Grand Staircase Paunsaugunt Plateau Scenic Backways
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PRELUDE to SEVEN SLOTS: FILLING and SUBSEQUENT MODIFICATION of SEVEN BROAD CANYONS in the NAVAJO SANDSTONE, SOUTH-CENTRAL UTAH by David B
PRELUDE TO SEVEN SLOTS: FILLING AND SUBSEQUENT MODIFICATION OF SEVEN BROAD CANYONS IN THE NAVAJO SANDSTONE, SOUTH-CENTRAL UTAH by David B. Loope1, Ronald J. Goble1, and Joel P. L. Johnson2 ABSTRACT Within a four square kilometer portion of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, seven distinct slot canyons cut the Jurassic Navajo Sandstone. Four of the slots developed along separate reaches of a trunk stream (Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch), and three (including canyons locally known as “Peekaboo” and “Spooky”) are at the distal ends of south-flowing tributary drainages. All these slot canyons are examples of epigenetic gorges—bedrock channel reaches shifted laterally from previous reach locations. The previous channels became filled with alluvium, allowing active channels to shift laterally in places and to subsequently re-incise through bedrock elsewhere. New evidence, based on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages, indicates that this thick alluvium started to fill broad, pre-existing, bedrock canyons before 55,000 years ago, and that filling continued until at least 48,000 years ago. Streams start to fill their channels when sediment supply increases relative to stream power. The following conditions favored alluviation in the study area: (1) a cooler, wetter climate increased the rate of mass wasting along the Straight Cliffs (the headwaters of Dry Fork) and the rate of weathering of the broad outcrops of Navajo and Entrada Sandstone; (2) windier conditions increased the amount of eolian sand transport, perhaps destabilizing dunes and moving their stored sediment into stream channels; and (3) southward migration of the jet stream dimin- ished the frequency and severity of convective storms. -
Presidential Documents Vol
50223 Federal Register Presidential Documents Vol. 61, No. 186 Tuesday, September 24, 1996 Title 3Ð Proclamation 6920 of September 18, 1996 The President Establishment of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument's vast and austere land- scape embraces a spectacular array of scientific and historic resources. This high, rugged, and remote region, where bold plateaus and multi-hued cliffs run for distances that defy human perspective, was the last place in the continental United States to be mapped. Even today, this unspoiled natural area remains a frontier, a quality that greatly enhances the monument's value for scientific study. The monument has a long and dignified human history: it is a place where one can see how nature shapes human endeavors in the American West, where distance and aridity have been pitted against our dreams and courage. The monument presents exemplary opportunities for geologists, paleontologists, archeologists, historians, and biologists. The monument is a geologic treasure of clearly exposed stratigraphy and structures. The sedimentary rock layers are relatively undeformed and unobscured by vegetation, offering a clear view to understanding the proc- esses of the earth's formation. A wide variety of formations, some in brilliant colors, have been exposed by millennia of erosion. The monument contains significant portions of a vast geologic stairway, named the Grand Staircase by pioneering geologist Clarence Dutton, which rises 5,500 feet to the rim of Bryce Canyon in an unbroken sequence of great cliffs and plateaus. The monument includes the rugged canyon country of the upper Paria Canyon system, major components of the White and Vermilion Cliffs and associated benches, and the Kaiparowits Plateau. -
Scoping Report: Grand Staircase-Escalante National
CONTENTS 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 1 2 Scoping Process ....................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Purpose of Scoping ........................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Scoping Outreach .............................................................................................................................. 3 2.2.1 Publication of the Notice of Intent ....................................................................................... 3 2.2.2 Other Outreach Methods ....................................................................................................... 3 2.3 Opportunities for Public Comment ................................................................................................ 3 2.4 Public Scoping Meetings .................................................................................................................. 4 2.5 Cooperating Agency Involvement ................................................................................................... 4 2.6 National Historic Preservation Act and Tribal Consultation ....................................................... 5 3 Submission Processing and Comment Coding .................................................................................... 5 -
Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna of the Kaiparowits Basin
Great Basin Naturalist Volume 40 Number 4 Article 2 12-31-1980 Terrestrial vertebrate fauna of the Kaiparowits Basin N. Duane Atwood U.S. Forest Service, Provo, Utah Clyde L. Pritchett Brigham Young University Richard D. Porter U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Provo, Utah Benjamin W. Wood Brigham Young University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn Recommended Citation Atwood, N. Duane; Pritchett, Clyde L.; Porter, Richard D.; and Wood, Benjamin W. (1980) "Terrestrial vertebrate fauna of the Kaiparowits Basin," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 40 : No. 4 , Article 2. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol40/iss4/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Basin Naturalist by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF THE KAIPAROWITS BASIN N. Diiane Atwood', Clyde L. Pritchctt', Richard D. Porter', and Benjamin W. Wood' .\bstr^ct.- This report inehides data collected during an investigation by Brighani Young University personnel to 1976, as well as a literature from 1971 review. The fauna of the Kaiparowits Basin is represented by 7 species of salamander, toads, mnphihians (1 5 and 1 tree frog), 29 species of reptiles (1 turtle, 16 lizards, and 12 snakes), 183 species of birds (plus 2 hypothetical), and 74 species of mammals. Geographic distribution of the various species within the basin are discussed. Birds are categorized according to their population and seasonal status. -
A Preliminary Assessment of Archaeological Resources Within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES WITHIN THE GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT, UTAH by David B. Madsen Common rock art elements of the Fremont and Anasazi on the Colorado Plateau and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. ,I!! CIRCULAR 95 . 1997 I~\' UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ." if;~~ 6EPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES ISBN 1-55791-605-5 STATE OF UTAH Michael O. Leavitt, Governor DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Ted Stewart, Executive Director UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY M. Lee Allison~ Director UGS Board Member Representing Russell C. Babcock, Jr. (chairman) .................................................................................................. Mineral Industry D. Cary Smith ................................................................................................................................... Mineral Industry Richard R. Kennedy ....................................................................................................................... Civil Engineering E.H. Deedee O'Brien ......................................................................................................................... Public-at-Large C. William Berge .............................................................................................................................. Mineral Industry Jerry Golden ..................................................................................................................................... Mineral Industry Milton E. Wadsworth ............................................................................................... -
Map Showing Location of Selected Surface-Water Sites and Springs, Escalante River Drainage Basin, Garfield and Kane Counties, Utah By
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR PREPARED IN COOPERATION WITH THE SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS REPORT 2004–5223 U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT Location of selected surface-water sites and springs, Escalante River drainage basin—Plate 1 Wilberg, D.E., and Stolp, B.J., 2004, Seepage Investigation and Selected Hydrologic Data for the Escalante River Drainage Basin, Garfield and Kane Counties, Utah, 1909-2002 111°45' 111°05' 114 ° 113 ° 112 ° 111° 42 ° T. 30 S. T. 31 S. Great 15 Salt 110 ° 109 ° B 41 ° Lake ou Salt Lake City lde r M Provo ou 40 ° nt ain 39 ° Utah Study 38 ° area Garfield County Kane County 37 ° E a s t F o T. 31 S. r k T. 32 S. 21 East Fork Boulder Creek near Boulder EXPLANATION B o u Boundary of study area l d u e s Platea r Aquariu C r Boundary of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument e e k Road k e e r C C ir Stream c r e le e C D l 16 38°00' if Surface-water site and number k fs or 22 East Fork Deer Creek near Boulder t F 38°00' as Spring E +35 Mile marker—Labeled every 5 miles T. 32 S. T. 33 S. 12 Dixie National Forest s il n a i Tr a t n p u o Boulder rr o T u B M n i f f i D r e e T. 33 S. -
Bryce Canyon National Park
Lees Ferry, Arizona), White (which surround Utah Zion Canyon), Gray and Pink. Most of the Grand Staircase is now contained within the BLM-managed Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument. The rocks that give Bryce Canyon its distinctive colors are members of the Claron Formation, a mixed Highlights limestone/sandstone layer, and are also found exposed, with similarly intricate forms, in other nearly locations such as Red Canyon and Cedar Breaks. Erosion: Water is responsible for creating the rock shapes in Bryce Canyon National Park. Rain and melting snow flowing down the Pink Cliffs towards the Paria River form ridges, or fins, which subsequently erode into the spires, pinnacles and other shapes (collectively known as ‘hoodoos’) which are left standing. In time these too erode, and the whole process moves very gradually westwards as more of the cliff is slowly worn away. During the long, cold winters, the cliffs are further weakened by freezing water Bryce Canyon National Park expanding in cracks, resulting in more erosion when the ice Bryce Canyon National Park does not contain one main thaws in spring. canyon, but rather a dozen smaller ravines eroded into the east side of a ridge running approximately north-south at Bryce Canyon Trails: As with most national parks, the best the edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southwest Utah. This way to appreciate Bryce Canyon is to explore away from erosion has resulted in thousands of bizarre and fragile rock the main roads. There are various trails both along the rim formations, large and small, in many subtle shades of pink, and down through the formations, but probably the best white, yellow, orange and red, extending in quite a narrow is the Fairyland Loop Trail, an 8 mile, little-used route which band for over 25 miles along the plateau rim. -
The Geography of Wildfire
Page 14 ZANE GREY EXPLORER AUGUST 2017 The Geography of Wildfire by Dr. Kevin Blake, Professor Emeritus of Geogrophy Kansas State U niversitY STfrR7- The geography of Wildfire ) 6rytz (1917\ is among the most sig- a, C"n.7on -, N nificant in all of Zane Grey's el Ct ,|r F wrld. western romances. lt weaves t/ l-'lors e _ -o1 I l4\. \' L lAeso together four places that 14,. fK.; por.*lls t) ' 'Pl*tequ) shaped Grey's vision of the West more than any oth- !; P /+) t\ er prior to 1917: Lees Ferry (Grey's fictional name is 1^1 Ko"oL Bostil's Ford), the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, a ;,t u lo is the I and Wild Horse Mesa. Most importantly, this I menf v 3 €-7* book that launched Monument Valley to worldwide t t{ t:: I fame and thus greatly shaped the image of the Fr rd , ril { American West (Blake, 1995; Harvey, 2OLt). o *T"h;s ;: wh"r. , ln this article, I explain the geography of Wildfire by t 7*e flrc-'| s€'-'s /t ljri\'1 0 9, Aoc,umenf following the chronology of the book from Lees Ferry a-f. in a;tlqli*.;.,;"1- (Y _\i ;* iryated to the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and finally \ 2( O, 6Lopr oximale i" .65 mlles +o rlne is a story about a wild rP"wcll I I *si - Wild Horse Mesa. Though this I Piaiedu ? rprileqs*. greatest I horse named Wildfire, and is one of Grey's I I Tui.&1} I oo I a horse stories along with Riders of the Purple Soge 4 J 4. -
Energy and Mineral Resources, Grand Staircase
Circular 93 Utah Geological Survey Illustration Captions View figure: Circular 93 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6., 7., 8., 9., 10., 11., 12., 13., 14., 15. A Preliminary Assessment of Energy and Table of Contents 1.Preface Mineral Resources within the Grand 2.Summary 3.Introduction Staircase - Escalante National Monument 4.Geology 5.Kaiparowits Plateau coal Compiled by M. Lee Allison, State Geologist field 6.Oil and Gas Potential Contributors: 7.Tar-sand Resources Robert E. Blackett, Editor 8.Non-fuel Minerals and Thomas C. Chidsey Jr., Oil and Gas Mining David E. Tabet, Coal and Coal-Bed Gas 9.Acknowledgments Robert W. Gloyn, Minerals 10.References Charles E. Bishop, Tar-Sands January 1997 UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY a division of UTAH DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES CONTENTS PREFACE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION Background Purpose and Scope GEOLOGY Regional Structure Permian through Jurassic Stratigraphy Cretaceous and Tertiary Stratigraphy THE KAIPAROWITS PLATEAU COAL FIELD History of Mining and Exploration Coal Resources Coal Resources on School and Institutional Trust Lands Sulfur Content of Kaiparowits Coal Coal-bed Gas Resources Further Coal Resource Assessments Needed OIL AND GAS POTENTIAL Source Rocks Potential Reservoirs Trapping Mechanisms Exploration and Development Carbon Dioxide Further Oil and Gas Resource Assessments Needed TAR-SAND RESOURCES OF THE CIRCLE CLIFFS AREA NON-FUEL MINERALS AND MINING Manganese Uranium-Vanadium Zirconium-Titanium Gold Copper, Lead and Zinc Industrial and Construction Materials Mining Activity Further Non-Fuel Mineral Resource Assessments Needed ACKNOWLEDGMENTS REFERENCES APPENDIX A: Presidential proclamation APPENDIX B: Summary of the coal resource of Kaiparowits Plateau and its value APPENDIX C: Summary of coal resources on School and Institutional Trust Lands APPENDIX D: Authorized Federal Oil and Gas Leases in the monument ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. -
Water Quality Monitoring for the Escalante River and Coyote Gulch in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 2014 Summary Report
National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Water Quality Monitoring for the Escalante River and Coyote Gulch in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 2014 Summary Report Natural Resource Data Series NPS/SCPN/NRDS—2017/1134 ON THE COVER Water quality monitoring site ESC02 on the Escalante River in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Photography by SCPN Water Quality Monitoring for the Escalante River and Coyote Gulch in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 2014 Summary Report Natural Resource Data Series NPS/SCPN/NRDS—2017/1134 Melissa Dyer Stephen A. Monroe Stacy E. Stumpf National Park Service Southern Colorado Plateau Network 525 S. Beaver, Building 20 PO Box 5663 Flagstaff, AZ, 86011-5663 December 2017 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conserva- tion and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Data Series is intended for the timely release of basic data sets and data summaries. Care has been taken to assure accuracy of raw data values, but a thorough analysis and interpretation of the data has not been completed. Consequently, the initial analyses of data in this report are provisional and subject to change. Please direct any data requests to the water resources project manager or the SCPN data manager. -
Aquatic Ecosystems and Invertebrates of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Cooperative Agreement Number JSA990024 Annual Report of Activities for 2000
Aquatic Ecosystems and Invertebrates of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Cooperative Agreement Number JSA990024 Annual Report of Activities for 2000 Mark Vinson National Aquatic Monitoring Center Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Utah State University Logan, Utah 84322-5210 www.usu.edu/buglab 1 April 2001 i Table of contents Page Foreword ........................................................................... i Introduction ........................................................................ 1 Study area ......................................................................... 1 Long-term repeat sampling sites ........................................................ 2 Methods Locations and physical habitat ................................................... 3 Aquatic invertebrates Qualitative samples...................................................... 3 Quantitative samples ..................................................... 4 Laboratory methods ........................................................... 4 Results Sampling locations............................................................ 5 Habitat types................................................................. 6 Water temperatures ........................................................... 8 Aquatic invertebrates .......................................................... 8 Literature cited..................................................................... 13 Appendices 1. Aquatic invertebrates collected in the major habitats A. Alcove pools ...................................................... -
Bryce Canyon National Park From: Utah Place Names
Bryce Canyon National Park from: Utah Place Names BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK (Garfield County) has a north-northeast by south-southwest orientation and runs parallel to the Sevier River, East Fork. The canyon drainage goes into the Paria River. The spectacularly colorful Pink Cliffs, named by Major Powell's survey party at the center of the National Park, are the east escarpment of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The Pink Cliffs have been sculptured by water, wind, and gravity into pinnacles, columns, cliffs, castles, and shapes of indescribable form and beauty. The park is not a canyon per se, but the edge of a plateau which can be enjoyed from above or from the depths below. The park was established in 1928 by President Hoover. See Bryce Canyon below for name source. BRYCE CANYON (Garfield County) originates in the center of Bryce Canyon National Park and continues east to the Paria River. It was named for Ebenezer Bryce, a pioneer cattleman who homesteaded there in the fall of 1875. Bibliography: Our Pioneer Heritage, 17 vols. Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. (v17). Creer, Leland Hargrave. The Founding of an Empire: The Exploration and Colonization of Utah, 1776 -1856. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1947. Layton, Stanford J. "Fort Rawlins, Utah: A Question of Mission and Means." Utah Historical Quarterly 42 (Winter 1974): 68-83. Utah, A Guide to the State. Work Projects Administration. Comp. by Utah State Institute of Fine Arts, Salt Lake County Commission. New York: Hastings House, 1941. Woodbury, Angus Munn. A History of Southern Utah and Its National Parks. Salt Lake City: State Historical Society, 1950.