Photogeologic interpretation of Gemini 4 color photographs of Baja, Californi

Tabor, R.

Breton 

NASA Technical Reports Server

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19700029620 2020-03-11T22:50:12+00:00Z
UNITED S T A T E S  
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
GEOLOG lCAL SURVEY 
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20242 Technical L e t t e r  
NASA -24 
May 1966 
D r .  Pe t e r  C. Badgley 
Chief ,  Natural  Resources Program 
O f f i c e  of Space Science and Appl ica t ion  
Code SAR, NASA Headquarters 
Washington, D.C. 20546 
Dear Peter :  
Transmit ted herewith a r e  3 copies  of :  
TECHNICAL LETTER NASA-24 
PHOTOGEOLOGIC INTERPRETATION OF GEMINI I V  
COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY: BAJA,  CALIFORNIA* 
S ince re ly  yours ,  
.? 
William A. F i scher  
Research Coordinator  f o r  
USGS/NASA Natural  Resources Program 
*Work performed under NASA Cont rac t  No. R-09-020-015 
**U.S. Geological  Survey, Menlo Park, ~ a f i f o r n i a  
UNITED STATES 
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 
TECHNICAL LETTER NASA -24 
PHOTOGEOLOGIC INTERPRETATION OF GEMINI I V  
COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY: BA J A  , CALIFORNIA* 
Rowland Tabor** 
May 1966 
These d a t a  a r e  p r e l i m i n a r y  and shou ld  
n o t  be  quo ted  w i t h o u t  pe rmiss ion  
Prepared  by t h e  G e o l o g i c a l  Survey 
f o r  t h e  N a t i o n a l  A e r o n a u t i c s  and 
Space A d m i n i s t r a t i o n  (NASA) 
*Work performed under  NASA C o n t r a c t  No. R-09-020-015 
**U.S. G e o l o g i c a l  Survey,  Menlo Park ,  C a l i f o r n i a  
DISTRIBUTION LIST 
NASA F ieadqua r t e r s ,  D.C. 
C o p i e s  
Miss Winnie Morgan, T e c h n i c a l  R e p o r t s  O f f i c e r  
D r .  P e t e r  C. Badg ley ,  Program Ch ie f  
Theodore  A .  George 
NASA/MSC-~ous t o n  
Leo F .  C h i l d s ,  Chai rman,  A i r c r a f t  C o o r d i n a t i o n  
Ed Z e i t l e r ,  Data  C e n t e r  
A u t h o r s  
u ~ ~ S / ~ a s h i n q t o n  C o p i e s  U S G S / D ~ ~ V ~ ~  
W i l l i a m  T. P e c o r a  
Resea rch  C o o r d i n a t o r  
Remote S e n s i n g  E v a l u a t i o n  a n d  
C o o r d i n a t i o n  S t a f f  (RESECS) 
C h i e f  G e o l o g i s t  
A s s o c i a t e  C h i e f  G e o l o g i s t  
A s s i s t a n t  C h i e f  G e o l o g i s t s  (4 )  
C h i e f  H y d r o l o g i s t  
C h i e f  Topograph ic  E n g i n e e r  
D i s c i p l i n e  C o o r d i n a t o r s  ( 4 )  
J u l e s  MacKal lor  
Wi l l i am Hemphi l l  
A l l e n  Hey1 
R o b e r t  Moxham 
Alan  Kover 
David Southwick  
I s i d o r e  Z i e t z  
S t e p h e n  J.  Gawarecki  
Washington L i b r a r y  
Denver L i b r a r y  
Menlo L i b r a r y  
U S G S / M ~ ~ ~ O  Pa rk  
E r n e s t  H. La thram 
Hal  T. M o r r i s  
R o b e r t  E. Wal l ace  
Edward W. Wolfe 
George  Gryc 
Max C r i t t e n d e n  
P a r k e  S n a v e l y ,  Jr. 
A r t h u r  B.  Campbell  
R o b e r t  L. C h r i s t i a n s e n  
David  F. Davidson 
Ross B. Johnson  
D a n i e l  R .  Shawe 
R o b e r t  H. M o r r i s  
Tom H e n d r i c k s  
G e r a l d  S .  Schabe r  
k D e p t .  o f  A q r i c u l t u r e  
A.B. Pa rk  
US A i r  F o r c e  
J . F .  C r o n i n  (AFCRL) 
US Navy 
A.G.  A lex iou  (NAVOCEANO) 1 
1 O t h e r  Cooperatinq C o p i e s  
1 
1 R.N. C o l w e l l ,  Univ .  C a l i f  1 
1 J. L i n t z ,  Un iv ,  Nevada 1 
1 R.J.P.  Lyon, S t a n f o r d  Univ .  1 
1 D.B. S i m o n e t t ,  Univ .  Kansas 1 
1 E.H.T. W h i t t e n ,  N o r t h w e s t e r n  Univ. 1 
W i l l i a m  V e s t ,  I I T R I ,  D.C. 1 
NAS/NRC Adv i so ry  Comm. Chm. 1 
PHOTOGEOLOGIC INTERPRETATION OF GEMINI  I V  
COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY: BA J A  , CALIFORNIA 
Rowland Tabor 
I n t r o d u c t i o n  
The c o l o r  photographs  from Gemini I V  were t a k e n  w i t h  a  hand 
h e l d  Hasse lb lad  camera w i t h  a f o c a l  l e n g t h  o f  8 0  mm ( f  2 . 8 ) .  The 
space  v e h i c l e  was abou t  180 m i l e s  above t h e  s u r f a c e  o f  t h e  e a r t h  
when p a s s i n g  o v e r  Ba ja ,  C a l i f o r n i a  and t h e  pho tograph ic  p r i n t s ,  
used i n  t h i s  s t u d y ,  have a  s c a l e  o f  abou t  1:640,000. 
The photograph s e l e c t e d  f o r  t h e  s t u d y  ( f i g .  1 )  i s  e s s e n t i a l l y  
v e r t i c a l ,  h a s  no obscur ing  c louds  and i s  c e n t e r e d  o v e r  a  d e s e r t  
a r e a  i n  B a j a ,  C a l i f o r n i a .  Geologic  f e a t u r e s  a r e  w e l l  d i s p l a y e d .  
Making t h e  I n t e r p r e t i v e  Map 
Convent ional  photogeologic  methods were employed t o  c o n v e r t  
t h e  photograph i n t o  a  g e o l o g i c  map ( f i g .  2) .  The major rock u n i t s  
were t r a c e d  d i r e c t l y  from t h e  photograph,  b u t  t h e  i n t e r p r e t a t i o n  was 
made w i t h  a  s t e r e o p a i r  under  m a g n i f i c a t i o n .  
E v a l u a t i o n  o f  t h e  I n t e r p r e t a t i o n  
The w r i t e r  h a s  no s p e c i f i c  knowledge of t h e  geology of  Ba ja ,  
C a l i f o r n i a ,  and t h e  u n i t s  were named a f t e r  comparing t h e  i n t e r p r e t i v e  
map w i t h  t h e  Geologic  Map of North America ( s c a l e  1:5,000,000 1965 ed . )  
and a  g e o l o g i c  map by C.H.  Beal (Geol.  Soc. AmericaMemoir31, p l .  1, 
1948) .  P.B. King o f  t h e  U.S. Geolog ica l  Survey i d e n t i f i e d  t h e  Aqua 
Blanca f a u l t  on t h e  photograph. According t o  t h e  r e f e r e n c e  maps t h e  
g r o s s  p i c t u r e  o f  young v o l c a n i c  rock  o v e r l y i n g  t h e  e a s t e r n  edge o f  a  
g r a n i t i c  h igh land  i s  c o r r e c t .  The c o l o r i n g ,  s t r a t i f i c a t i o n  and r u b b l y  
wea ther ing  d e b r i s  s t r o n g l y  s u g g e s t  t h e  p r e s e n c e  o f  t h e  v o l c a n i c  r o c k s  
and t h e  mass iveness ,  j o i n t i n g  and c o l o r  o f  t h e  g r a n i t i c  rocks  g i v e  
c l u e  t o  t h e i r  i d e n t i t y ,  Because t h e  s t r u c t u r a l  s u r f a c e  i s  s t i l l  
p r e s e n t  l o c a l l y  on t h e  r e d  v o l c a n i c  r o c k s ,  some t e c t o n i c  s t r u c t u r e s  
can be i d e n t i f i e d .  
The s t e e p l y  d i p p i n g  bedded rocks  a r e  no t  shown a t  a l l  on t h e  
r e f e r e n c e  maps, b u t  Beal i n d i c a t e s  bedded sed imenta ry  rocks  a r e  
p r e s e n t  i n  t h e  o u t c r o p  a r e a  shown a s  g r a n i t i c  on t h e  n o r t h  edge o f  
t h e  map, j u s t  wes t  o f  t h e  Colorado River .  

Explanat ion 
1. Wind blown sand (minor alluvium) 
2. Alluvium. Inoludes l i t t e r a l  marine sediments i n  Gulf area.  
---. 
i++ r ' *'-;T: 3. WhLte s u l f a t  i r ed  volcanio rock o r  in t rus ive  rook. + 3 a *  + + ;  [?T:+m 4. Dark roloanio rook. Generally o v ~ j r l l e e  red roloanio rock but  i n  ;::4:> :, Ll-rL,Ll area  t o  eas t ,  age r e l a t i o n s  unknovm. 
5. Red voloanio rock, l o c a l l y  ooarsely  jointed. Underlain by t h i n  white rn *ufC (?I .  
I 6 .  Grey gran i to id  rook, ooarsely jointed. 
7,8. Steeply dipping layered rooks, e i t h e r  sedimentary o r  metamorphlo* 
7 l i g h t  ooZoredj 8 dark oolored. 
S t s l k e  and d i p  Faul t   dint i n   FOP^ axis 
in vo%oanic rock grankt oid rook 


Photogeologic interpretation of Gemini 4 color photography - Baja, California

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