The Cutting Edge EarthCache
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Located on a pullout on Trough Road in Grand County, overlooking
Gore Canyon. Congrats to CacheAbels on ftf!
Gore Canyon is an antecedent canyon, meaning it cuts across a range
rather than running with it. This is possible through a process
known as isostatic rebound. The Earth's crust is actually floating
on a layer called the mantle (think of this as a worldwide lake of
lava). As erosion carries away landmass the Gore Range becomes more
buoyant and rises out of the mantle. While the average elevation of
the area drops, some peaks may rise higher than the original range
as water and glaciers carry off heavy soil and rock from around the
peaks. This action helps mountain rivers and streams to gradually
cut away canyons across what would otherwise be impassable terrain.
Other examples of antecedent canyons in Colorado are Royal Gorge of
the Arkansas, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Glenwood Canyon of
the Colorado. If you travel east from the cache location you will
go through a valley cut by the Blue River before the rising terrain
outpaced the Blue's cutting power. It eventually diverted to meet
up with the Colorado near presant day Kremling. This section of the
Colorado River is a wonderful example of how rivers evolve. To the
east, the original path of the Colorado ran south-east to
north-west into Wyoming, as the Gore range blocked the direct
westward route. About 55 million years ago (Paleocene and Eocene
boundry) the Gore Range had eroded to a nearly flat minor rise not
much higher than the valley floor. Soon the Rabbit Ears Range rose
to the north,blocking the Colorado's northerly course. Following
gravity, The Colorado turned westward along its present course. As
the Colorado began to cut the canyon, the Gore Range began to lift
again, and as it did the river remained at nearly the same
elevation. As the Gore Range rose the river narrowed, causing
swifter water and increasing cutting power. Today the walls of the
canyon rise a staggering three thousand feet straight up over the
water, and are probably still rising. Over the course of the 6
miles of Gore Canyon, The Colorado River provides what some would
argue is the best stretch of class v rapids in Colorado, thanks in
part to boulders dropped from the canyon walls during railroad
construction. It is home to an annual kayak festival and the US
National Whitewater Rafting Championship. Gore Canyon was first
rafted in the 1970's and was considered un-navigable even before
the section of railroad was built. Information on this page was
taken from Wikipedia, Durangobill.com,
cliffshade.com/colorado/geo_overview, and The Colorado Historical
Society. TO LOG YOUR VISIT AND CLAIM THE CACHE; post a pic of your
GPSr (picture requirement added as of 10-10-10 due to questionable
logs) and e-mail me with the following information: 1. Name the
well known explorer featured on one Kiosk board. 2. What was the
nickname given to immigrants working as surveyors for the railroad?
3. How many years ago were the present day Rocky Mountains
uplifted?
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