Geology Underfoot in Southern Utah

by Orndorff, Richard L.

• ISBN13: 9780878425174
• ISBN10: 0878425179
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-02-01
• Publisher: Mountain Pr

Summary

Standing before any of southern Utah's enigmatic landforms, it's clear, there's a story here. What carved the goblins in Goblin Valley, the domes at Capitol Reef, the towering sandstone walls of Zion Canyon, and Bryce's hoodoo fairyland, not to mention all those arches and natural bridges? _Geology Underfoot in Southern Utah_ explores the stories behind 33 sites - some world-famous, others off the beaten path. Marvel at tales of ancient eruptions, deserts, seas, and swamps; the movements of massive rock units over eons; and the rock's interactions with the life above it, including humankind. Along the way, visit dinosaur trackways, old mines, rock glaciers, oysters in the desert, and much more. Includes 146 black-and-white photographs, 31 maps, 37 black-and-white figures, bibliography, glossary, and index.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
The Geology of Southern Utah	ix
Reading a Lava Landscape: Snow Canyon State Park	1	(10)
Where Dinosaurs Roamed: St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm	11	(8)
When Water Cleaves Rock: Parowan Gap	19	(6)
An Alluring Luster: Frisco and the Horn Silver Mine	25	(8)
A Desiccated Remnant of Lake Bonneville: Sevier Lake	33	(8)
Folded Rocks: The Virgin Anticline, Quail Creek State Park	41	(8)
In the Heart of the Transition Zone: Hurricane Fault	49	(10)
An Ancient Desert Sleeps: The Navajo Sandstone, Zion National Park	59	(10)
Water From Stone: Weeping Rock, Zion National Park	69	(6)
Gravity at Work: The Springdale Landslide	75	(6)
A Desert Reborn: Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park	81	(8)
Cycles of Change: Castle Rock Campground	89	(8)
A Record of Explosive Eruptions: Fremont Indian State Park	97	(10)
Toolmaker's Delight: Obsidian at Fremont Indian State Park	107	(6)
Ice Age Glaciers: Fish Lake Valley	113	(8)
Unlikely Neighbors at Red Canyon: Sevier Fault	121	(8)
A Fairyland of Color and Form: Bryce Canyon National Park	129	(10)
Nature's Palette: Escalante State Park and the Petrified Forest	139	(6)
Traveling Through Time: The Waterpocket Fold, Capitol Reef National Park	145	(13)
Someone Pass the Tabasco and a Cold Beer!: An Oyster Reef in the Desert	158	(9)
A Weathered Army on the March: Goblin Valley State Park	167	(8)
Radiation Fever: Temple Mountain Uranium Mines	175	(6)
Slithering Through a Slot Canyon: The San Rafael Reef	181	(10)
Uplift and Erosion on the Colorado Plateau: Goosenecks of the San Juan River	191	(6)
Mesas, Buttes, and Spires: Valley of the Gods	197	(8)
Bridges Across Time: Natural Bridges National Monument	205	(8)
Tse Hane, The Rock That Tells a Story: Newspaper Rock	213	(8)
At the Mystery's Core: Upheaval Dome	221	(8)
A Sea of Fins: The Fiery Furnace	229	(7)
Weathering the Tests of Time: Arches National Park and the Entrada Sandstone	236	(9)
In the Footsteps of Giants: Copper Ridge Dinosaur Tracks	245	(8)
Intruders in a Sedimentary Domain: Round Mountain and the La Sal Laccoliths	253	(8)
Permafrost and Flowing Earth: Periglacial Features in the La Sal Mountains	261	(6)
Glossary	267	(8)
Sources of More Information	275	(4)
Index	279