The Alabama Hills are just East of the Sierra Nevada (and Mt. Whitney) and West of the Inyo Mts, in Owens Valley, Inyo County, California. In contrast to the jagged granitic high peaks of the Sierra Nevada, the Alabama Hills (of a similar geological age) consist of low to moderate granite hills that exhibit the classic "Spheroidal Weathering" terrain.
Despite the similar age and composition of the granite, the difference in weathering and erosion "styles" for the Alabama Hills vs. the Sierra Nevada is probably due to initial structural position, i.e., tectonics and Tertiary to Recent temperate climate of the Alabama Hills - favoring a mix of mineral dissolution and secondary ice-wedging vs. cold-climate Physical Weathering (dominated by ice-wedging) for the Sierra Nevada peaks.
Despite the similar age and composition of the granite, the difference in weathering and erosion "styles" for the Alabama Hills vs. the Sierra Nevada is probably due to initial structural position, i.e., tectonics and Tertiary to Recent temperate climate of the Alabama Hills - favoring a mix of mineral dissolution and secondary ice-wedging vs. cold-climate Physical Weathering (dominated by ice-wedging) for the Sierra Nevada peaks.
This particular blogpost includes a number of photographs of the granite arches and other distinctive rocks in the Alabama Hills.
The Wikipedia entry for the Alabama Hills is here. According to this entry, the hills received their name from local Confederate sympathizers in recognition of the exploits of the Confederate warship C.S.S. Alabama, during the Civil War.
The Geology Underfoot Series for Death Valley and Owens Valley can be ordered here. There is also a "Roadside Geology" guide for Southern California, but I am not sure how far east the book coverage reaches.
If in the area, the Lone Pine Film History Museum seems a very worthy stop. In Owens Valley, the Alabama Hills, and the surrounding area was popular for the filming of numerous movies. Reportedly, there is a local film festival during the Columbus Day weekend (if not interrupted by the Pandemic).
My interest in the Alabama Hills was kindled after I started watching recorded "old western movies", perhaps 7 or 8 years ago after getting tired of "the modern Hollywood stuff". One example of an iconic Henry Fonda movie with scenes filmed in the Alabama Hills was 1942's "The Ox-Bow Incident".
My interest in the Alabama Hills was kindled after I started watching recorded "old western movies", perhaps 7 or 8 years ago after getting tired of "the modern Hollywood stuff". One example of an iconic Henry Fonda movie with scenes filmed in the Alabama Hills was 1942's "The Ox-Bow Incident".
"How the West was Won" was just another of the numerous movies filmed in the Lone Pine, California area including John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, and Glenn Ford. I haven't yet researched whether Audie Murphy and Lee Marvin were among those that walked and rode horses in the Alabama Hills, but it wouldn't surprise me.
While traveling between Phoenix and Zion National Park in 2016, I considered visiting some geological sites in Eastern California, e.g. Death Valley, Alabama Hills, Mammoth Lakes, Mono Lake. But I decided that crossing Death Valley in early August was not a good idea. When I did daytime high temp comparisons between Phoenix and Death Valley, Death Valley seemed consistently 15 - 20 (F) degrees hotter.
I had especially wanted to visit the Mammoth Brewing Co. (actually within the Long Valley Caldera), but ... it was just the wrong time of year. Thus it and the other sites were consigned to the "Bucket List".
I had especially wanted to visit the Mammoth Brewing Co. (actually within the Long Valley Caldera), but ... it was just the wrong time of year. Thus it and the other sites were consigned to the "Bucket List".
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