Glacial Erosion

Glacier is a large moving  body of ice from accumulation of snow and rain. The forms of glaciation occur  when more snow and ice fall then melt and evaporate for years. The more pressure occurs the more it  increasingly  converts the snow into ice. "The glacier carries with it the Dirt, gravels, rocks and boulders that it finds in its path as well as that embedded in the ice." Glacial erosion wears down and removes rocks and soil. The different forms of Glacial erosion  are Aretes, U and V-shaped valleys, Pyramids Picks, Cirque and more. The Youtube video explains the features of glaciation such as formation and processes.

                                          From youtube.com


"A glacier flows slowly due to stresses induced by its weight. The crevasses and other distinguishing features of a glacier are due to its flow. Another consequence of glacier flow is the transport of rock and debris abraded from its substrate and resultant landforms like cirques and moraines."  
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A cirque is a curved shape that inward like a inner surface of a bowl formed on the head of a valley glacier by erosion  (erosion is a wearing away of rock or soil by physical breack down, chemical solution and transportation of materials caused by water, wind or ice.) “A cirque  opens  on the downhill side corresponding to the flatter area of the stage, while the cupped seating section is generally steep cliff-like slopes down which ice and glaciated debris combine and converge from the three or more higher sides.”


Also, moraines are  glacial landforms. "They are long, sharply crested ridges made up of a mixture of sand, gravel, and rocks that have been deposited by a melting glacier. There are many different moraines includes terminal and literal moraines:"

                         Literal Moraine forms parallel ridges of debris deposited along side of a glacier

                                 Terminal Moraine is also end moraine, which forms at end of the glacier

Sources:
http://www.hanksville.org/daniel/geology/glerosion.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moraine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pChvcUMCKRc&feature=related

http://www.homepage.montana.edu/~geol445/hyperglac/eroproc1/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/10af.html

The Average Climate In Red Rocks, Morrison, CO

Morrison is a growing entertainment city. Its history, and of course the Red Rocks Park, and the Amphitheater attract its visitors coming from all over around the world.

The average climate at Red Rocks is very cold in the winter. The Temperature is in the 20s, and it's also mild in the summer temperature is in the 60s.

This graph shows us the average temperatures in Morrison. You can see that July is the warmest month of the year when it's over 80 degree Fahrenheit daily compare to US, which is slidely a little bit above.  Morrison's coldest month is January during the  twelve months period. Temperature is in the 9 to 10 degree Fahrenheit minimum.  The mix temperatures between night and day "tend to be relatively big during summer with a difference that can reach 35 degrees Fahrenheit, and relatively big during winter with an average difference of 34 degrees Fahrenheit." 

The average precipitation is nearly 3 inches of rainfall in May and annual is 21. 80 inches. 

Snowfall is above 9 inches in March and slide goes down to 0 inches in June to August, and goes back up over  5 inches from September through February.

Tornado activity:

"Morrison-area historical tornado activity is above Colorado state average. It is 55% greater than the overall U.S. average."

All graphs and info are from in the following sites 

Read more: 
http://www.city-data.com/city/Morrison-Colorado.html#ixzz1In3OPpy7


http://www.idcide.com/weather/co/morrison.htm

Chemical and Mechanical Weathering and of Red Rocks

"Weathering is the breakdown and alteration of rocks and minerals at or near the Earth's surface into products that are more in equilibrium with the conditions found in this environment. Most rocks and minerals are formed deep within the Earth's crust where temperatures and pressures differ greatly from the surface. Because the physical and chemical nature of materials formed in the Earth's interior are characteristically in disequilibrium with conditions occurring on the surface. Because of this disequilibrium, these materials are easily attacked, decomposed, and eroded by various chemical and physical surface processes." From http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/10r.html

The three types of weathering are chemical, physical and Biological, I am going to cover only  chemical and physical or mechanical weathering in this post.

Chemical weathering occurs when the composition of rocks change,  and the process of a rock changes take place below ground surface where water and rocks are in contact in the soil. There are two common minerals, halite and calcite and they are "often found in water and are able to dissolve rocks. When oxygen combines with iron-bearing silicate, the rock can begin to "rust." However, gases and other solutions can also chemically alter rocks (pollution in cities demonstrates this well)." 

The photos are from the Red Rocks Trading Post

Chemical weathering of rocks

http://geology.csupomona.edu/drjessey/class/Gsc101/Weathering.html

Mechanical or physical weathering is the breakdown of  rocks without chemically  causing any changes. It occurs "when a rock changes form, but not its elemental make up."

The photos are from the Red Rocks Trading Post

                                                    IMG Photo
according to http://geology.csupomona.edu, mechanical weathering:

1. Expansion and Contraction - the thermal heating and cooling of rocks causing expansion and contraction
   
   
   
2. Frost Action - Water freezes at night and expands because the solid occupies greater volume. Action wedges the rocks apart. Requires adequate supply of moisture; moisture must be able to enter rock or soil; and temperature must move back and forth over freezing point.
   
   
3. Exfoliation - process in which curved plates of rock are stripped from a larger rock mass. Example Half Dome. Exact mechanism uncertain but probably due to unloading.
   
   
4. Other types - Cracking of rocks by plant roots and burrowing animals.

                                          IMG Photos

Red Rocks Formations

Red Rocks is a geological formation and it is the only architectered open-air Amphitheatre from the mother nature around the world.. Also, "the design of the Amphitheatre consists of two, three hundred-foot monoliths (Ship Rock and Creation Rock) that provide acoustic perfection for any performance. The dramatic sandstone monoliths serve as a history book of animal and plant life in the area for the past 250 million years. As spectators gaze at the towering red sandstone rocks, they view the ancient tales of prehistoric times. The area of Red Rocks, originally known as the Garden of Angels, has attracted the attention of musical performers since before the turn of the century. The majestic setting of the Amphitheatre, along with the panoramic view of Denver, makes for a breathtaking scene." From Redrocksonline.com

                                          From Redrocksonline.com

The Sandstones rock formations

The red rocks are sandstones sedimentary type of rocks and they are formed by sedimentation of material from the surface of Earth and bodies of water. It composes with sand, silt, and clay. The process causes mineral and organic detritus to settle and accumulate from solution. Weathering and erosion formed sedimentary rocks and push to certain area by water, wind, or mass movement.  

Here is video from youtube.com explaining how the Red Rocks was formed.

                                          From youtube.com

Landforms: beautiful view of Strike Valley between Hag-backs formed from Erosion folds such as physical breakdown and Hag-backs is produced by softer rock strata

Introduction

My name is Bamba Diop and I was born and raised in Senegal. I am a music business major.


The  location I choose is the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Golden, Colorado.

I choose the Red Rocks Amphitheater because I love the beautiful view.  I have been to many different places and music venues performing life, but there is no one like the Red Rocks. I think it's the most beautiful music venue around the world. I have performed here in 2008. I will never forget this place because of the red rocks, mountain, and its gorgeous view.