BH250-180
Title
Subject
Description
Major Minerals: clay minerals
Mineralogy Comments: contains trilobite
Carrara Formation Shale, Emigrant Pass, Death Valley.
The Carrara Formation is a well-known sedimentary sequence extensively exposed in the Death Valley region, particularly around Emigrant Pass in the Funeral Mountains and Panamint Range. It is dominantly composed of shale, siltstone, limestone, and sandstone.
The shale units are typically dark gray to greenish, fissile, and fine-grained, and are often interbedded with silty layersand carbonate beds.
The Carrara Formation is also fossiliferous, particularly known for its abundant trilobites. The shale layers can preserve trilobite remains as well as trace fossils such as burrows. There is a site where geologist and amature fossil hunters come and collect fossils.
Pyrolusite mineralization can be found in the outcrops of the Carrara shale.
Compare this shale with BH250-178h
Look at the chemical analysis of BH250-180: it shows high concentrations of SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and K₂O, indicating that the sample is rich in clay minerals and quartz. It is also enriched in rare earth elements (REEs), which are often associated with the clay fraction and can provide insights into provenance and diagenetic history.
Shale, being a fine-grained sedimentary rock, is composed primarily of clay minerals, quartz, and minor amounts of other minerals. Its bulk chemistry directly reflects its mineral composition, sedimentary origin, and the processes it underwent during diagenesis.
Coverage
Nearby Geographic Features: Death Valley
GPS Coordinates: 35.892483, -116.076889