Black Dragon
Canyon
You have climbed from the valley floor to the top of the San Rafael
Reef in eight minutes. The road is steep but the rock layers it
cuts through tilt at an even greater angle. The younger overlaying
rock has been eroded, so you are standing on rock much older than
those at Green River. You have gained a thousand feet of elevation,
but have lost millions of years in geological time.
The canyon in front of you is cut into some of the oldest rocks you
will encounter on your journey across the Swell. These sedimentary
layers were deposited over 250 million years ago. This extinction
was the largest, most widespread known to modern science. Over 95
percent of all species the living on Earth were wiped
out.
Behind you is the awesome underbelly of the huge “flat iron” shaped
walls of the San Rafael Reef. The swell is 75 miles long and 30
miles wide. Its sandstone reefs, buttes, pinnacles, canyons, and
cliffs are stunning, if not a bit intimidating. The striking red
cliffs are stained red. The depth of the color depends on the
amount of certain minerals in the stone. This harsh land has
attracted only the toughest, hardiest of people.
Early river explorer, John Wesley Powell, described the region as
“a land of desolation, dedicated forever to the geologist and
artist, where civilization can find no resting place.” Yet ancient
Indian tribes, Mormon pioneers, cowboys, outlaws, prospectors, and
miners all found a place here.
To claim this Earthcache you
must:
Post a picture of yourself (with GPSr)
at the sign.
Answer the following questions:
What are you standing on top of, and what is the odd factor of why
the younger rock has eroded?
Before what time period were the sedimentary layers
deposited?
What mineral in the soil stains the rock red?
Estimate the distance of the bottom of the canyon.
Placed and Maintained by members of:
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RV'rs that compile Book Mark lists on GeoCaching.com
of caches that are easily accessible to those of us that are in
larger vehicles.
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all.
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