Guide to the Geology of Sedona & Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona

Sedona's Red Rock country includes some of the most spectacular scenery to be found in Arizona.

AZGS’ Down-To-Earth booklet, 'A Guide to the Geology of the Sedona & Oak Creek Canyon Area, Arizona' by John Bezy describes and illustrates just how that landscape formed. The booklet, which is free to download, includes 44 pages with maps, satellite images and more than 25 photos and illustrations. Since Tuesday more than 400 people have visited the site: http://repository.azgs.az.gov/uri_gin/azgs/dlio/1694

From author John Bezy’s introduction: The Sedona-Oak Creek Canyon area offers some of the most unique and spectacular geologic features in northern Arizona. Because of the relatively sparse vegetation most of these features are easy to recognize and photograph.

Some of these geologic features are common on the Colorado Plateau of northern Arizona, western Colorado, southern Utah, and northeastern New Mexico. Others occur in many other parts of the American Southwest. This booklet is your field guide to the geology of this magnificent landscape of red rock pinnacles, buttes, mesas and canyons. All of the geologic features described in the text can be reached by short walks from Highways 89A and 79, Road 78, and from U.S. Forest Service roads. This booklet is written for the visitor who has an interest in geology, but who may not have had formal training in the subject. It may also help assure that the visiting geologist does not overlook some of the features described.

Posted 11/10/2016 by M. Conway

Arizona's Morenci Mining District - 1870 - 2015

Drawing near, the definitive mining history of Arizona's iconic Morenci mining district by mineral exploration consultant David Briggs.

This 76-p manuscript with 41 illustrations detailing mining activity in the Morenci area from 1870 to 2015 will be released as an AZGS Contributed Report in the final weeks of Nov. 2016. Keep your eye out for it.

From the introduction; “Mining activities at Morenci evolved from small pick and shovel operations that relied on burros to transport the ore to primitive adobe furnaces to a world class mining project that employs the latest mining practices and technology to produce copper, which makes our modern lifestyle possible. This transformation didn't just happen. It was the product of wise investments made by visionaries like Henry Leszinsky, William Dodge and Edinburgh capitalists, who provided the financial backing that made the early mining ventures at Morenci a reality.

This financial backing was funneled through a number of mining companies that were incorporated to produce copper from the various property holdings in the Morenci mining district (Figure 2). These business ventures not only developed the mines, concentrators, smelters and other infrastructure that were essential for copper production, but also provided amenities to company towns such as Morenci, Clifton and Metcalf, where the miners and their families lived.”
Posted by M. Conway | 3 Nov. 2016

Citizen Science - Digitizing the Geology of the McDowell Mtns.

Brian Gootee (AZGS geoscientist) worked closely with geologist Steve Skotnicki and with Dan Gruber & others of the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy Field Institute to digitize Steve's original mapping of the geology of the McDowell Mountains of central Arizona.

Read about efforts to digitize the Skotnicki's geologic map here - http://repository.azgs.az.gov/uri_gin/azgs/dlio/1693

To see the digital map hosted at ArcGIS Online's cloud at http://tinyurl.com/GeoMap-McdowellMtns 

M.C. 2 Nov 2016

UA-Based AZGS Is Making Noise About Earthquakes

Collapsed cathedral in Sonora, MX. (Courtesy of Arizona Historical Society

Earthquakes happen in Arizona. Robin Tricoles of UA Communications provides a rundown on the efforts of AZGS to monitor and interpret earthquake activity in Arizona.

"The goal is to monitor the areas and try to figure out where the active faults are, the seismicity that's occurring and how much ground shaking occurs when we do have an event," says Jeri Y. Ben-Horin, research geologist with the AZGS, now based at the University of Arizona. "It takes many decades to figure out what the seismicity looks like for a particular state or region."

"However, scientists do know that some parts of Arizona are at higher risk for earthquakes than others, with Yuma being one of them, followed by the Flagstaff-Prescott area, says Phil Pearthree, AZGS interim director. In fact, the Flagstaff-Prescott area has experienced many moderate earthquakes with magnitudes up to 6.2."

You can read Robin's UA NEWS article here: https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/uabased-azgs-making-noise-about-earthquakes



Posted 10/18 MC

M 3.5 Earthquake north-central Arizona

Star indicates location of the M 3.5 earthquake

M 3.5 Earthquake near Peach Springs, AZ - 10/8/2016, 5:53 pm MST. Depth to focus ~ 8.6 km. No damage reported. According to AZGS Interim Director Phil Pearthree, the epicenter of this event was located just 5 km east of the west-dipping Aubrey fault zone.


Join the Arizona Great ShakeOut #ShakeOut on 20 Oct at 10:20 a.m.

Zinc-lead-silver mineral deposit discovered in SE Arizona

The Arizona Mining Inc. just announced a major new zinc discovery in southern Arizona. The company’s Hermosa Project is a zinc-lead-silver deposit that rivals other world-class deposits. Arizona Mining plans to release a preliminary economic assessment for the project in the first quarter of 2017.

The Hermosa Project is situated on 17,500 acres in Santa Cruz County just north of the U.S.-Mexico frontier. First discovered in 2015, the zinc-lead-silver sulfide inferred resource includes 39.4 million tonnes at 11.04% zinc equivalent, and 235 million ounces of measured and indicated (M&I) silver resources. M&I manganese reserves approach 10 billion pounds.

An aggressive drilling program is filling in the holes on the distribution and grade of the mineral resource. The Arizona Mining Co. plans to complete their site feasibility study by the end of 2017.

For more information, https://arizonamining.com/

Uses of Zinc (Zn): Zinc joins iron, aluminum, and copper as one of most consumed metals by human society. Zinc has strong anticorrosive properties and readily form chemical bonds with other metals. ½ of all zinc goes into zinc galvanizing to prevent rusting of iron or steel.

Zinc is combined with copper to form brass, and with other metals, to form alloys used in automobiles, electrical components, and household fixtures. Zinc oxide is used in rubber manufacturing and as a protective skin ointment.

Note: ‘Arizona Mining Inc. is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company focused on the exploration and development of its 100% owned Hermosa Project located in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.


Image courtesy of Arizona Mining.
Post by M. Conway

4,278 Blog Posts & Counting!

Lee Allison first started the 'Arizona Geology: blog of the State Geologist of Arizona' in 2007 and faithfully posted until his death on 16 August 2016.  In nine years, Lee posted 4,278 blog posts. The content ranged widely from geologic news of the Arizona Geological Survey, to the moratorium on mining in the Arizona Strip, to regional, national and international events impacting the geosciences. Recent posts focused on the changing circumstances of the Survey as we transferred from state government to the University of Arizona.

One of Lee's most heartfelt projects was communicating advances in the geosciences far and wide. To honor Lee, AZGS staff will continue his Arizona Geology blog. We'll involve multiple bloggers addressing their passion for geoscience.

The Arizona Geology blog will always bear the indelible fingerprints of Lee Allison. And that is as it should be.

Our Arizona Geology e-Newsletter has an article on Lee and some of his accomplishments.
http://azgeology.azgs.az.gov/article/feature-article/2016/08/dr-m-lee-allison-1948-2016

AZGS Staff

Donations to Assn. of Women Geoscientists in the name of Dr. M. Lee Allison

Lee Allison, State Geologist and Director of the Arizona Geological Survey, passed away Tuesday, August 16th, at noon after suffering a critical head injury from a fall at his home on Saturday. Dr. Allison was a great supporter of AWG, both nationally and with the local chapters.

Lee’s passing is a tragic loss for his wife, family, staff of the Arizona Geological Survey, the geologic and geoinformatics communities, and Lee’s broad circle of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances around the world. He was an incredibly dynamic leader of our agency, and a world-wide leader in many areas that were important to him. We mourn his passing, and will do our best to carry on his legacy.

In lieu of a memorial service, Lee's wife, Ann, suggested donations be made to the Association for Women Geoscientists/Salt Lake Chapter to honor Dr. Allison. If you would like to make a donation, you can either do so online or by check. If you would like to donate online, go to www.awg.org and click on "Donate Now" in the top right corner. This will take you to our online store where you will see the "Dr. M. Lee Allison Memorial Scholarship" as the first item. If you would like to send a check, please make sure to make the check payable to "AWG Foundation", and write Dr. M. Lee Allison Fund on the memo line. Checks can be sent to:

Kate Johnson
AWG Foundation Treasurer
652 Glimmerglen Road
Cooperstown, NY 13326

or

AWG Salt Lake Chapter
P.O. Box 58691
Salt Lake City, UT 84158-0691

If you are writing a check:
The checks must include the word "Foundation" in order to be tax deductible. If you donate $250 or more, you will receive a written acknowledgment according to IRS requirements. For those donations less than $250, your tax deduction can be declared without a receipt (a copy of your check or a record of information listed on your credit card will suffice for taxes purposes)

Dr. M. Lee Allison (1948 - 2016)

Dr. M. Lee Allison, State Geologist and Director of the Arizona Geological Survey, passed away Tuesday, August 16^th, at noon after suffering a critical head injury from a fall at his home on Saturday. 

Lee’s passing is a tragic loss for his wife, family, staff of the Arizona Geological Survey, the geologic and geoinformatics communities, and Lee’s broad circle of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances around the world.  He was an incredibly dynamic leader of our agency, and a world-wide leader in many areas that were important to him. We mourn his passing, and will do our best to carry on his legacy.

There will not be a memorial service. Lee’s family has requested they not be contacted. Any messages of condolence can be addressed to AZGS team members; we will pass them along to his family.

Lee’s wife, Ann, suggested donations be made to the Association for Women Geoscientists/Salt Lake Chapter or to a scholarship fund that will be established at UMass to honor Lee.

Words of Emily Dickinson aptly apply: 
Because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me.  The carriage held but just ourselves and immortality.

We miss you Lee.

Arizona's Doug Bartlett elected president of AIPG

Doug Bartlett, a Principal and co-founder with Clear Creek Associates in Scottsdale, has been elected President-elect of the American Institute of Professional Geologists for 2017.  He will serve as President in 2018 and Past President in 2019.    Doug is currently serving as Treasurer in the AIPG National Executive Committee.  [Photo courtesy of Clear Creek Associates]


"The American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG), founded in 1963, is the largest association dedicated to promoting geology as a profession. It presently has more than 7,800 members in the U.S. and abroad, organized into 36 regional Sections. The Institute adheres to the principles of professional responsibility and public service and is the only international organization that certifies the competence and ethical conduct of geological scientists in all branches of the science with members employed in industry, government, and academia. AIPG emphasizes competence, integrity and ethics. AIPG is an advocate for the profession and communicates regularly to federal and state legislators and agencies on matters pertaining to the geosciences."

Centennial Museum transfers to AZGS today

The Arizona Centennial Museum, which was never opened, transfers today to the Arizona Geological Survey, to be reconfigured as the Arizona Mining, Mineral, and Natural Resource Education Museum.

The facility operated for decades as the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum but was transferred to the Arizona Historical Society in 2010 to be revamped as the "Arizona Experience" museum in celebration of the 2012 Centennial.  However, funds were never raised to make the conversion and the museum has been vacant and empty since 2011.

Sen. Gail Griffin spearheaded the drive to transfer the museum to AZGS with the expanded vision.  The 26,000 square foot facility was originally built in 1929 as the Masonic Temple. It is a dominant fixture on the State Capitol Mall in Phoenix.

AZGS and AHS are collaborating on the transfer which includes the museum curator becoming an AZGS employee.  An inventory of all the museum assets is underway.    We expect to renew all of the loans of museum specimens and displays currently in place around the state.

 The state Dept. of Administration estimates $700,000 - $900,000 in repairs and updates are needed before building can be reoccupied.   AZGS is responsible as the building tenant for all repairs and remodeling.

The legislation transferring the museum also established an Advisory Council to be appointed by the Governor.

The University of Arizona Foundation has set up an account to accept donations for the new museum.    

We'll be posting information on how to nominate yourself or others to the Advisory Council, updates on the museum inventory, progress towards reopening the building, and plans for the new museum design.   A museum website is in development.