE 1: SOUTH SHORE OF LAKE TEXOMA
Turn north onto Highway 377, go
37.7
60.3
Enter Juniper Park by turning west-
off of Highway 377 and follow
Site Map 1 to the site.
.7
61.0
SITE 1 MAP, SOUTH SHORE OF LAKE TEXOMA
Site
1: South Shore of Lake Texoma
Materials:
Pencil, notes, meter stick or tape measure and camera.
Safety: This is
a state park and no collecting is allowed. The
outcrop has undercut banks and soft slippery shale.
Be careful near the lake, the mosses on the rocks are slippery when
wet.
Climate Note:
Because of the proximity to Lake Texoma, the lower portion of the outcrop may
not be visible during periods of high water.
Information. The top layer of the outcrop is a highly fossiliferous,
gryphea, oyster bed approximately 18-24 inches thick. Unconformably
beneath the oyster bed is a bluish-gray, shale formation that erodes quickly
into a brown, silty soil and forms a steeply sloping unit approximately 10 to
15 feet thick at this location. The
base of the outcrop, along the shoreline has been interpreted as an ocean
beach or near shore coastal region. If the Lake level is low enough, large
broken slabs may be seen containing: well defined ripple marks, alternating
layers of curved non parallel cross-beds, and one time depositional sequences
several inches thick. The thick depositional sequences may be interpreted as
hurricane deposits. On the Geologic Atlas of Texas the formation shown is the
Weno Limestone, Lower Cretaceous, however, the above described stratigraphic
sequence best fits the top of the Denton Clay (Figure 3)
Questions:
1.
Complete the stratigraphic section below by using standard symbols for
lithology types and label each unit. Measure the thickness of each layer of
the formation.
Figure
3: Stratigraphic Section
Figure
4: Evidence of Undercutting and Breakdown at Site One, Lake Texoma.
2. What is
causing the rocks to be broken and strewn about the shoreline in Figure 4?
3. Is the
lake water level (on the day your visited) lower or higher compared to the day
the Figure 4 photo was taken?
Point
of Interest: Denison
Dam backs up the Red River to form the 89,000 acre Lake Texoma. The Red River
and an 39,719 square mile water shed provides water for Lake Texoma, one of
the largest reservoirs in the United States.
At the time of construction during the 1940s, Denison Dam was the
world’s largest earthen dam. The largest fish taken from Texoma was a 118.5
pound Blue Catfish.
The
lake provides water for cities as far as Dallas, recreation, and the
powerhouse at the dam provides electricity for Texas and Oklahoma.
Return to Juniper Park entrance
.7
61.7
Turn north onto Highway 377, go
2.5
64.2
Turn west onto Fobbs Bottom Road, go
4.0
68.2
Follow the Site 2Map
Park and walk west 1000 plus-yards.
SITE 2 MAP, SAND DUNES ON NORTH SHORE OF LAKE TEXOMA
Site
2: Sand Dunes on North Shore of Lake Texoma.
Materials: Pencil, notes and
camera.
Safety:
The site is in the Fobbs Bottom Wildlife
Preservation, therefore, collecting is not permitted, and observe sign warning
signs. “No vehicles past this point”. There are lots of deer, snakes and
poison ivy. (Vehicles on the dunes are against the law, please enjoy and
observe, this environmental treasure, but do not contribute to its
destruction.)
Information: Park your
vehicle and either follow the dirt road to the dunes or walk along the beach.
From where the cars are parked to the dunes is approximately a thousand yards
or more. These dunes are partially stabilized by vegetation, but humans on
four wheelers and dirt bikes have created pathways and trails. The dunes cover
several square miles and the highest point is approximately 100 feet above the
lake level. Along the Lake, water has eroded and exposed cross-sections of the
dunes and solution lammalie may be seen. The Quaternary depositional deposits
and the dunes formed here are evidence of a much dryer climate in the recent
past. Observe the vegetation that stabilizes the dune.
Figure 5. Students
Climbing Sand Dunes, North Shore Lake Texoma
Questions:
- How long have the dunes been partially
stabilized? Why?
- Why did so much sand accumulate and allow the
formation of these dunes?
- Walk along the shoreline and look for modern
depositional features. List and draw what you find. (Hint: look for:
ripples, burrows, tracks, cross-beds, bones, etc.)
During the
field trip we may find lithified example similar to these modern depositional
features.
- Why is it important to recognize modern
depositional environments?
Retrace your path back to Highway 377/99, go
4.0
72.2
Turn north onto 377/Oklahoma 99, go
29.0
101.2
Site
3: Fluvial deposition and Cross-beds.
Materials: Pencil, paper,
and camera.
Safety:
This outcrop is on a curve, watch for traffic.
Information: This
outcrop is just west of Tishomingo and Pennington Creek. On the south side of
the highway parts of the outcrop have been excavated by heavy equipment and in
spite of damage, the site provides an excellent cross-section for our
observations. Fine grained sands and cross-beds, indicative of fluvial
deposition, are exhibited here.
Figure 6: Soil Profile, Fluvial Deposition and Cross
Beds at Site 3
SITE 3 MAP, FLUVIAL DEPOSITION AND CROSS BEDS
Question:
1.
What primary features found at this site are similar to the modern
depositional features found at Site 2(Sand Dunes)?
Continue northeast on 377/99, go
1.0
102.2
In Tishomingo 377/99 turns north, go
6.0
108.2
Turn east onto Blur River Road, go
3.6
111.8
Turn north onto Harbert, go
2.6
114.4
SITE 4 MAP: BLUE RIVER GNEISS AND BLUE SCHIST
Site 4: Blue River Gneiss and Blue Schist
Materials:
Pencil, paper, and camera.
Safety:
Remember, this is a preserve! Collecting rock specimens is prohibited; leave
your hammers in the vans. When water is present in the creek be very careful,
the rocks are slippery.
Information:
The Blue River Hunting and Fishing Reserve contains, granitic rocks,
amphibolite dikes, gneissic exposures and blue schist. The Blue River Map
shows the location of the gneiss in an unnamed creek. Seasonal flow of high
water and sand load has scoured and polished the surface of the gneiss.
Minerals occurring in the gneiss include oligoclase and microcline of the
plagioclase group, quartz, biotite & muscovite micas, magnetite and lesser
amounts of apatite, sphene, and zircon. The swirled appearance exhibits both
fine and course grained phases. Small dikelets of varying composition (aplite,
amphibole, and pegmatitic) intrude the gneiss (Denison, 46, 1980). The strike
of the banding and foliation is north-south, the same as the regional contact
between the Tishomingo Granite and Blue River Gneiss.
BLUE RIVER MAP: LOCATIONS OF METAMORPHIC ROCKS
Approximately 1000 feet north of the gneiss are the
amphibolite dikes. Composition is similar to the gneiss but with less quartz.
The dikes strike north/south and are found just south of the large parking
area. Pieces of either blue schist or amphibole schist are found near the
dike.
The third location in the park is the blue schist.
This outcrop is highly eroded and very little consolidated blue schist
remains. However, on the east side of the creek and about 150 feet up the road
on the north side in the ditch some pieces may be found. Blueschist is a low
pressure high temperature metamorphic rock composed of sodic amphibole,
glaucophane, or crossite and commonly mottled bluish-gray lawsonite (Bates,
Robert, L and Jackson, Julia A., 73, 1980)
The Blue River Gneiss is a medium grade metamorphic
rock radiometrically dated to approximately 1,260-1,360 mya. and is the oldest
exposed rocks in Oklahoma (Donovan, 10, 1989).
Questions:
1. With respect to time, what is important about noting that
this rock has been metamorphosed?
2.
What possibly caused the rock in this area to metamorphose?
3. Into what river does the Blue River flow?
What major drainage basin is it a part?
Figure
7: Blue River Waterfalls near Metamorphic Rocks at Site 4
Return to highway 99/377, approximately
5.2
119.6
Turn northeast onto Log Cabin road, go
2.0
121.6
Turn west on Highway 7, go
5.3
126.9
Turn south at Regan, go
.1
130.0
Turn east onto Pace, go
2.1
132.1
Turn south onto Ten Acre Rock Rd, go
1.3
133.4
Stop at Ten Acre Rock
Site
5: Ten Acre Rock and Tishomingo Granite east of Troy.
Safety: Slippery when wet, stay off outcrop when lightning threatens, watch for
snakes.
Materials: Pencil,
paper, camera, hammer, baggie and magnet.
SITES FIVE AND SIX ORIENTATION MAP
Information: Ten Acre Rock is a bare
exposure of course grained granite, igneous rock approximately 1.2 – 1.3
million years old. The granite contains pink microcline, set in a coarse
matrix of whitish orthoclase, biotite and clear quartz. Rutile needles may be
seen in the quartz crystals and magnetite may be found in abundance in the
roadside ditches. Accessory minerals also include, apatite, zircon, pyrite and
in the quarried area small quantities of epidot may be found. This outcrop is
an excellent example of when uplift removes the ‘country rock’ or
overburden and exposes an exfoliating dome. Near the highest elevation of the
granite are several ephermal ponds (best observed after a rain). On the
western slope are numerous, bowl shaped depressions connected by sinuous
channels, the product of small, scale chemical weathering. The Granite
weathers to ‘grus’, a coarse, gravel found around the outcrop and in
nearby stream channels. Locally,
the rock is cut by veinlets of epidote, quarts veins, and both diabase and
rhyolite dikes.
SITES 5 - 6 MAP: TEN-ACRE ROCK &
AMPHIBOLITE DIKES
Questions:
1.
What type of erosion feature does ten-acre rock represent?
2.
Identify at least five types of minerals found at ten-acre rock?
3.
When you strike the rock in some places a hollow sound is produced.
Why?
4.
Occasionally a sparkle can be observed, what causes it?
5.
Approximately how old is this rock?
Return to the vehicles, go
.2
133.6
Stop at Rock Creek/Six Mile Creek
Site 6: Dikes and Tors at Six-mile Creek/Rock Creek.
Materials:
Pencil, Paper, hammer, and camera.
Safety: Watch for snakes,
rocks in the creek are slippery when wet.
Information: Just South of
the gravel road in the creek is an extremely, hard, dark gray, diabase dike.
The contacts are not well exposed but the ‘diligent’ student can follow
the dike southeast for some distance. If you have time follow the creek south
for about a 1/8 mile, there are excellent zenoliths, inclusions of ‘country
rock’ in the underlying granitic intrusion. Both rhyolite and diabase dikes
can be found in the area. Also,
commonly expressed in the area are low ‘tors’, formed during subsurface
chemical weathering of the granite along joints in the intrusive structure.
Uplift removes the ‘country rock’ or overburden exposing the ‘tors’.
Question(s):
1.
Why are the dikes here?
2.
Why is the composition of the dikes different from other deposition in
the area?
3.
Are the contacts between the dikes and the surrounding rock sharp, or
gradational?
4.
What is a zenolith?
5.
Draw a picture of the ‘tors’.
Continue west on Ten Acre Rock Rd, go
1.2
134.8
Turn north onto highway 1/7, go
7.3
143.1
Turn west onto road by RR track
Figure
8: Tors on Six-Mile Creek near Site 6
Site 7: Silica Plant
Materials:
Pencil, paper, baggies for collecting sand, and camera.
Safety:
Railroad tracks.
Information:
On the east side of the highway just before the railroad tracks across the
highway is the entrance to the Silica Plant. The quarry is actually on the
west side of the road, but not visible from the highway. Along the track you
can see small piles of white silica sand. This sand is considered to be the
purest silica sand in the world. It is used commercially for making: glass,
corning ware, paint, roofing shingles, etc. Approximately ten railroad
carloads leave the quarry each day. Also, on the west side of the highway, are
the Martin Marietta, limestone and rock quarries.
Continue north on highway 7, go
4.8
147.9
Turn west onto highway 7, go
6.5
154.4
Turn south on highway 7/177, go
.7
155.1
Turn west into Pavilion Springs
Figure
9: Silica Along Railroad Spur at Site 7
ORIENTATION
MAP: SULPHUR & LAKE OF THE ARBUCKLES
Site
8: Sulfur Oklahoma and the Artesian Springs. Van Noss Conglomerate.
Materials: Pencil, paper,
bottle for spring water, and camera.
Safety: No hammers, and try
not to drink more than one quart of water.
Information: This artesian
spring is one of only four that can be found in this area. According to local
people at the turn of the century this area had hundreds of springs, but water
wells and drilling for oil has lowered the water table and only 5 remain.
Local lore also says this area was a gathering place for Indians seeking the
healing properties of the water. In the early 1900s, trains brought carloads
of passengers from Dallas to visit the springs and soak in the medicinal muds.
Questions:
- What is an artesian spring?
- Observe the analysis of the waters and speculate
what medicinal value if any these waters might have?
3.
What is the difference between an artesian spring and an artesian well?
Figure
10: Sign at Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Sulfur, OK, Near Site 8
Figure
11: Water Analysis for Pavilian Springs, Site 8
Return to the vehicles
Turn north 177, go
.2
155.3
Turn east into Travertine Park, go
1.6
156.9
Point of
interest: Travertine
is found in large quantities along the stream and at the numerous waterfalls
in the park. Travertine Island is the remains of more vigorous historic
streamflow through the park. Tufa or Travertine forms both physically and
chemically. The waters are hard and supersaturated with calcite that coats the
bed and rocks of the stream with precipitated travertine and tufa deposits. In
addition, certain types of algae, absorbs calcite from the waters and uses it
in the formation of their skeletal structure. When the stream dries the algae
die leaving their hard, calcareous parts attached to the rock and stream
bottom, thus adding to the precipitated travertine and the buildup of
deposits. Inside the visitor center are wildlife exhibits and some history
of the area. Restrooms
are also available. This
will be the last stop of the day. We will stop at the store for supplies and
then proceed to the campground.
Questions:
1.
Which of the local wildlife featured in the visitor’s center are
dangerous to humans?
2.
What formerly local creatures are now extinct?
Where are their fossils found?
3. What is the
history behind the artesian wells in Sulphur?
How high is the large one to the south of highway 7? How high was it in the past?
What about the small well on the north side of the road?
Figures
12 & 13: Artesian Well in town of Sulphur.
Figure 12 above shows 1930 fountain
Of
26-30 feet. Figure 13 below shows
2001 fountain of about 8 feet.
SITE 8 MAP: PAVILIAN SPRINGS, VISITORS CENTER, WELLS, MARKET
Return to 177 turn north, go
.1
157.0
Turn west onto Highway 7, go
.5
157.5
Turn south into Sooners Market
Continue west on Highway 7, go
1.5
159.0
Turn south onto Point Road, go
5.6
164.9
Point Campground.
Once
we arrive at the campground no one leaves until morning.
MARKET TO CAMPGROUND MAP
Campground Information and
Safety.
1. We will use several
sites at the campground, all of which share a central restroom and shower
facility. Keep the camp clean as
well as the facilities. If
showering during peak times, such as before we leave in the morning, be
considerate of others. In order
to conserve hot water, after rinsing, turn off the water while washing with
soap, than turn on the shower again to rinse off.
2. One of the campsites
will be equipped with electric outlets. If
you desire this site, tell Max or Sean and you will be given priority.
Otherwise, there are outlets in the restrooms.
3. Get whatever items you
need for Supper, Breakfast and the campfire while at Sooner’s Market before
we move to the campsite. Once we
arrive at the campsite, we stay.
4. Park rule is no
alcoholic beverages consumed directly from bottles or cans.
Also, we do not need any incidents that may jeopardize future field
trips. Have fun, but be
responsible.
5. Check restrictions
concerning campfires, and respect the potential for danger.
If fires are permitted, make sure fires are out completely before
breaking camp in the morning. Wake
up call is 7 AM. Quiet
after midnight.
6. Weather permitting; we
will have telescopes and experts in astronomy with us after dark for viewing
of stars, planets and other celestial objects.
If weather permits, everyone participates.
DAY TWO
Get
up at 7:00 am, eat breakfast and break camp.
Be ready to leave the
campground no later than 8:18 am
Return to Intersection of Point
Road and Highway 7
Reset odometer to “0”
Turn west onto Highway 7,
go
8.6
8.6
Stop
on the west side of the Bridge.
Point of interest: Just past the town of Davis the highway drops
into a valley carved by the channels, oxbow lakes, cutoffs, and flood plains
of the Washita River. Look both
north and south of the highway for meander scars, abandoned river channels,
oxbow lakes, flood plains, and other fluvial features.
MAP OF WASHITA RIVER,
SITE 9
Site 9: Washita
River Cut banks and Point bar plus other modern depositional features.
Materials: Pencil, paper, camera, plastic bags, magnet, flat shovel,
100-foot tape, stopwatch, float (sticks), and flow meter.
Safety: Watch for snakes, mudslides, and swift water along the sand
bars.
Information:
Modern fluvial and geomorphic features along the river are constantly
changing. Look for cross beds in dunes; ripple marks, point bar, cut banks,
sand bars, and other fluvial features. An
understanding of ancient depositional environments can often be obtained by
observing modern depositional environments. At this stop observe River
geomorphology. (Washita River Map)
Questions:
1. Observe the
water in the River. Estimate how fast the current moving.
2. Have one
student stand up river and toss a small stick or float into the water. Have
another student stand about on hundred feet down river and measure the time
for the float to reach him/her. Your answer will be in feet per second or feet
per minute. Next measure the rate of flow using a flow meter.
3. Compare flow
rate of stick/float with hand held flow meter. Are they the same? If not what
are possible reasons for the differences?
4.
Draw a top view of the river with point bar, cut bank, and thalwag.
5. Draw a
cross-section of the river with point bar, cut bank, and thalwag?
