Wedge #45: Geological Pilgrimage

Having been provoked by a recent online coversation, I've decided to take a quick moment to post a (late) addition to this month's Accretionary Wedge topic, a geological pilgrimage to "a single place, which is 'geologically' unique, relatively remote, and requires some difficulty to get to.'" I had thought I wouldn't post anything, because I'm not sure of making it anywhere besides, possibly, Midas, Tuscarora, and the Galápagos Islands, all of which I've put off for years, but which are all still on my list. But, taking a page from Ron Schott, I'll post briefly about a place I'd really like to see, though I have no particular plans or prospects of getting there: the South China Karst, also here and here. I don't really know why I find the area fascinating, but here is one video showing some of the lure, with some alluring music:

Places for a Geologist to Visit

In a continuation of a meme event that took place in the GeoBlogosphere late last year, Garry Hayes is hosting the current Accretionary Wedge - February, #16 - at his site, Geotripper:

What are the places and events that you think should all geologists should see and experience before they die? What are the places you know and love that best exemplify geological principles and processes?

Rather than create a new list of 100, or even 25, I thought I'd just mention a few places not on the original list, that I think should be considered.

Snake Range, Nevada: a place to collect mylonites.

1. See a metamorphic core complex - metamorphic core complexes are common in a belt in North America, from British Columbia south into Mexico, and also occur in other places in the world, including Slovakia, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Tibet, China, and New Zealand. One should see a metamorphic core complex, preferably as part of a tour or field trip, just so one can get involved in the lively discussions about how they form, but also in order to see and collect wonderful samples of mylonites!

2. While in Tibet, check out the Tibetan Plateau - just because it's there. It's the "largest, highest area in the world today" - and it was created by a magnificent convergence of two continental plates.

3. While in China, be sure to see the South China Karst, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and which contains some unusual rock formations formed by dissolution and re-precipitation of limestone: Guizhou Libo Karst, Yunnan Shilin Karst, and Chongqing Wulong Karst. I don't know of other similarly magnificent regions of karst that could replace this one.

Those are my three additions or suggestions. I have seen number one: several metamorphic core complexes in the western United States.

Accretionary Wedge #16: Is One Life Enough?