From Glade Park to Grand Junction Via the Little Park Road
GLADE PARK FAULT
38
From the intersection 1½ miles east of the Glade Park Store and Post Office, let us turn southeast on the recently improved and gravelled Little Park Road around the head of No Thoroughfare Canyon, which was added to the Monument in 1978 (fig. 3). From the intersection it is about 14 miles to Grand Junction by this route. In half a mile we reach the new boundary of the Monument at a minor drainage divide, and as we start down a steep hill beyond we may park on the right and look southeastward across No Thoroughfare Canyon along the Glade Park fault (fig. 58) which has produced the fishtail shape of the head of the canyon, as shown in figures 8 and 59. A different view of the fault and canyon head is shown by the stereoscopic pair of aerial photographs in figure 59.
The Little Park Road closely follows the new Monument boundary around the south end of No Thoroughfare Canyon, either on the Kayenta Formation or Entrada Sandstone, and affords good views into the canyon from several places. East of the southeast arm of the canyon, the road leaves the boundary and goes northeastward about 4 miles to the end of the improved part of the road, but the unimproved part is good, and the lower 5 miles is paved. On my geologic maps[41] of the area, I called this road by its older name—the Jacobs Ladder Road.
LADDER AND ROUGH CANYONS
39
About a quarter of a mile from the end of the improved stretch, one may turn right on two tire tracks, travel about a quarter of a mile farther, and park near the junction of Rough and Ladder Canyons, where interesting geology is reachable by short walks up Ladder Canyon or down Rough Canyon. About a mile up Ladder Canyon is an interesting abandoned mica mine.[42]
GLADE PARK FAULT VIEWED FROM THE GROUND, crossing head of No Thoroughfare Canyon. Looking southeast from Little Park Road just southeast of new Monument boundary. Fault passes just to right of white cliff of Wingate Sandstone near bottom of photograph through notch in east wall of canyon. Note that surface to right (south) of fault has dropped about 50 feet below left side. Grand Mesa forms skyline. (Fig. 58)
From the left side of the road, about 9 miles northeast of our starting point, we see the view shown in figure 60. About 2 miles farther north, Little Park Road is paved through a suburban housing development all the way to The Redlands; there, we may turn right, cross the Gunnison River, and reach U.S. Highway 50; or we may turn left through Rosevale and reach Colorado Highway 340.
GLADE PARK FAULT VIEWED FROM THE AIR, crossing head of No Thoroughfare Canyon from left to right. Land south of the fault was dropped some 50 feet below that on the north side. Primitive road around head of canyon has been improved and realined since photographs were taken. The stereoscopic pair of aerial photographs may be viewed without optical aids by those accustomed to this procedure or by use of a simple double lens stereoscope, such as the folding ones used by the armed forces during and after World War II. Compare with the geologic map, figure 8. Photographs taken in 1937 by U.S. Soil Conservation Service. (Fig. 59)
LADDER CREEK MONOCLINE AND REDLANDS FAULT, looking northwest from lookout point near Little Park Road. Telephoto view of left half of this scene is shown in figure 29; photograph of Morrison Formation shown in figure 21 was taken from point about a mile farther north. (Fig. 60)
Résumé of Geologic History and Relation to Other National Parks and Monuments in the Colorado Plateau
In the geologic story of the Monument discussed on pages 17 to 94, the geologic processes and events leading to the Monument of today were told in the order in which they occurred; therefore, the details of the geologic history have already been covered. Having finished this story and the trips through and around the Monument, let us see how the colorful canyons, cliffs, and other erosion forms fit into the bigger scheme of things—the geologic age and events of the Earth as a whole, as depicted in figure 61. As shown in figure 7, the rock strata still preserved in the Monument range in age from Proterozoic to Cretaceous, or from about 1,500 million to 100 million years old—a span of about 1,400 million years. This seems an incredibly long time, until one compares figures 7 and 61, and notes that the Earth is some 4,500 million years old, and that the rock pile in the Monument is only about a third the age of the Earth as a whole.
GEOLOGIC TIME SPIRAL, showing the sequence, names, and ages of the geologic periods and epochs, and the evolution of plant and animal life on land and in the sea. The primitive animals that evolved in the sea during the vast Archean and Proterozoic Eons left few traces in the rocks because they had not developed hard parts, such as shells, but hard-shell or skeletal parts became abundant during and after the Cambrian Period. This drawing was made when the Geological Survey and most others used the term Precambrian to embrace what is now included in the Archean and Proterozoic Eons. The end of the Archean Eon and beginning of the Proterozoic Eon has been placed at about 2,500 million years ago. Also, because of more recent radiometric dating, the ages of the boundaries between some of the geologic periods and epochs have been changed slightly. Of most concern to this report, the boundary between the Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs has been changed from 3 million to 2 million years. Drawn by John R. Stacy originally for inclusion in a report by Newman (1976). (Fig. 61)
The Age of the Earth
The Earth is very old—4.5 billion years or more according to recent estimates. Most of the evidence for an ancient Earth is contained in the rocks that form the Earth’s crust. The rock layers themselves—like pages in a long and complicated history—record the surface-shaping events of the past, and buried within them are traces of life—the plants and animals that evolved from organic structures that existed perhaps 3 billion years ago.
Also contained in rocks once molten are radioactive elements whose isotopes provide Earth scientists with an atomic clock. Within these rocks, “parent” isotopes decay at a predictable rate to form “daughter” isotopes. By determining the relative amounts of parent and daughter isotopes, the age of these rocks can be calculated.
Thus, the results of studies of rock layers (stratigraphy), and of fossils (paleontology), coupled with the ages of certain rocks as measured by atomic clocks (geochronology), attest to a very old Earth!
But this is not the whole story. As indicated earlier, younger Mesozoic and Tertiary rocks more than 1 mile thick that once covered the area have been carried away by erosion, and, if we include these, the span is increased by another 50 million years or so.
If we consider the geologic formations that make up the national parks (N.P.), national monuments (N.M.) (excluding small historical or archaeological ones), Monument Valley, San Rafael Swell, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, all in the Colorado Plateau, it becomes apparent that certain formations or groups of formations play starring roles in some parks or monuments, some play supporting roles, and in a few places the entire cast of rocks gets about equal billing. Let us compare them and see how and where they fit into the “Geologic Time Spiral” (fig. 61).
Dinosaur N.M. and Colorado N.M., with exposed rocks ranging in age from Proterozoic to Cretaceous, cover the greatest time spans (nearly 2 billion years), but most of the rocks are missing at Colorado N.M., as noted below. Dinosaur N.M. has one unit—the Jurassic Morrison Formation—in the starring role, for this unit contains the many dinosaur fossils that give the monument its name and fame, although there are several older units in supporting roles. Grand Canyon N.P. is next, with rocks ranging in age from Proterozoic through Permian (excluding the Quaternary lava flows), but here is truly a team effort, for the entire cast gets about equal billing. Canyonlands N.P. stands third in this category, with rocks ranging from Pennsylvanian to Jurassic, but we would have to give top billing to the Permian Cedar Mesa Sandstone Member of the Cutler Formation, from which The Needles, The Grabens, and most of the arches were sculptured. The Triassic Wingate Sandstone and the Triassic(?) Kayenta Formation get second billing for their roles in forming and preserving Island in the Sky and other high mesas. Now let us consider other areas with only one or few players in the cast, beginning at the bottom of the time spiral. Black Canyon of the Gunnison N.M., cut entirely in rocks of early Proterozoic age with only a veneer of much younger rocks, obviously has but one star in its cast. Colorado N.M. contains rocks ranging from Proterozoic to Cretaceous (equal to Dinosaur in this respect), but Colorado is unique in that all rocks of the long Paleozoic Era and some others are missing from the cast. Of those that remain, the Triassic Wingate and the Triassic(?) Kayenta are the stars, with strong support from the Jurassic Entrada Sandstone and from the Proterozoic rocks, which floor the U-shaped canyons.
All the bridges in Natural Bridges N.M. were carved from the Permian Cedar Mesa Sandstone Member of the Cutler Formation, also one of the stars in Canyonlands N.P. In Canyon de Chelly (pronounced dee shay) N.M. and Monument Valley (neither a national park nor a national monument, as it is owned and administered by the Navajo Tribe), the De Chelly Sandstone Member of the Cutler Formation—a Permian member younger than the Cedar Mesa—plays the starring role.
Wupatki N.M. near Flagstaff, Ariz., stars the Triassic Moenkopi Formation. Petrified Forest N.P. (which now includes part of the Painted Desert) has but one star—the Triassic Chinle Formation, in which are found many petrified logs and stumps of ancient trees. The Triassic-Jurassic Glen Canyon Group, which includes the Triassic Wingate Sandstone, the Triassic(?) Kayenta Formation, and the Triassic(?)-Jurassic Navajo Sandstone, receives top billing in recently enlarged Capitol Reef N.P., but the Triassic Moenkopi and Chinle Formations enjoy supporting roles.
The Triassic(?)-Jurassic Navajo Sandstone, which has a supporting role in Arches N.P., is the undisputed star of Zion N.P., Rainbow Bridge N.M., and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The Navajo also forms the impressive reef at the east edge of the beautiful San Rafael Swell, a dome, or closed anticline, now crossed by Highway I-70 between Green River and Fremont Junction, Utah.
As we journey upward in the time spiral (fig. 61), we come to the Jurassic Entrada Sandstone, which stars in Arches N.P., with help from the underlying Navajo Sandstone, and a supporting cast of both older and younger rocks. The Entrada also forms the grotesque erosion forms called “hoodoos and goblins” in Goblin Valley State Park, north of Hanksville, Utah.
Moving ever upward in the spiral, we come to the Cretaceous—the age of the starring Mesaverde Group, in which the caves of Mesaverde N.P. were formed, and which now house beautifully preserved ruins once occupied by the Anasazi (the ancient people who once dwelt in many parts of the Plateau).
This brings us up to the Tertiary Period, during the early part of which the pink limestones and shales of the Paleocene and Eocene Wasatch Formation were laid down in inland basins. Beautifully sculptured cliffs, pinnacles, and caves of the Wasatch star in Bryce Canyon N.P. and in nearby Cedar Breaks N.M. This concludes our climb up the time spiral, except for Quaternary volcanos and some older volcanic features at Sunset Crater N.M., near Flagstaff, Ariz.
Thus, one way or another, many rock units formed during the last couple of billion years have performed on the stage of the Colorado Plateau and, hamlike, still lurk in the wings eagerly awaiting your applause to recall them to the footlights. Do not let them down—visit and enjoy the national parks and monuments of the Plateau, for they probably are the greatest collection of scenic wonderlands in the world.
Acknowledgments
I am grateful to many friends and colleagues not only for help on the present report, but also for help on the two preceding reports which made this one possible. I refer to my Professional Paper 451,[43] which supplied the detailed geologic data and to the first popular-style booklet.[44] First of all, I must acknowledge the great help rendered by members of my family—my eldest son Bill for serving as my unpaid field assistant for most of the detailed mapping of the Grand Junction area, and my two younger sons Terry and Bob for similar services during the last phases of the fieldwork. I am especially indebted to my wife Ruth for material assistance in all the fieldwork, including the road logging and the color photography for the present report.
I am grateful to several colleagues of the Geological Survey and National Park Service for help, data, or reviews of all three reports noted, and to members of my family for reviewing both popular-style reports.
For reviewing the present report I am especially indebted to David V. Harris, Emeritus Professor of Geology, Colorado State University; Harry A. Tourtelot, Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, for reviewing both popular-style reports and contributing petrographic studies to the detailed report; and to my wife, Ruth.
The comments and criticisms of all reviewers were carefully considered and most were adopted, but in some places I have preferred to state things in my own way, and have included topics that seemingly were of more interest to me than to some of the reviewers. The responsibility for the form and content of this report thus remains mine.
References
Listed below in alphabetical order are the reports referred to in this report. In the next section are listed reports for additional reading, which I hope will be of general interest to most readers of this report.
- Beckwith, E. G., 1854, Report of explorations for a route for the Pacific Railroad: U.S. Pacific R.R. Explor., v. 2, 128 p.
- Cashion, W. B., 1973, Geologic and structure map of the Grand Junction Quadrangle, Colorado: U.S. Geol. Survey Misc. Inv. Ser. Map I-736 [reprinted 1979].
- Cater, F. W., 1970, Geology of the salt anticline region in southwestern Colorado: U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 637, 80 p.
- Colorado State Planning Commission, 1959, Colorado Year Book, 1956-1958: Denver, 871 p.
- Dellenbaugh, F. S., 1902, The romance of the Colorado River: New York, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 399 p. [reprinted 1962 by Rio Grande Press, Chicago, Ill.]
- Hamilton, D. L., 1956, Colorado National Monument, past and present: Intermountain Assoc. Petroleum Geologists, 7th Ann. Field Conf. Guidebook, p. 48-49.
- Hansen, W. R., 1969, The geologic story of the Uinta Mountains [with graphics by John R. Stacy]: U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 1291, 144 p.
- Hayden, F. V., 1877, Report of progress for the year 1875: U.S. Geol. and Geog. Survey Terr., embracing Colorado and parts of adjacent territories, 827 p., 70 pls., 67 figs.
- Hunt, C. B., 1969, Geologic history of the Colorado River, in The Colorado River region and John Wesley Powell: U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 669, p. I-IV, 59-130.
- Jennings, J. D., 1970, Canyonlands—aborigines: Naturalist, v. 21, Summer, Spec. Issue 2, p. 10-15.
- Lohman, S. W., 1960, Geology of west-central Colorado, in Guide to the geology of Colorado: Geol. Soc. American, Rocky Mtn. Assoc. Geologists, and Colorado Sci. Soc., p. 66, 82-84 [with J. R. Donnell], 86-91.
- —— 1961, Abandonment of Unaweep Canyon, Mesa County, Colorado, by capture of the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers: U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 424-B, art. 60, p. B144-B146, fig. 60-1.
- —— 1963, Geologic map of the Grand Junction area, Colorado: U.S. Geol. Survey Misc. Inv. Ser. Map I-404.
- —— 1965a, Geology and artesian water supply of the Grand Junction area, Colorado: U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 451, 149 p.
- —— 1965b, The geologic story of Colorado National Monument [with graphics by John R. Stacy]: Fruita, Colo., Colorado and Black Canyon Natural History Assoc., 56 p.
- —— 1974, The geologic story of Canyonlands National Park, with graphics by John R. Stacy: U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 1327, 126 p.
- —— 1975, The geologic story of Arches National Park, with graphics by John R. Stacy: U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 1393, 113 p.
- Look, Al, 1961, John Otto and the Colorado National Monument: Denver, Colo., Denver Westerners, Inc., 80 p., [second edition 1962 by Sandstone Publishing Co., Grand Junction, Colo.].
- Newman, W. L., 1976, Geologic time—the age of the Earth: U.S. Geol. Survey, 20 p.
- Pipiringos, G. N., and O’Sullivan, R. B., 1975, Chert pebble unconformity at the top of the Navajo Sandstone in southeastern Utah, in Canyonlands Country, Eighth annual field conference, Sept. 22-25, 1975, Guidebook: Durango, Colo., Four Corners Geol. Soc., p. 149-156.
- Potter, R. M., and Rossman, G. R., 1977, Desert varnish: The importance of clay minerals: Science, v. 196, no. 4297, p. 1446-1448, June 24.
- Williams, P. L., 1964, Geology, structure, and uranium deposits of the Moab Quadrangle, Colorado and Utah: U.S. Geol. Survey Misc. Inv. Ser., Map I-360 [reprinted 1976].
- Wormington, H. M., and Lister, Robert H., 1956, Archaeological investigation on the Uncompahgre Plateau in west-central Colorado: Denver Mus. Nat. History Proc., no. 2, 129 p., 69 figs.
- Wright, J. C., Shawe, D. R., and Lohman, S. W., 1962, Definition of members of the Jurassic Entrada Sandstone in east-central Utah and west-central Colorado: Bull. Am. Assoc. Petroleum Geologists, v. 46, no. 11, p. 2057-2070.
Additional Reading
- Cater, F. W., 1966, Age of the Uncompahgre uplift and Unaweep Canyon, west-central Colorado: U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 550-C, p. C86-C92.
- Everhart, W. C., 1972, The National Park Service, Praeger Library of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies No. 13: New York, Praeger Publishers, p. i-xii, 1-276.
- Follansbee, Robert, 1929, Upper Colorado River and its utilization: U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 617, 394 p.
- Gilluly, James, Waters, A. C., and Woodford, A. O., 1975, Principles of Geology [4th ed.]: San Francisco, W. H. Freeman & Co., 527 p.
- Hansen, W. R., 1965, The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, today and yesterday: U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 1191, 76 p.
- Harris, D. V., 1978, The geologic story of the national parks and monuments [2nd ed.]: Ft. Collins, Colo., Colo. State Univ. Foundation Press, 325 p.
- Hunt, C. B., 1956, Cenozoic geology of the Colorado Plateau: U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 279, 99 p.
- Keefer, W. R., 1971, The geologic story of Yellowstone National Park, illustrated by John R. Stacy: U.S. Geol. Survey Bull. 1347, 92 p.
- Look, Al, 1951, In my back yard: The Univ. of Denver Press, 318 p.
- —— 1955, 1,000 million years on the Colorado Plateau, land of uranium: Denver, Colo., Bell Publications, 344 p.
- Miller, P. H., and Coale, B. V., 1969, Colorado National Monument, a fantastic landscape sculptured by erosion: Fruita, Colo., The Colorado-Black Canyon of the Gunnison Nature Assoc., Inc., 73 p.
- Peale, A. C., 1877, Geological report on the Grand River district [Colorado], in F. V. Hayden, U.S. Geol. Survey of the Terr., Ann. Rept. 9, 1875: p. 31-101.
Footnotes
Index
Italic page numbers indicate major references or pre-eminent views
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Page
- A
- Acknowledgments, 130
- Agate, 53
- Airport, Walker Field, 85
- Albuquerque, N. Mex., 16
- Algae, 27, 47
- Allosaurus, 4, 50, 52, 60
- Anasazi people, 129
- Animals, buffalo, 3, 91, 94, 105
- cattle, 101
- deer, 2
- elk, 2, 109
- sheep, 99
- Anthropoid primates, 76
- Anticlines, 61, 62
- Apatosaurus, 50, 52
- excelcus, 96
- Archaeological survey, 1963, 8
- Archean Eon, 24, 125
- Arches, 61
- Arches National Park, XI, 36, 129
- Area, Colorado National Monument, 5
- Artesian wells, 14
- Artifacts, Indian, 5, 8
- Artificial fill, view, 98
- Artists Point, 45, 105
- view, 46
- B
- Balanced Rock, 99
- Basalt, 71
- Basins, 61, 62, 63
- Battlement Mesa, lava flows, 21, 63, 64, 71
- views, 30, 33
- Beard, Irving, 12
- Bentonite, 49
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument, 38, 128
- Black Ridge, 53, 55
- Black Ridge Trail, 99
- Book Cliffs, 18, 56, 73
- coal, 60
- views, 30, 33, 57, 100
- Book Cliffs View, 102, 104
- Brachiosaurus, 50
- altithorax, 91
- monument, Riggs Hill, 90
- Broadway, 86, 89, 92-95
- Brown-Stanton river expedition, 11
- Brushy Basin Member, Morrison Formation, 47, 90, 96
- bentonite, 49
- views, 48, 95
- Bryce Canyon National Park, 63, 130
- Buffalo, 3, 91, 94, 105
- Burro Canyon Formation, 53, 55, 90, 96, 118
- unconformity, 118
- views, 48, 54
- water, 15
- C
- Cactus Park, 78
- Calcite, 21, 35
- Callison, George, 50
- Camarasaurus, 50
- Campground, Saddlehorn, 5, 32, 86, 101
- view, 101
- Camptosaurus, view, 52
- Canyon country, 1
- Canyon cutting, 78
- Canyon de Chelly National Monument, 129
- Canyon Lands, 16
- Canyon Rim Trail, 102, 104
- views, 103, 104
- Canyonlands National Park, XI, 128
- Capitol Reef National Park, 36, 38, 129
- Carmel Formation, 39
- Cattle, 101
- Caves, Wingate Sandstone, 13, 32
- Cedar Breaks National Monument, 130
- Cedar City, Utah, 16
- Cedar Mesa Sandstone Member, 128, 129
- Cedaredge, coal, 60
- Cenozoic Era, 61
- Ceratosaurus, 53
- Chert, 38
- Chinle Formation, 26, 28, 79, 96, 129
- faulting, 97
- views, 92, 93
- road cut, 99, 116
- views, 19, 82, 89, 100
- Clams, 53, 55
- Clark’s Wash, cave, 13
- Cliff faces, erosion, 79
- Coal, 49, 55, 56, 57, 60, 89
- dinosaur tracks, 60
- Coke Ovens, 29, 30, 40, 53, 105
- view, 31
- Coke Ovens Overlook, 42, 105
- Cold Shivers Point, 29, 111
- view, 112
- Colorado Highway 141, 83
- Colorado Highway 340, 86, 88, 89, 94, 97, 122
- Colorado mineral belt, 13
- Colorado Plateau, 32, 63, 128
- Colorado Plateau Province, 16
- Colorado River, 11, 55, 78, 120
- ancestral, 71, 72, 73, 74, 77
- future course, 83
- name change, 16
- Columbus Canyon, 111, 112, 119
- Como Bluff, Laramie, Wyo., 53
- Cottonwood trees, view, 114
- Crawford, George A., 10
- Cretaceous Period, 53, 55, 60, 63
- Curbstones, ripple-marked, 96
- Curtis Formation, 39
- Cutler Formation, 128, 129
- D
- Dakota Sandstone, 15, 18, 53, 55, 89
- unconformity, 118
- view, 54
- De Chelly Sandstone Member, 129
- DeBeque, 57, 63, 64
- DeBeque Canyon, 57
- Deer, mule, 2
- Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, 85
- Desert, 29
- Desert varnish, 8, 32
- view, 69
- Devils Canyon, 13
- Devils Kitchen, 116, 117
- Devils Kitchen Picnic Area, 86, 111, 116
- Dewey Bridge Member, 38, 39
- Dikes, 24
- Dinosaur tracks, coal, 60
- Dinosaur National Monument, 36, 128
- Diplodocus, 50
- Dirty Devil River, 12
- Distant View, 101
- Divide Road, view, 82
- Dolores River, 73, 120
- ancestral, 72
- Domes, drawing, 62
- Dominguez, Father, 10
- Dominguez Creek, 83
- Donnell, John R., oil shale, 64
- DS Road, 111, 120
- E
- Earthfill, 97, 98
- East Creek, capture, 75, 78
- Burro Canyon Formation, 55
- East Entrance, 85, 116
- Elk, 2, 109
- Elks Lodge, 2
- Entrada Sandstone, 39, 43, 45, 101, 119
- Dewey Bridge Member, 38, 39
- Moab Member, 39, 40, 42, 96, 111
- views, 41, 42
- ripplemarks, 96
- road cuts, 105, 108
- Slick Rock Member, 38, 39, 40, 42, 45
- views, 31, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44
- unconformity, view, 37
- views, 31, 34, 41, 42, 43, 44, 48, 82, 92, 106, 114
- water, 15, 44, 91, 116, 118, 120
- Eocene Epoch, 61, 63, 71
- Erickson, Lance, 50
- Erosion, 26, 79
- Escalante, Father, 10
- Expedition, Powell, 11
- Explorers, 10
- F
- Fallen Rock, view, 81
- Fallen Rock Overlook, 81, 109
- Faults, 18, 64, 65
- Glade Park, 69, 120, 121
- views, 122, 123
- Kodels Canyon, 65, 69, 97
- views, 67, 68, 69
- Redlands, 64, 65, 89, 92, 94
- views, 66, 90, 93, 107, 124
- Field Columbian Museum, 50
- Field Museum of Natural History, 50
- Fieldwork, XI
- Flagstaff, Ariz., 16
- Flash floods, 97, 98, 108, 118
- Folds, 64
- drawings, 62
- Grand Hogback monocline, 64
- Ladder Creek monocline, 111
- view, 66
- Lizard Canyon monocline, 65, 69, 93, 95, 97
- views, 67, 70, 94
- San Rafael Swell, 36, 45, 128, 129
- Uncompahgre arch, 72, 73, 77, 78
- drawing, 75
- Formations, rock. See Rock formations.
- Fossils, algae, 27, 47
- Allosaurus, 4, 50, 52, 60
- Apatosaurus, 50, 52
- excelcus, 96
- Brachiosaurus, 50, 90
- altithorax, 91
- Burro Canyon Formation, 54
- Callison, George, 50
- Camarasaurus, 50
- Camptosaurus, 52
- Carmel Formation, 39
- Ceratosaurus, 53
- Chinle Formation, 28
- clams, 53, 55
- Como Bluff, 53
- Curtis Formation, 39
- dinosaurs, 32, 60
- Diplodocus, 50
- Erickson, Lance, 50
- Kayenta Formation, 35
- Morosaurus, 50
- Morrison Formation, 47, 53
- oysters, 55
- Redlands, The, 50, 53
- reptiles, sea-going, 56
- Riggs Hill, 50
- Salt Wash Member, 50
- sharks, 56
- snails, 53
- Stegosaurus, 50, 52
- Tertiary mammals, 76
- tracks, 60
- Tyrannosaurus, 60
- Wingate Sandstone, 32
- wood, 28
- worms, 27
- Fremont culture, 9
- Fremont Junction, Utah, 129
- Fruita, 11, 85
- Interstate 70, 86
- Fruita Canyon, 5, 49, 95, 97
- Chinle Formation, 28
- dikes, 24
- Kodels Canyon fault, view, 68
- views, 67, 100
- Fruita Canyon View, 101
- Fruita Paleontological area, 51, 96
- Fruita Paleontological Workshop, 51
- Future, 83
- G
- Gap in the Rock Record. See Unconformities.
- Garfield, James A., 1
- Gateway, 27, 72
- Geologic history, 125
- Geologic time spiral, 126
- Glaciers, 77, 80
- Glade Park, ranchers, 1, 107
- Entrada Sandstone, 43, 45
- Slick Rock Member, 45
- Glade Park fault, 69, 120, 121
- view, 122, 123
- Glade Park General Store and Post Office, 13, 108
- Glen Canyon Dam, 77
- Glen Canyon Group, 129
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, 128, 129
- Glenwood Canyon, 76
- Glenwood Springs, 27
- Gneiss, 24
- Goblin Valley State Park, 129
- Grabens, The, 128
- Grand Canyon National Park, 128
- Grand County, Utah, 17
- Grand Hogback monocline, 64
- Grand Junction, founded, 10
- Otto’s monument, 4
- Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce, 1
- Grand Mesa, 17, 21, 33, 63, 64, 71, 73
- lakes, 77
- views, 33, 67, 107, 113, 122
- water, 15
- Grand River, 10, 11, 16
- Grand Valley, 17, 56, 63, 76, 78, 85
- views, 30, 57, 100, 101
- Grand View, 105
- view, 19
- Granite, 24
- Great Sand Dunes National Monument, 29
- Green River, Utah, 11, 12, 16, 129
- Green River Formation, 63, 64
- view, 103
- Gunnison, John W., 10
- Gunnison River, 10, 17, 78, 83, 88, 122
- ancestral, 72, 73
- drawing, 75
- Gunsight, view, 33
- Gypsum, 45
- H
- Hanksville, Utah, 129
- Hayden Survey, 10
- Hematite, 21
- Henry Mountains, 38
- Highland View, 107
- Highways. See Roads.
- Historic Trails View, 99
- History, 1
- Holocene Epoch, 76, 84
- Holt, Edwin L., 50
- Hoover Dam, 77
- I
- Ice age, 77
- Independence Monument, XII, 1, 29, 105
- base, 28
- views, 19, 94, 104, 107
- Independence View, 29, 105
- Inland basins, 63
- Island in the Sky, 128
- K
- Kaolinite, 55
- Kayenta Formation, 29, 32, 35, 97, 120, 128, 129
- road cuts, 105
- unconformity, view, 37
- views, 19, 34, 36, 41, 68, 100, 103, 106, 117
- Kissing Couple, 30, 38
- Kodels Canyon, 12, 69
- Kodels Canyon fault, 65, 69, 97
- views, 67, 68, 69
- L
- Ladder Canyon, 121, 122
- Ladder Creek monocline, 111
- views, 66, 124
- Lake Mead, 77
- Lake Powell, 36, 77
- Lake Uinta, 63
- Landslides, 77, 104
- Mesaverde Group, view, 57
- Lava flows, 18, 21, 71
- Leaching, 42, 44
- Liberty Cap, 108
- view, 90
- Liberty Cap Trail, 90, 108
- Little Park Road, 42, 120, 121
- bentonite, 49
- faulting, view, 66
- Lizard Canyon, 95, 97
- view, 67
- Lizard Canyon monocline, 65, 69, 95, 97, 102
- views, 67, 93, 94
- Look, Al, fossils, 50
- prehistoric people, 5
- quoted, 3
- Lower Ute Canyon View, 109
- M
- Mack, Colo., 15, 17
- Mancos Shale, 18, 56, 72
- view, 57
- Maps, 87
- geologic, 22
- photo index, 58
- road guide, 5, 6
- Marble Canyon, 12
- Meeker, Colo., 64
- Meeker Massacre, 10
- Mesas, 1
- Mesaverde Group, 56, 57, 129
- landslide, view, 57
- Mesaverde National Park, 129
- Mesozoic Era, 27
- Metamorphic rocks, 18
- See also Proterozoic rocks.
- Mica mine, 122
- Miller, Laura Hazel, cave dweller, 13
- Minerals, agate, 53
- bentonite, 49
- calcite, 21, 35
- chert, 38
- clays, 8, 49, 55, 69
- coal, 55, 56, 57, 89
- desert varnish, 8, 32, 69
- gypsum, 45
- hematite, 21
- kaolinite, 55
- mica, 122
- silica, 35
- uranium ore, 28, 49
- vanadium ore, 49
- Mining, building stones, 105
- Cameo, 57
- coal, 57
- Devils Canyon, 13
- Kodels Canyon, 12
- Ladder Canyon, 122
- mica, 122
- oil shale, 63, 64
- Palisade, 57
- Miocene Epoch, 61, 71, 72
- Moab, Utah, 28, 120
- Moab Member, Entrada Sandstone, 39, 40, 42, 96, 111
- views, 41, 42
- Moenkopi Formation, 129
- Monoclines. See Folds.
- Monument, Apatosaurus excelcus, 96
- Brachiosaurus, 90
- Otto’s, 3
- Monument Canyon, 1, 2, 3, 29, 94, 105
- views, 94, 102, 104
- Monument Canyon Trail, 94, 105
- Monument Canyon View, 105
- Monument Headquarters, 102
- Monument Road, 53, 88, 118
- Monument Valley, 128
- Mormon Tea, 111
- view, 33
- Morosaurus, 50
- Morrison Formation, 47, 90, 94, 96, 128
- badlands, 49, 118
- bentonite, 49
- Brushy Basin Member, 47, 49, 90, 96
- views, 48, 95
- Glade Park, 119
- gypsum, 45
- landslide, 104
- road cuts, 107
- Salt Wash Member, 15, 47, 49, 90, 94, 107
- views, 41, 48, 92, 95
- views, 48, 92, 95
- water, 15, 118
- Mount Garfield, Book Cliffs, views, 33, 57
- Mule deer, 2
- Museum, Historical Museum and Institute of Western Colorado, 4
- Visitor Center, 5, 102
- N
- Natural Bridges National Monument, 129
- Navajo Sandstone, 36, 38, 129
- Needles, The, 128
- No Thoroughfare Canyon, 1, 5, 49, 53, 118, 121
- dikes, 24
- flood, 118
- Glade Park fault, 69
- petroglyphs, 9
- tunnel, view, 115
- views, 9, 48, 54, 66, 117, 122, 123
- North East Creek, 78
- O
- Odd Fellows, 3
- Oil shale, 63
- Oligocene Epoch, 61
- Orchard Mesa, water, 14
- Otto, John, 1, 2
- monument, view, XII, 4
- Otto’s Trail, 97, 104, 114
- view, 107
- Oysters, 55
- P
- Pabor, William E., 11
- Paleocene Epoch, 61, 63
- Paleozoic Era, 26
- Palisade, 17, 57, 73
- water, 15
- Peach orchards, 88
- Pegmatite, 24
- Pennsylvanian Period, 26
- Permian Period, 26
- Petrified Forest National Park, 129
- Petroglyphs, 8
- view, 9
- Photographs, XII
- Photography directions, 86
- Piceance Creek Basin, 64
- Picnic areas, Devils Kitchen, 5, 86, 111, 116
- Headquarters area, 86
- view, 102
- Piñon Mesa, 61, 84, 101, 107, 120
- elk, 2, 109
- Piñon pine, 101, 109
- view, 30, 68
- Plants, coalified wood, 49
- cottonwood trees, view, 114
- juniper, 101, 109
- views, 30, 68
- Mormon Tea, 111
- view, 33
- piñon pine, 101, 109
- views, 30, 68
- Pipe Organ, 30, 104
- view, 104
- Pipe Organ Overlook, 104
- Piracy, 73
- drawing, 74
- Plateau Creek, 15, 63
- Pleistocene Epoch, 73, 76, 77, 78
- Pliocene Epoch, 61, 72, 73
- Powell, John W., expedition, 11
- Powerplant, 88
- Precambrian rocks. See Proterozoic rocks.
- Preface, XI
- Prehistoric people, 5
- Proterozoic Eon, 24, 26, 125
- Proterozoic rocks, 24, 72, 89, 96, 99
- faulting, views, 89, 92
- views, 19, 66, 83, 100, 112
- R
- Railroads, 10, 11, 85
- Rainbow Bridge National Monument, 36, 129
- Red Canyon, 3, 80, 111
- view, 33
- Red Canyon Overlook, 96, 111
- Redlands, The, 89, 97, 118, 119, 122
- canals, 88
- Chinle Formation, 28
- fossils, 50, 53
- Morrison Formation, 49
- peach orchards, 88
- view, 30
- water, 14, 88, 94
- Redlands canals, 88, 94
- Redlands fault, 64, 65, 89, 92
- views, 66, 89, 90, 92, 93, 94, 107, 124
- Redlands Road, 3
- Redlands View, 97
- References, 131
- Rifle, Colo., 16, 17, 63, 64
- Riggs Hill, 50, 90
- Rim Rock Drive, 4, 32, 86, 97-116, 119
- Artists Point, 105
- campground, 101
- Chinle Formation, 28
- earthfill, view, 98
- Entrada Sandstone, 40, 42, 105, 108
- faulting, view, 67
- Fruita Canyon, view, 100
- gap in rock record, 38
- Kayenta Formation, 32, 105, 109
- Kodels Canyon fault, view, 68
- Liberty Cap Trail, 108
- Moab Member, 42
- Morrison Formation, 49
- Slick Rock Member, 40, 42
- Summerville Formation, 105, 108
- Ute Canyon, 108
- views, 34, 36, 43, 67, 68, 98, 100
- Visitor Center, 102
- Wingate Sandstone, 104, 111
- Ripplemarks, 47, 96
- Rivers, 11, 16, 72
- Road cuts, Artists Point, 45
- Brushy Basin Member, 96
- Burro Canyon Formation, 53
- Chinle Formation, 28, 99, 116
- Entrada Sandstone, 42, 105, 108
- Fruita Canyon, 28
- Kayenta Formation, 36, 101, 105, 109
- Moab Member, 42
- Morrison Formation, 49, 96, 107
- No Thoroughfare Canyon, 28
- Proterozoic rocks, 99, 116
- Salt Wash Member, 107
- South Broadway, monument, view, 91
- Summerville Formation, 45, 105, 107, 108
- Ute Canyon, 36, 45
- Wingate Sandstone, 97, 99, 111, 116
- Road guides. See Trip guides.
- Road stops, Artists Point, 105
- Coke Ovens Overlook, 105
- Devils Kitchen, 116
- Distant View, 101
- Fallen Rock Overlook, 109
- view, 81
- Fruita Canyon View, 101
- Grand View, 105
- Highland View, 107
- Historic Trails View, 99
- Independence View, 105
- Lower Ute Canyon View, 109
- Monument Canyon View, 105
- Pipe Organ Overlook, 104
- Red Canyon Overlook, 96, 111
- Redlands fault, 92
- Redlands View, 97
- Upper Ute Canyon View, 109
- Roads, Broadway, 86, 89, 92-95
- Colorado Highway 141, view, 82
- Colorado Highway 340, 86, 88, 89, 94, 97, 122
- Divide Road, view, 82
- DS Road, 111, 120
- Fruita, 4
- Jacobs Ladder Road, 121
- Little Park Road, 42, 49, 66, 120, 121, 122
- Monument Road, 53, 88, 118
- Rim Rock Drive, 4, 28, 32, 34, 38, 40, 42, 43, 47, 49, 67, 68, 86, 97-116, 119
- South Broadway, 86, 89-92, 118
- South Camp Road, 86, 89, 90, 108, 118
- U.S. Highway 6, 85, 88
- U.S. Highway 24, 85
- U.S. Highway 50, 85, 88, 122
- U.S. Interstate 70, 63, 85, 96
- Utah Highway 128, 120
- Wingate Drive, 92
- Roan Cliffs, 64, 71
- views, 19, 100, 103
- Rock column, 20
- Rock formations, Balanced Rock, 99
- Coke Ovens, 29, 30, 40, 105
- view, 31
- Cold Shivers Point, 29, 111
- view, 112
- Devils Kitchen, 116
- view, 117
- Fallen Rock, view, 81
- Grabens, The, 128
- Gunsight, The, 33
- Independence Monument, 1, 29, 105
- views, 19, 94, 107
- Kissing Couple, 30, 38
- Liberty Cap, 108
- view, 90
- Needles, The, 128
- petroglyphs, 116
- Pipe Organ, 30
- view, 104
- Saddlehorn, 40, 101
- views, 101, 102, 106
- Sentinal Spire, 30
- Squaw Fingers, 30
- White Rock, view, 92
- Window Rock, 102
- view, 103
- Rock leaching, 42, 44
- Rocks, breakup, 26
- types, 18
- Rosevale, 122
- Roubidoux, Joseph, settler, 10
- Rough Canyon, 121
- Ruby Canyon, 83
- S
- Saddlehorn, 40, 101
- campground, 86, 101
- picnic area, 86, 101
- views, 101, 102, 106
- Sagebrush, 120
- Sahara, 29
- Salt Wash Member, Morrison Formation, 47, 90, 94, 107
- uranium, 49
- views, 41, 48, 92, 95
- water, 15
- San Miguel River, ancestral, 72
- San Rafael Swell, 36, 45, 128, 129
- Sand dunes, 29, 36
- Schist, 24
- Seagoing reptiles, 56
- Sentinal Spire, 30
- Serpents Trail, 1, 2, 111
- views, 30, 49, 66, 113, 114
- Sharks, 56
- Sheep, 99
- Silica, 35
- Size, Colorado National Monument, 5
- Slick Rim, 42
- Slick Rock, Colo., 40
- Slick Rock Member, 38, 39, 40, 42, 45
- views, 31, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44
- Snail shell, 53
- South Broadway, 86, 89-92, 118
- South Camp Road, 86, 89, 90, 108, 118
- Squaw Fingers, 30
- Stegosaurus, 50
- view, 52
- Stream cutting, 79
- Summerville Formation, 39, 45, 47
- road cuts, 105, 108
- views, 41, 42, 46
- Sunset Crater National Monument, 130
- Synclines, 61
- T
- Taft, William Howard, 1
- Tertiary Period, 61, 71, 76
- Thunderstorms, damage, 97, 108, 118
- Tools, prehistoric people, 8
- Trails, 1
- Black Ridge, 99
- builder, 1
- Canyon Rim, 102, 104
- views, 103, 104
- Coke Ovens, 105
- Grand View, 105
- Liberty Cap, 90, 108
- Lizard Canyon, 97
- Lower Ute Canyon View, 109
- Monument Canyon, 94, 105
- No Thoroughfare Canyon, 1
- Otto’s, 97, 104, 114
- Serpents, 1, 2, 111
- views, 30, 49, 66, 113, 114
- Ute Canyon, 108, 109
- Window Rock Nature Trail, 102, 104
- Triassic Period, 27, 28, 29, 35
- Trip guides, East Entrance to Grand Junction, 118
- Fruita to West Entrance, 96
- Glade Park, 119
- Grand Junction to West Entrance, 88
- Little Park Road, 121
- West to East Entrances, 97
- Tyrannosaurus, 60