Why Is This Stark White Mountain Sitting In The Middle of Utah's West Desert: Geology Revealed! 

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I just realized that your students are very lucky to have such a dedicated individual. It doesn't take a rocket scientist or professor to understand that you love what you're doing.🔨

There's a similar looking isolated white mountain (hill) called "Crystal Mountain" which actually is "crystal" (quartz) near Burgdorf, Idaho. Would love to see you do a field trip to that one, too.

Thanks for the info! note: On very clear mornings, typically in late May and mid-July, as the rising sun breaks the horizon, as seen from the East, Crystal Peak glows a bright neon orange-pink.

Between you and Nick Zentner, I feel like I'm ready to take my exam for my associates in geology. Really appreciate what you're doing.

I feel ridiculously blessed to have someone like you explain and explore the geology of my area! Utah is a gorgeous state, and full of geological wonders. Would love to see you take a look at the Timpanogos cave!

What an elegantly told story; I love how you piece things together for us and present it in a way that a lay-person can understand. Thank you!

Thanks a lot, I really like when you clearly and logically explain the mysteries of just what that is there that we were otherwise mostly ignoring-

Years ago I worked for a summer as an Interp Ranger at Great Basin NP and on those typical clear summer days, in the late afternoons from the lookout point on the way to the upper Lehman campground that mountain would be particularly conspicuous and I'd always wondered about it with the intention of going to inspect it though I never had the chance so thanks for that great geologic story. It answers a lot of questions as well a bringing back a lot of great memories...PS, the previous hike up to Wheeler Peak was likewise a treat, and it reminds me of all the other great features in that region. Cheers.

I considered becoming a geologist back in the '80s, which seemed a perfect fit for me at the time. At least, until our class geology professor told the entire class to forget about making it a career choice because there were 10,000 unemployed geologists in Denver alone. I'm still very interested in geology, but I ended up in electro/mechanical engineering instead.

My family goes camping out there. We love exploring the west desert. Fossil Mountain is incredible as well. When I first visited I was mesmerized by this mountain and throughly enjoyed exploiting it with my children. Now when we go back I tell them everything I learned from watching by this video. Thank you!

Very interesting! Love the deductive thought process. 👍🏼

I’m an amateur geologist! I passed by this this weekend. Family and I went to nearby Roosevelt Hot Spring. I thought that this mountain stood out a lot! Super fascinating and really interesting to learn about. :)

New word for the day: tafoni! Thanks, great work.

So weird, and so cool. Never would have guessed that was a pyroclastic flow that is now actually higher than its' surroundings.

Great series of illustrations explaining how Crystal Peak came to be. I'm glad a geologist is here to explain everthing since there has been a lot going on for 33 million years. Tafoni looks like Swiss cheese type rock. Calcium carbonate and ancient sand dunes mixed together. Chemical weathering for yes those 30 million plus years gave it that natural sponge look. A very interesting place to visit professor!

Thanks for video. If you haven't already some content on the recently described Indian Peak-Caliente Caldera Complex would interest me. I assume this tuff was part of the associated vulcanism.

Great job of explaining this area. I’m not a geologist; just curious about lots of things, so your explanation was easy for me to follow! Thank you!

I always thought that those holes were caused by the escape of volcanic gasses upon deposition like mud pots or bubbles. Great content. Very informative and well produced. Keep 'em coming...thanx

As soft as the rock is as demonstrated later in the video, I'm surprised that it is harder than the surrounding Paleozoic sandstones during its formation.

That is one neat area! Thanks, Shawn, for showing it to us.

I came across that place several years ago while roaming the backroads of the desert. Thank you for your in depth analysis!

Fascinating geology, thanks!

Brilliant analysis

Thank You for sharing an up close view and history of places I wish I had time to visit. In the 80s & 90s I flew hang gliders with an aggressive group of pilots all over the western US. Mostly on X country flights and at very high altitudes. The views were spectacular, to say the least. Wish we would have taken some of the time to do more exploring when we were on the ground.

That was interesting. I learn something with every video.

Not far from Reno, there is a small crystal mound, I would guess roughly 20-30' diameter. You have to take a dirt road several miles to find it. I was in Reno in the year 2000 and someone told me how to find it and I did. It was quite interesting. It was pure white. By now it might be virtually gone by people collecting rocks from there.

Thanks!

Dang it, I've got work to do, and you just had to post this video. Oh, well, guess I'm in...

Fascinating. I like your giving clues and wondering musings, as I am beginning to think more of other situations you've covered. It gets me trying to analyze what is seen in this video. Your section showing what's known helped. I was thinking that somehow water was involved. I was surprised by the calcite being an erosional factor. I'm very familiar with areas that have calcite deposition. This is giving me a new viewpoint on calcite. What an interesting place. Of course, I wonder where the pyroclastic flows came from. And if it had to do with the series of hot spots across the west. This expands my Utah knowledge. I really mostly know the area traveling from Colorado to Idaho through Utah. Thank you.

Way cool! I've often wondered about those Swiss Cheese holes. Always figured it was water lapping at it, getting lower as the inland sea fell. But cool to hear the real dope on it. Thanks!

Very informative. Growing up in the country instilled a love of geology in me. Now as I delve into researching natural ceramic materials for pottery, I get to study geology and petrology even deeper. Love it! Oh, by the way we could almost be cousins! Cheers!

I’m a rockhound so I actually study geography of the locations prior to my trips . I never thought I would be so interested in the topic and it’s amazing

Where do you find these amazing places. So so cool. But I must admit that I was occasionally distracted by the miniature green vegetation existing amongst this grandeur. Not your field of expertise I know and not to be included in your posts but they are part of an entire ecosystem taking advantage of the underlying ground. Don’t get me started about insects/bugs. I love insects in their natural habitat. Plus of course the larger fauna. I really liked your digression recently on the Aspen trees with their “pistol grip” trunks which related to land movement. Keep it coming young fella. We interested/curious people want your knowledge.

I've always loved Science and History. My favorite subjects. I'm a HUGE RockHound here in Oregon. Love learning about geology and geography which do go hand in hand. ❤❤❤❤❤

Your video truly makes me wish that I had taken geology years ago when I was in college. It's so interesting

Amazing how the plants take root and grow in the tiniest bit of soil

Hi Shawn, another wonderful explanation of my backyard I only live 40 miles from there and have spent the majority of my life in Utah's West desert or Miller counties West desert One thing that I can't believe you didn't talk about her go to was the painted potholes which are only a mile and a half roughly north of your location there they are waterfall erosion holes similar to what you see at Niagara falls anyway they're very interesting if you should get back out into that country go check those out they're very pretty there's about five of them there and they're six seven ft deep three or four feet across anyway thanks again You're doing a wonderful job.

Absolutely Fascinating!! I LOVE learning this stuff! Thank You, Shawn!!

Fascinating as always. Keep these coming!😊

Thank you Shawn. Learned a lot, including a new word "Tafoni". Will catch you on Nick's live stream.

Really unusual scene; beckons to be climbed. Again, the scope of geology is unimaginably huge. You do a great job explaining and showing us. ❤

Fascinating and extremely well presented! Excellent content

Very awesome and interesting. Thank you for sharing this. It is always amazing to learn something new!

Thanks for explaining that amazing landscape!

Thank you for the geology lesson. Much appreciated. Peace and love from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.🙏♥️🇺🇲

Awesome research on this video. Thanks for the explanation and history of the mountain. I will put this location in my bucket list and check out the xenoliths as they have a story to tell as well. Thanks for a great video !!

Love the story! Thanks for teaching this awesome geology.

Seen that tafoni weathering in quite a few places along the SoCal coastline, in sandstone. Great channel, keep it up.

Very interesting and great explanation. Thanks for sharing the info.

Very clear and detailed explanation for students of geology. 👍✌️

Another cool Utah desert geological mystery on my list has been solved. Thank you Shawn!

Wow! There is so much fascinating information here! As you speak about the actions which created this geology, I can picture them occurring. What's more difficult to imagine is the length of time it actually took. Thank you, Professor. Glad I found (and subscribed to ) your channel. 🙂

Interesting stuff. Thanks for posting.

Nice geologic tour. Thanks.

very interesting.. thanks Shawn

So interesting. Thank you for this video.

New sub, thanks for the content. I found your video interesting informative and entertaining. I look forward to watching more from your channel.

Nice video! Thank you. It’s really interesting to see a geologist at work, and also see a geologist using the work of other people over many years to try and understand the features of the landscape.

Great geo-ed adventure. Thx Prof. ✌🏻

Cool. Thanks for sharing.

There so many cool places in the west desert. Great job!

Epistemology of tafoni (pronounced taf-owe-ni, not taf-on-i). First appeared in a geological publication in Italy in 1882. May derive from the Greek taphos, meaning tomb, or from the Corsican word taffoni (two effs!) meaning window, or from tafonare (one eff!) meaning to perforate. Also, in Sicilian the word tafoni (one eff!) means window.

A great (modern) example of pyroclastic tephra and tuff filling and artificially flattening a valley is "the valley of ten thousand smokes" in Katmai, Alaska, where an eruption in the early 1900s scoured away all top soil and trees, and now the pyroclasts sit directly on top of jurassic age sedimentary rocks :) (which are nicely exposed thanks to a nearby river).

Awesome! So glad that I randomly ran across this channel. Utah has to be the most astounding state out of the 10-12 states that I've visited so far. Zion (my favorite National Park. I mean, it has Angels Landing AND The Narrows!!), The Grand Canyon (the most surreal "WTF" inducing place I've ever been), Lake Powell, Arches, Bryce Canyon....and those are only the places that I've been to. You've then got Moab, Capital Reef, Canyonlands, Great Salt Lake, Bonneville Salt Flats, Grand Staircase, Goblin Valley, Dinosaur National Monument (hello fossils and ancient hieroglyphs!), Coral Pink Sand Dunes, the various slot canyons, etc. And I'm STILL leaving out a lot of other great destinations. It's absolutely insane. Anyone who simply thinks "Mormon desert" when they think Utah is doing themselves a severe disservice by not digging into the state a bit. It's an outdoorsman's paradise, as well as an astrologer's/recreational stargazer's, as it has a whopping 24 Dark Sky Reserves!! I can't wait until I visit again. I'm seeing the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado for the first time this weekend though :) Keep up the awesome work Shawn! Geology rules!....or something like that

Fascinating!!!! Thank you!

Nice work!

Very interesting! ... At first I guessed wind blown material, but then you mentioned no round rocks and I was puzzled... well done!! Thanks for posting this video!!

Nicely educational, always good to increase one understanding of geology…

The USA has such rich and diverse geographical features. You guys over there are incredibly lucky to be able to visit so many places without the need for a passport. So many interesting things to visit and see

Outstanding

Fascinating! Great fun.

Wonderful story, well told.

Gracias. Me sirve mucho el proceso de razonamiento seguido. Las observaciones iniciales, tipo de roca, el ambiente circundante y las deducciones posteriores . En mi pais he visto tambien Tafonis en Ignimbritas ubicadas a 4000 msnm . Muy interesante. Saludos !

this Tuff looks similar to the tuff/tufa at Cuma and Pompeii in Italy. Though that Cumaean tuff is more yellow. At first I thought the holes could caused by fallen trees or other organic matter that weathered away after being buried by pyroclastic flow in the same manner Pompeii was but now your calcite explanation makes sense. (Back in 2007-2009 I lived in the Campi Flegrei area near Cuma Tuff dome and was fascinated by that geology,. I hiked many of the craters there. I'm still bummed I didn't save the sulfur rock I had from Sulfotara).

fascinating. thank you

I thoroughly enjoyed your video. I felt like a member of your team on an expedition. Great job for that! I am happy that I was able to follow along and visualize these processes that formed this topography. I will definitely subscribe and enjoy watching more of this type of content. So glad you spell it the right way, too!!! (Your name 😆) Happy Thanksgiving!

Super interesting. My suggestion camera work wise early on in the video, allow yourself some more time on each “particle” you’re showing us. That is, keep the camera still for a longer period of time so we can spend more visual study time on it before moving the camera to another spot.

*amazing* (I should have gone into geology) *super* interesting. TY for sharing!

Amazing place! THank you!

Very enjoyable, Prof.

Very absorbing ! I was intrigued by the calcite rich zenolith "crazy holes"

Wow enjoyed the learning. Nicely done

Very interesting. Thank you.

Very interesting place. I will have to try to get there one of these days. The Italian word, tafoni, is pronounced tah-phone-ee. I think it means rock honeycomb, or some such. My Italian is not very good.

Very interesting - TY 🙌🏼

Great detective work.

Very good analysis and well presented ..........👍⛏️

50 plus years ago I visited Drummond Island, MI, and I remember the rocky shore with smooth, round holes that were fascinating. Probably totally different, but thanks for the memory! And thanks so much for your clear communications about the seismic activity in Iceland.

I love science in all it’s forms. Geology is in my top three or four along with chemistry, meteorology, and my very favorite: astronomy. But I find this absolutely fascinating. Especially since I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. I’ve driven past Crystal Peak, but now I’m going to have to make it a definite stop on my list. Keep up the good work!

Very knowledgeable geologist and interesting.

Have you ever looked into a discussion about the Delaware Basin of Western Texas, Eastern New Mexico? Like your videos and your observations of the geology in the area discussed.

That giant "X" is no doubt where the treasure is! 😊 ( just a shot at humor, I couldn't resist) very interesting and I liked the lesson in geology, much respect!

Thanks! Awesome!!

Thank you for this fascinating video. My father was a geologist who worked for many years at Kennecott (long before the Rio Tinto days). and he was passionate about the stories the earth tells and the mysteries it holds. Much like you, he was a great narrator of those tales. I'm picky about channels I subscribe to, but I'm adding yours today.

very Beautiful Video Utah

The center of the Wah Wah Springs caldera is about mid way between Ely, Nevada and Enterprise, Utah. You got to see tuff deposits from an extraordinary event in Earth's history.

There's a Crystal Peak in the Crystal Mountains, a small range adjacent to the eastern Sierra Nevada range, just north of Reno on the California - Nevada border, where the top of the mountain is solid white quartz. It's around 8,000 ft. in elevation and there's rose quartz and smokey amethyst in that region as well...

Thanks man, that was fun 🙂

Thank you!