| DescriptionDeath Valley,19820817,Zabriskie Point,Christian Brevoort.jpg |
Afrikaans: Interpretasieteken te Death Valley: Furnace Creek-meer & Zabriskie-punt
- Furnace Creek-meer
- Miljoene jare voor die eindelike afsinking en verbreding van Death Valley en die ontstaan van Manlymeer, het 'n vroeëre meer 'n groot gedeelte van Death Valley beslaan, insluitend die gebied rondom Zabriskie-punt. Hierdie antieke meer het sowat nege miljoen jaar gelede bestaan. Gedurende die etlike miljoen jaar van die meer se bestaan het sedimente bestaande uit brakkerige modder, gruis van nabygeleë berge, en asuitval van die destyds aktiewe Black Mountain-vulkaanveld aan die onderkant daarvan versamel. Hierdie sedimente het gekombineer om die hedendaagse Furnace Creek-formasie te vorm. Die klimaat om Furnace Creek-meer was wel droog, maar nie naastenby so droog as vandag s'n nie. Spore van kamele, mastodonte, perde, roofdiere en voëls is in die oewermodder nagelaat, benewens gefossileerde riete en gras. Borate wat sterk in Death Valley se prehistoriese verlede verteenwoordig is, het in die meerbeddings opgehoop danksy warmwaterbronne en omskakeling van rioliet uit die nabygeleë vulkaanveld. Verwering en inwerking van termiese waters is ook verantwoordelik vir die verskeidenheid kleure wat hier opmerklik is. Berge wat na die plaaslike weste opgebou is, het die klimaat beïnvloed om toenemend dor te word, wat tot die meer se opdroging gelei het, om eindelaas 'n plaja te skep. Die daaropvolgende verbreding en afsinking van Death Valley en die bykomende opheffing van die hedendaagse Black Mountains het die gebied gekantel. Dit het die nodige reliëf geskep om die erosie mee te bring wat die huidige erosielandkappe ten gevolg het. Die donkerkleurige materiaal wat die kruine van die ruens aan jou linkerkant uitmaak, is naamlik lawa van uitbarstings wat drie tot vyf miljoen jaar gelede plaasgevind het. Hierdie harde lawakors het erosie op etlike plekke vertraag en verklaar moontlik hoekom Manly Beacon, die hoë prominensie aan jou regterkant, baie hoër as ander dele van die erosielandskap is. Manly Beacon is vernoem ter ere van William L. Manly, wat saam met John Rogers lede van die noodlottige nege-en-veertigers tydens die goudstormloop van 1849 uit Death Valley begelei het.
- Christian Brevoort Zabriskie
- Christian Brevoort Zabriskie is op 16 Oktober 1864 in Fort Bridger, Wyoming-gebied, gebore waar sy pa, E.B. Zabriskie, gestasioneer was. "Chris" het verskeie skole bygewoon terwyl hy grootgeword het en het op 'n baie vroeë ouderdom as 'n telegraaf vir die Virginia & Truckee Railroad by Carson City, Nevada gaan werk. Hy was te rusteloos en ambisieus om baie lank op een plek te bly en het gou na Candelaria, Nevada (nou 'n perseel) verhuis en vir die Esmeralda County Bank gewerk. Omdat hy 'n aktiewe jong man was, was een werk nie genoeg om hom besig te hou nie en hy het gou ander ondernemings aangepak, waarvan een 'n vennootskap met 'n plaaslike kabinetmaker was om 'n lykshuis te stig. Nie een van die twee het geweet hoe om te balsem nie, maar in 'n myndorp is dit nie nodig geag nie – 'n snelle begrafnis was! Zabriskie se lewe het in 1885 nuwe betekenis gekry toe F.M. "Borax" Smith het hom gehuur het om toesig te hou oor 'n paar honderd Chinese koelies by die Columbus Marsh-area van die Pacific Coast Borax Company naby Candelaria. Dit was die begin van 'n lewenslange loopbaan in die veld van boraks. Hy het uiteindelik vise-president en hoofbestuurder van die maatskappy geword en vir ses-en-dertig jaar in daardie hoedanigheid gedien, tot sy aftrede in 1933. Gedurende hierdie tyd het die Pacific Coast Borax Company die meeste van sy boraksbedrywighede in die Candelaria-omgewing uitgefaseer, maar het aanbeweeg na groter produksie in die Death Valley area. Dit alles het plaasgevind lank voor 1933, toe die gebied Death Valley- Nasionale Monument geword het, maar Zabriskie-punt bly as huldeblyk aan 'n man wat baie jare se toegewyde diens aan die Pacific Coast Borax Company gelewer het. Op 8 Februarie 1936, net drie jaar na aftrede, sterf Christian Brevoort Zabriskie – die einde van 'n werklik interessante, produktiewe en kleurryke lewe.
English: Interpretive sign at Death Valley: Furnace Creek Lake & Zabriskie Point
- Furnace Creek Lake
- Millions of years prior to the actual sinking and widening of Death Valley and the existence of Lake Manly, another lake covered a large portion of Death Valley including the area around Zabriskie Point. This ancient lake was here approximately nine million years ago. During the several million years of the lake's existence, sediments were collecting at the bottom in the form of saline muds, gravels from nearby mountains, and ashfalls from the then-active Black Mountain volcanic field. These sediments combined to form what we today call the Furnace Creek formation. The climate along Furnace Creek Lake was dry but not nearly as dry as today's. Camels, mastodons, horses, carnivores, and birds left tracks in the lakeshore muds along with fossilized grass and reeds. Borates which made up a large degree of Death Valley's historical past were concentrated in the lakebeds from hot spring waters and alteration of rhyolite in the nearby volcanic field. Weathering and alteration by thermal waters are also responsible for the variety of colors represented here. Regional mountains building to the west influenced the climate to become more and more arid, causing the lake to dry up - creating a playa. Subsequent widening and sinking of Death Valley and the additional uplift of today's Black Mountains tilted the area. This accomplished the necessary relief to accomplish the erosion that produced the badlands we see todays. The dark-coloured material capping the badland ridges slightly to your left is lava from eruptions that occurred three to five million years ago. This hard lava cap has retarded erosion in many places and possibly explains why Manly Beacon, the high outcrop to your right, is much higher than other portions of the badlands. Manly Beacon was named in honor of William L. Manly, who along with John Rogers, guided members of the ill-fated Forty-niners out of Death Valley during the gold rush of 1849.
- Christian Brevoort Zabriskie
- Christian Brevoort Zabriskie was born October 16, 1864, at Fort Bridger, Wyoming Territory, where his father, E.B. Zabriskie, was stationed. "Chris" attended various schools while growing up and at a very early age went to work as a telegrapher for the Virginia & Truckee Railroad at Carson City, Nevada. He was too restless and ambitious to stay in one place for very long and soon moved to Candelaria, Nevada (now a site) and worked for the Esmeralda County Bank. Being an active young man, one job was not enough to keep him occupied and he soon branched out into other ventures, one of which was a partnership with a local cabinet maker to establish a mortuary. Neither of the two knew how to embalm, but it wasn't considered necessary in a mining town – promp butial was! Zabriskie's life took on new meaning in 1885 when F.M. "Borax" Smith hired him to supervise several hundred Chinese coolies at the Columbus Marsh area of the Pacific Coast Borax Company near Candelaria. This was the beginning of a life-long career in the field of Borax. He ultimately became vice president and general manager of the company and served in that capacity for thirty-six years until his retirement in 1933. During this time, the Pacific Coast Borax Company had phased out most of its borax operations in the Candelaria vicinity but had moved on to greater production in the Death Valley area. All this occurred long before 1933, when the area became Death Valley National Monument, but Zabriskie Point remains to honor a man who devoted many years of dedicated service to the Pacific Coast Borax Company. On February 8, 1936, just three years after retirement, Christian Brevoort Zabriskie died – the end of a truly interesting, productive, and colorful life.
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