Along with hike descriptions, the book provides information on the geology. This is for the real geologist, or student of geology. View from utah highway 12 of grand staircaseescalante national monument. Even here there was a sheer 45 foot cliff to overcome, and six. Grand staircase geological feature, utah, united states. Pollock4 geology of utah s parks and monuments 2000 utah geological association publication 28 d. Roads through the grand staircaseescalante national. The inspiration for is the beauty and unsurpassed geologic exposures of utah and the colorado plateau.
Grand staircaseescalante national monument publications. Tourists and geologists alike come from all over the world to see and study the magnificent exposures of geologic units displayed in utah s colorado plateau region. Grand staircase escalantenational monument desertusa. The books have been set aside for all to read and enjoy in grand canyon, zion, and bryce anyon national parks and the grand staircasec escalante national monument gsenm.
A compilation of papers by mlany wellrespected people in the field. The impressive scale and color of the grand staircase geology makes it a spectacular natural phenomenon which draws thousands of visitors each year. Grand staircaseescalante encompasses the largest land area of all u. Geology of grand staircase escalante national monument, utah hellmut h. Pollock4 geology of utahs parks and monuments 2000 utah geological association publication 28 d. Grand staircase has five escarpments rising in giant steps a total of 5,500 feet. Bryce canyon national park grand staircase national monument geology. Webb utah state university press, 2007 read overview hell or high water.
Grand staircase grand canyon geology field course youtube. The geologic story of canyonlands national park by stanley. Geology of the grand canyon area grand staircaseescalante national monument. The grand staircase is an immense sequence of sedimentary rock layers that stretch south from bryce canyon national park through zion national park and into the grand canyon. Age and travel have a way of tricking me back to geology.
Grand staircase escalante national monument stock pictures. Grand staircaseescalante national monument kuer 90. Grand staircaseescalante national monument kane county, utah the grand staircaseescalante national monument gsenm is a united states national monument that originally designated 1,880,461 acres 7,610. Rock names dont interest me but weathering, anticline, synclines, tectonic forces do. See more ideas about grand staircase, escalante national monument and. Deposit and uplift created this magnificent natural wonder. From its spectacular grand staircase of cliffs and terraces, across the rugged kaiparowits plateau, to the wonders of the escalante river canyons, the monuments size, resources, and remote. Grand staircaseescalante national monument kane county, utah bucket list item. Roads through the grand staircaseescalante national monument, utah. Short hikes in grand staircaseescalante national monument. The grand staircase is an immense sequence of sedimentary rock. The bulk of the trip will be hiking in the grand staircase. Utah indicating potential hydrocarbon source rocks, reservoir, and seal figure 11.
Grand staircaseescalante is known for its geologic formations and archaeological artifacts. The cockscomb at right runs along cottonwood canyon road. Department of geology and geophysics, university of utah and research. Exploring grand staircaseescalante national monument with. Had the pleasure of visiting the grand canyon, led by dr. Pdf geology of grand staircaseescalante national monument. She lives in grand junction, colorado, with her husband, mike williams. The ugss martha hayden, don deblieux, and jim kirkland with their complimentary copies of the volume. In the grand staircaseescalante national monument and the glen canyon. In the 1870s, geologist clarence dutton first conceptualized this region as a huge stairway ascending out of the bottom of the grand canyon northward with the cliff edge. Until recently, i didnt realize how all three of our national parks, bryce canyon, zion park, and the grand canyon are connected and relate to the the. Geology of parks, monuments, and wildlands of southern utah u. The books have been set aside for all to read and enjoy in.
Grand staircaseescalante national monument a delawaresized museum of sedimentary erosion that walks you down through a 200millionyearold staircase of animals thats us. Grand staircaseescalante roads pristine and remote describes the roadways within the grand staircase escalante national monument. Grand canyon, zion, and bryce canyon national parks and the grand staircase. About 300 million years ago, this land was at times a great saharalike desert, with dunes towering hundreds of feet high. Following the 1996 establishment of the grand staircaseescalante national monument gsenm, paleontological research in this largely unstudied region of the nation accelerated at a remarkable pace, thanks to an infusion of research dollars from the federal government. Consider purchasing one or two to help insure a great trip. Download premium images you cant get anywhere else. The grand staircase geology did you know that bryce canyon is geologically part of the grand staircasethe same staircase that is part of the escalantegrand staircase national monument. Grand staircaseescalante national monument wikipedia. In late april i took nine enthusiastic venturers to the grand staircaseescalante national monument in southern utah.
The geologic story of canyonlands national park by stanley william lohman. The grand staircase is a series of five steps rising about 5,500 feet 1,675 metres across the southwestern part of the monument. I am leaving my original answer which referred to the grand staircase in the grand staircase escalante national monument and expanding it to address clarence duttons definition from 1870 of the gran. Holeintherock road, grand staircaseescalante national. Grand staircaseescalante national monument spans nearly 1. General overview of the grand staircase the term grand staircase was first applied to this region by charles keyes 1924. Geology of grand staircaseescalante national monument, utah. Grand staircase volume published utah geological survey. Energy and mineral resources, grand staircase escalante. The 1923 usgs colorado river expedition by diane e. Grand staircase geology field trip summer 2015 capitol reef, bryce canyon, zion, and the grand canyon. Grand staircaseescalante map national park reservations.
The staircase is huge, consisting of almost twomillion acres of plateaus, mesas, buttes, slot canyons all in a primitive setting. This full service and the nationally recognized lodge offers not only fantastic amenities but also an unparalleled tranquil ambiance and views of the surrounding red rock canyons and wide open skies. The area is astounding and contains colorful and interesting rock formations, many native sites, a few streams and waterfalls, and more scenery than one can possible assimilate in one week. The inspiration for is the beauty and unsurpassed geologic. In the 1870s, geologist clarence dutton first conceptualized this. The life and landscape of grand staircaseescalante hachette. Learn about the geology of grand staircase at the informative visitor centers. Grand staircaseescalante national monument bureau of.
A major effort in the new century has documented over 2,000 new vertebrate fossil sites, provided new radiometric dates, and identified five new genera of ceratopsids, two new species of hadrosaur, a probable new genus of hypsilophodontid, new. The monuments resources and remote character provide extraordinary opportunities for visitors, geologists, paleontologists, archeologists, historians, and. Southern utah university the hunter conference center and the center for rural life, paragon press, utah state advisory council on science and technology, utah division of wildlife resources, and utah geological surveyp. Of particular interest is the grand staircase, which is an immense sequence of sedimentary rock layers that stretches south from bryce canyon national park and grand staircase escalante national monument. Grand staircaseescalante national monument spans the spectacular grand staircase of cliffs and terraces, the rugged kaiparowits plateau, and the wonders of the escalante river canyons. Geology of the grand staircaseescalante national monument, utah. Unfortunately it also holds large amounts of natural resources including natural gas, uranium, and coal.
The grand staircaseescalante national monument gsenm is a united states national monument that originally designated 1,880,461 acres 7,610 km 2 of protected land in southern utah in 1996. Whether youre kicking up your heels and line dancing, savoring the homestyle meals in the dining room, nestling into an overstuffed. The geologic story of canyonlands national park language. The grand staircaseescalante national monument in southern utah obviously appeals to the wilderness hiker, but the ancient beauty, varied ruggedness, and the impossibly shaped stone also draws the casual hiker and the windshield tourist. This was above my grade level, though ive had 2 college courses in geology. The grand staircaseescalante national monument in utah is the location of one of the. Potential oil and gas traps within the grand staircase escalante national monument. The grand staircase escalante national monument in utah is the location of one of the bestknown terrestrial records for the late cretaceous. Felicie williams grew up with colorados rocks and the geologic tutelage of her mother, halka chronic. A 656page book chronicling the paleontological discoveries and success evidenced so far at utah s grand staircaseescalante national monument has been published, even as new discoveries continue to unfold on a near daily basis. A road log and guide for public school teachers geological society of america 2002 rocky mountain section annual meeting, cedar city, utah 1011 may 2002 larry e. The monuments size was later reduced by a succeeding presidential proclamation in 2017. She earned a bachelors degree in geology from colorado university in boulder and a master of science in geology from the university of british columbia. Holeintherock is the evocative name given by mormon settlers in 1879 the san juan mission to a short, steep valley leading towards the colorado river, the only breach for many miles in the otherwise vertical cliffs of glen canyon that constituted an almost impassable barrier between the then unsettled lands in southeast utah.
Advice would be appreciated on the best hiking opportunities there. The grand staircase is an immense sequence of sedimentary rock layers that stretch south. Ive read almost all utah geology books aimed at the general reader, and. The paperback of the visions of the grand staircaseescalante. Geology of grand staircaseescalante national monument, utah hellmut h. Utah scenic byway 12 travels along the northern border of grand staircase escalante national monument, occasionally slipping into the dixie national forest for a scenic detour. The grand staircase was designated a national monument in 1996 by president clinton and has some of the best hiking in the lower 48 states. Boulder mountain lodge is an oasis among the utah desert and located just minutes from the grand staircase escalante national monument. The grand staircase is so vast and the roads entering it come from so many directions. The grand staircase, bryce canyon, and escalante, utah. For 10 days students are provided a realworld laboratory in the colorado plateau, highlighting the geology of the grand staircase at bryce canyon and zion national parks, utah and culminating in a 5day backpacking trek across the grand canyon, arizona. Highway 89 defines the southern border and highway 12 accesses the northern side. There is no lodging in the grand staircaseescalante national monument itself, but there are numerous good options in the small towns near the park.
Find highquality grand staircase escalante national monument stock photos and editorial news pictures from getty images. Hundreds of miles of trails and canyoneering routes lead to arches, natural bridges, lonely slickrock gorges, wooded mesas, and open desert valleys. A new and critical window into the world of dinosaurs scott d. In addition to highways 12 and 89, there are 959 miles of open road in the grand staircase. A 656page book chronicling the paleontological discoveries and success evidenced so far at utahs grand staircaseescalante national monument has been published, even as new discoveries continue to unfold on a near daily basis.
Find out in the geology of the parks, monuments, and wildlands of southern utah. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. Geology of the grand staircaseescalante national monument. My wife and i are planning a short escape trip for midnovember to do some hiking in utah, and would like to visit grand staircaseescalante national monument, the one national parkmonument in the state with which we are least experienced. Hiking grand staircaseescalante and the glen canyon. Glendale, utah, located on highway 89, northeast of zion national park, connects the. Hazlett have traced the evolution of this desert landscape through a rich narrative that serves both newly inquisitive visitors as well as students of natural history. This site tries to compliment the incredible geologic exposures of the colorado plateau by supplying articles, information, products and data which will aid those seeking to understand the geology that makes utah amazing. The glen canyon region, stretching 150 miles across southern utah, is a land of outstanding scenery and excellent hiking opportunities. Travel books, guides and maps that may be helpful in planning your trip to the grand staircase nm area are listed below. Grand canyon geology 2nd edition, 2003 online research. Grand staircaseescalante national monument, utah hotels. When jo, tom, and lois, california friends, suggested that we take a road trip to include visits to zion, bryce canyon, mesa verde and grand canyon national parks.
Grand staircase geology field trip field trips geology. A landscape view from state route 12 through the grand staircaseescalante national monument. James whites disputed passage through grand canyon, 1867 by eilean adams utah state university press, 2001. Check out our interactive map featuring lodging, activities and points of interest in and around the park. Several miles out from the utah town of kanab, all five stair steps of the grand staircaseescalante national monument can be seen.
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