The main driving forces that caused Aspen and the surrounding Rocky
Mountains to be formed into the structures currently visible have to do with
plate tectonics, and a process called plate convergence. As the Pacific plate
began to move north approximately 300 million years ago, the crust over which
it moved was forced down by the North American Plate, back towards the Earth's
core in a process called plate convergence. As the shockwave moved eastward, it
forced colossal amounts of rock to crack and slide up over surrounding rocks. Once
the Ancestral Rockies were formed, they slowly began to erode in a process
called weathering. This weathering caused large portions of the
Ancestral Rockies to erode away, leaving large amounts of sedimentary rock. The
current Rocky Mountains are comprised of this sedimentary rock left from the
Ancestral Rockies.
·
1,000 Years from Now
Over the next 1,000 years weathering
will be the most predominant driving force that will cause Aspen’s landscape to
change. As we have seen in the past through the transformation from Ancestral Rocky
Mountains into our modern day “Rockies”, weathering has been responsible for
most changes we see. Chemical weathering by means of salt crystallization combined
with physical weathering such as heavy snowfall, wind, and rainfall will cause
the terrain to further erode and define the landscape. In 1,000 years the
overall landscape will look very similar to present day, because the process of
erosion takes a very long time to change a landscape completely. “The present
state of the Rockies is due to processes that lasted millions of years. Erosion
due to wind and rain is constantly redefining the terrain.” (Oza, Nick).
·
10,000 Years from Now
Weathering and erosion will
continue to change the overall landscape. Seasonal precipitation in the form of
snow, builds up every year during the winter. During the spring this snow
begins to melt and make its way down the mountain. Rock debris, trees and soil
are transported to the bottom of the mountain where they come to rest. This
heavy precipitation can absorb into the soil, softening and turning it into mud
causing mass wasting in the form of landslides. More specifically: rockslides and
mudslides. ”The amount of water in rock or soil influences slope
stability. Large quantities of water from melting snow or heavy storms
greatly increase the likelihood of slope failure. The additional weight
that water adds to a slope can be enough to cause mass movement.
Furthermore, water percolating through a slope's material helps to decrease
friction between grains, contributing to a loss of cohesion.” (Mass
Wasting-1) These mass wasting events will combine over time to change many
steep, graded slopes on Aspen Mountain to become more flat. “The steeper
the slope, the less stable it is. Therefore, steep slopes are more likely
to experience mass wasting than gentle ones.” (Mass Wasting-2).
Mass wasting causes to debris to build up at the Bottom of the slope
·
1,000,000 Years from Now
As the next million years pass, physical and chemical weathering along with erosion and mass wasting will change many steep gradients into much smaller, flatter gradients. The best way to picture what Aspen mountain is to view the change from Ancestral Rocky Mountains, to Current Rocky Mountains. The Ancestral’s were formed by tectonic processes, and the current Rockies from erosion and weathering. The Rocky Mountains will continue to erode, exposing deeper rock. In 1,000,000 years Aspen Mountain will be much smaller than that we see today. “Weathering caused large portions of the Ancestral Rockies to erode away, leaving large amounts of sedimentary rock. The current Rocky Mountains are comprised of this sedimentary rock left from the Ancestral Rockies, and newer rock that pushed its way through the surface and combined with the Ancestral sedimentary rock.” (The Formation of the Rocky Mountains).
As the next million years pass, physical and chemical weathering along with erosion and mass wasting will change many steep gradients into much smaller, flatter gradients. The best way to picture what Aspen mountain is to view the change from Ancestral Rocky Mountains, to Current Rocky Mountains. The Ancestral’s were formed by tectonic processes, and the current Rockies from erosion and weathering. The Rocky Mountains will continue to erode, exposing deeper rock. In 1,000,000 years Aspen Mountain will be much smaller than that we see today. “Weathering caused large portions of the Ancestral Rockies to erode away, leaving large amounts of sedimentary rock. The current Rocky Mountains are comprised of this sedimentary rock left from the Ancestral Rockies, and newer rock that pushed its way through the surface and combined with the Ancestral sedimentary rock.” (The Formation of the Rocky Mountains).
Himalayas- Eroded into flatter, smaller mountains over time
Overall, the future of Aspen Mountain is not certain. But one thing we can be certain of is the fact that weathering, erosion, and mass wasting will drastically change the landscape causing Aspen mountain to slowly flatten over time.
Works Cited
"Formation of the Rocky Mountains: Learn Interesting Secrets About Mountain Geology That Caused Them to Form." Bright Hub. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2012.
"Mass Wasting." Mass Wasting. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2012.
"Mass Wasting." N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.mleziva.hostzi.com/unit4/U04L01/masswasting.jpg>.
"Mountains Erosion Himalayas." N.p., n.d. Web. <http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/8/12/1250079587218/Mountains-erosion--Himala-002.jpg>.
