Shafer Canyon Exposé - a photo on Flickriver

            This image was taken on the Island in the Sky in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. It looks at the structure and details of a typical canyon. The explanation below is from a noticeboard adjacent to where I was stood.

Notice that the rocks are arranged in layers.  They differ in colour, depth, texture and vegetation.  some layers form sheer cliffs, while others form sliding edges composed of broken blocks or finer debris.  The same layers, or geological formations may be see elsewhere in the park and at other parks in the region.

The canyon is being cut principally by running water.  It does not rain here often, but when it does there are few plants to protect the rocks.  grain by grain, the soft rocks wash away, undermining harder rocks which collapse and fall to the canyon floor.  Year by year, the process continues, and the canyon grows deeper, wider and longer. The numbers below relate to those that can be found on the image above (I've dropped them in as Notes, which may take a bit of finding...)

Navajo Sandstone. White sandstone with red and brown tints. Forms sheer cliffs on sides, rounded slopes on top. Water often seeps from its base, promoting plant growth.

Kayenta Formation. Sandstone and shale tinted with grey and red. Deposited in many layers by steams long ago. Erodes into terraced ledges.

Wingate Sandstone. Reddish sandstone originating from ancient sand dunes. Forms majestic sheer cliffs, some as high as 500 feet, that surround the Island in the Sky.

Chinle Formation. Composed of water-deposited sandstone and siltstone and wind-deposited volcanic ash. Forms talus slopes at the base of the Wingate cliffs. Mines have yielded uranium.

Fallen Slab. When undercut by erosion, sections of the cliff cannot carry their own weight and collapse. These fallen rocks become part of the eroding rubble on the talus slope below.

'Slickrock'. Smoothly-eroded upper surfaces of rock layers. Slickrock slopes can be dangerous to walk on, especially when the surface is littered with sand or gravel.

Desert Varnish. These dark, glossy streaks may be produced by minerals leaching from the bedrock and are often seen on desert rocks.  Indians created pictographs by pecking through the dark layer to expose the lighter sandstone underneath.

Douglas fir. These tall Douglas fir trees, remnants of past climatic conditions, have found a niche where they can survive in this hot, dry landscape. The cliff offers shade, while a small spring at its base provides water.

Pinyon-Juniper stands. Pinyon pine and Utah juniper grow on the rocks wherever their roots find a crack.  These hardy, slow-growing trees forma 'pygmy' forest over much of the park.

Taken in: United States / Utah / Moab (show map)

Taken on: March 9, 1996

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exposé

structure

desert canyon

canyon

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Navajo Sandstone

Kayenta Formation

Wingate Sandstone

Chinle Formation

sandstone

slab

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desert

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Shafer Canyon

Island in the Sky

Canyonlands National Park

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Utah

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1996

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