Gemma Morrison
Mr. Replogle
Honors Earth and Space Science
7 December 2016
Bryce Canyon Bryce Canyon National Park is a one of a kind, grand formation located in southern Utah, east of neighboring Zion National Park and north of Grand Canyon National Park. All three of these parks share a place on the Colorado Plateau but Bryce is the only one to feature natural hoodoos, extensive wildlife, and an environment prime for any person to surround themselves with the artwork of mother nature. Ever since 1915, when the park was first founded, people from all pieces of the country have come to see the amazing sights within the park but there is so much more to it than the gorgeous pictures that can only capture now. Thanks to J. W. Humphery, a
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The beginning of the formation of these rock pillars (figure 1) and the entire park can be dated back to the Cretaceous Period, between 144 and 63 million years ago. During this time the Colorado Plateau was merely a freshwater basin. There were no rivers to transport out water or sediment so sediment, mainly iron-rich limestone, collected at the bottom of this basin and other lakes. The Colorado Plateau consists of several smaller regions and plateaus such as the Paunsaugunt Plateau where Bryce Canyon is located. Five million years ago the Colorado Plateau was pushed upward between 4,000 and 6,000 feet in some places. This rising of the entire Colorado Plateau is considered an epeirogenic uplift meaning it is not a mountain building phenomenon and instead only moved the region vertically. Once risen, the prior basin drained and left behind the sediments that had built up over millions of years. These sediments then lithified into rocks such as limestone, siltstone, dolomite, and mudstone in the layers in which they were deposited. Each of these rocks erodes in a different way because they have different compositions. Mudstone is a soft material and when wet it coats the rocks and makes it very hard for the wind to erode the rocks. Water in the form of a river was not the cause of erosion in Bryce either, technically making it not a canyon. Instead, Bryce gained its many hoodoos from frost wedging. Cracks in the
My high school used to have a camping trip to the place called big bend national park; that was a memorable journey.We used to hike over there; we spent like two or three hours to attend the highest mountain of big bend national park; you can't imagine how was the beautiful view, it was like you are standing the highest point of this national park, you can see everything you want see of this national park, there don't have anything can impede your sight line, you can see those river as very clearly, and the river is like endless, it keep extend over and over, there also have some cliff, those cliff may have different shape, they cover all the
So you now know how sedimentary rocks are formed and how the Colorado River majorly eroded all the rock creating canyons. But here comes the million dollar question: where did all the rocks come from? The answer to that question is The Continental Drift. The Earth's continents are not fixed in place, but rather float on a sea of molten rock, meaning that they move around quite a bit. Over 250 million years, that “quite a bit” can turn into land masses moving thousands of miles. Moreover, the Earth is made up of 20 Tectonic plates. Seven of these plates are very large and consist of entire continents or sea floors. The plate that the Grand Canyon is located on is called “The North American Plate”. At one time, this plate was considerably further south and consequently had a very different climate than
Being part of the Science National Honor Society has been something that I have wanted to be a part of since my sophomore year. The wonders of science is something that has always interested me. Becoming a member of the Science National Honor Society will help me learn even more about the wonders of science outside of a classroom. I also believe that being part of SNHS will help me interact with other fellow classmates that I might not interact with during the school day. It also make me more confident to speak to new people.
Two oceans have flowed over the Big Bend depositing rich layers of minerals and shale also Two oceans have flowed over the Big Bend depositing rich layers of minerals and shale also os mountains 35 million years ago. From pictographs to ancient rock layers to primitive tools found in The Big Bend national park is both a treasure and archaeologists nightmare after an investigation done by the scientist from National Geographic it has been determined there are well over 12,000 archaeological sites that can contain up to millions of times treasures all hidden within that beautiful rock layers.Not only is The Big Bend National Park a highly respected archaeological and historic site it is also a highly respected hiking spot with many trails that vary from slow afternoon walks to week long trips that require specific equipment to help repel down cliffs and rations of food. Some people prefer the accommodations of the lodging of the Big Bend resort which presides over gorgeous views of the sierra de carmen and of rio grande an iconic land park in Mexican and U.S history. Along with hiking there are many other
Mesa Verde National Park on the Colorado Plateau contains many geological aspects of interest, including its sedimentary rock layers, its canyons, its alcoves utilized by ancient people and how these alcoves were formed. Mesa Verde National Park is located in the southwest corner of Colorado, close to the Four Corners area, on top of a high mesa overlooking the Mancos River (Harris et al. 2004). The park, covering 81 square miles, consists of several main sedimentary formations that are characteristic to the park (Encyclopedia Britannica 2015). Canyons are carved into the sedimentary rock, with the cave dwellings found high on their steep walls. These dwellings are an especially unique aspect to the Mesa Verde National Park, and are built out of large alcoves. The alcoves were produced by weathering and erosion of the sedimentary rock type. To better understand how these alcoves formed, we must understand the geology of Mesa Verde National Park and how it has developed over history.
A description of the grand canyon rock layers would include the Colorado River running at the bottom of the inner gorge with flats on both sides which consist of tapeat sandstone layers. There is also the Vishnu Complex, consisting of rocks that have been changed by heat and are buried at the lowest layers. These are tilted and are called the “Grand Canyon Supergroup” the Grand Canyon supergroups are at least 12,000 ft in thickness. These rocks or (the “Inner Gorge”) are usally steep and narrow with hard deep cuts in the lower tilted layers which raise above sea level.
Our hike will start here, at the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We will go all the way to the bottom of the canyon. But first, a description of this area. The Grand Canyon is one on the most visited and studies sites for geologists on Earth. There are almost forty major sedimentary rock layers exposed in the Grand Canyon. Some of these rocks layers are two hundred million years old or two billion years old. Most of the sediment that makes up the rocks was deposited by oceans and seas, which now, are long gone. We know this because there are many fossils and and other records on large bodies of water in the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is found in the Colorado Plateau. The Colorado Plateau is lifted almost two miles, or four and a fifth kilometers. It started to lift up seventy-five million years ago. This started a mountain-building period of time called the Laramide orogeny. During this period, the Rocky Mountains were created. The main types of rocks found in the Grand Canyon are limestone, siltstone, shale, and sandstone. Many of the layers are made up of limestone. Some examples of these are the Kaibab Limestone, the Redwall Limestone the Temple Butte Limestone, and the Muav
The land rose up and created a precipitous eastern edge of the batholith and a gentle western edge. 10 million years ago, uplift, which is the vertical rise of Earth’s surface due to natural causes, started to occur and accelerated quickly. Soon, the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range that we know today towered 14,000 feet in elevation. Throughout uplift, cracks formed in the granite of the mountains. They formed due to the pressure that came with the uplift. The erosion that stripped away most of the overlying rocks caused the remaining rock to expand and crack. These cracks are still forming today and they provide a template for future erosion.
Many millions of years ago the Sierra Nevada was filled with ocean water until sediments began collecting and formed mountain ranges. Over a large period of time, the mountains began to wear out and became immersed in the ocean once again. Many different particles and materials began to make layers and created the first mountain system. After the Jurassic era, “…new strata were folded and crumpled and invaded by molten granite from below” (Beatty, 1943). A large
The only types of rocks found in Big Bend National park are Sedimentary (N.P). The specific names for these rocks are: limestones, shale and sandstones, clay, Lava Flow, Conglomerate, Marl, and Cherty Limestone are found in this park (N.P). These rocks were likely abundant throughout the park; when the area was covered by a salty sea during the Cretaceous period (N.P). The way how these rocks formed is by the results of pebbles being cemented together. Another way how the rocks can form is by how the earliest layer of rock was deposited in a relatively deep marine environment. After the next layer above the shale indicates that the rock is deposited in a very shallow way, that's when the ocean water starts
According to www.bobspixels.com erosion in this area is caused by wind and water since the Colorado River. In colder months when it snows the melting snow and it expands making it go deep into the cracks of the canyon causing it to break of and fall in the canyon making it bigger. The pieces fall into the Colorado River and when there is a flash flood the rocks go away. All of the rock comes from erosion and geologists think the continental drift had something to do with it. The Grand Canyon was made of sedimentary rock.
I chose this site because I thought it would be easier due to the fact that we watch that movie and I already had previous knowledge. Also I thought you would really be amazing to see these structures or at least what remains of
The Grand Canyon has plenty of volcanic rocks near the bottom and the top. ICR, Institute for Creative Research, has been involved in a project for years to date these volcanic rocks. this study has come a long way to show that many of the Grand Canyon strata could have formed rapidly, and that the erosion of the Canyon by the Colorado River has not been going on for millions of years.
The area of Zion National Park is two hundred and twenty-nine square miles located in the Southwestern United States near Springdale, Utah. A prominent feature is Zion Canyon which is fifteen miles long and up to eight hundred meters deep, cutting through the Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin River. The lowest elevation is 3,666 feet at Coal Pits Wash and the highest elevation is 8,726 feet at Horse Ranch Mountain. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Mojave Desert, and Great Basin regions, the park's unique geography and variety of life zones allow for unusual plant and animal diversity. The four life zones that can be found in Zion National Park are desert, riparian, woodland, and coniferous forest. There are two
I am going to Arches National Park for my summer vacation. I know that the location of Arches National Park is located in Grand County, Utah. President Herbert Hoover officially in April 12, 1929. Arches got its name by containing over 2,000 arches. This national park has over a 10,000 years of history. I heard that a lot of people go to this national park for the wonderful trails that they can hike on, see all of the beautiful views, and spent some time with their friends and families.