The Geologic Story of Canyonlands National ParkLohman, Stanley William
Science
The Geologic Story of Canyonlands National Park
Lohman, Stanley William
Canyonlands National Park (Utah) -- Guidebooks; Geology -- Utah -- Canyonlands National Park -- Guidebooks
Historic Dugout Ranch (p. 14) is 19 miles west of the highway, and from
here a dry-weather road leads southward up north Cottonwood Creek 37
miles to Beef Basin and connects with roads to Elk Ridge and the Bears
Ears, both just west of the Abajo Mountains. Just west of the ranch we
get a good view ahead of two historic landmarks—North and South
Six-Shooter Peaks (fig. 38), so named because of their resemblance to a
pair of revolvers pointing skyward. The guns are sculptured from slivers
of Wingate Sandstone resting upon conical mounds of the Chinle. These
can be seen from a wide area; both appear in figures 38 and 40, and the
north one is seen in figure 77.
[Illustration: CHURCH ROCK, standing guard at the intersection of
U.S. Highway 163 and the east end of Utah Highway 211 leading to the
Needles district. Rock is Entrada Sandstone: red foundation is Dewey
Bridge Member; yellowish smooth rounded body of church is Slick Rock
Member; white steeple is Moab Member. La Sal Mountains at left.
(Fig. 37)]
[Illustration: NORTH AND SOUTH SIX-SHOOTER PEAKS, looking west from
entrance road to The Needles. (Fig. 38)]
A mile west of Dugout Ranch we descend to the top of the Moss Back
Member of the Chinle, a ledge of gray-green sandstone forming the base
of this generally red formation, and reach the base of the member at the
top of the Moenkopi Formation in the next mile and a half. The Moss Back
is uranium bearing in nearby areas.
At 3.8 miles west of Dugout Ranch a poorly marked road on the left
crosses Indian Creek, then forks; the left-hand fork follows the bed of
Lavender Canyon, and the right-hand fork goes into Davis Canyon.
Headwaters of both these canyons are new additions to the park.
The red Organ Rock Tongue of the Cutler Formation is seen about 3 miles
beyond the turnoff, or about 6 miles west of Dugout Ranch. Another 1½
miles takes us down in the rock column (fig. 9) to the top of the Cedar
Mesa Sandstone. The White Rim Sandstone, which forms such a prominent
bench around the southern part of Island in the Sky (figs. 20-23) and
west of the Green River, is missing from the Needles district, its place
in the rock column being taken by red shales and sandstones of the
Cutler Formation. South of Indian Creek other underlying red beds of the
Cutler are gradually replaced in turn by the thick Cedar Mesa Sandstone.
Erosion has reduced the general level of the Needles district to or into
the Cedar Mesa Sandstone, but many streams have cut into the underlying
Rico Formation, and the Colorado River has cut also into, and in places
through, the limestones of the unnamed upper member of the Hermosa
Formation. Our first view of The Needles is another 4 miles, and 1 more
mile takes us to the park boundary, nearly 32 miles from the U.S.
Highway 163. We pass a road on the right leading to Canyonlands Resort,
and on the left is a new line camp which replaces the restored one at
Cave Spring (fig. 6).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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