Zion Canyon - Springdale, UT
Posted by: 
bluesnote
N 37° 13.118 W 112° 58.482
12S E 324793 N 4120953
Millions of years of erosion from the Virgin River, and you get Zion Canyon.
Waymark Code: WMQEYH
Location: Utah, United States
Date Posted: 02/18/2016
Views: 12
Just like the grand canyon, this canyon was formed due to a river. The Virgin River, cut the many layers of sandstone by about 3,000 feet and it is still cutting the canyon today.
Taken from the website below:
"Zion National Park is a showcase of geology. The arid climate and sparse vegetation expose bare rock and reveal the park’s geologic history.
Sedimentation
Zion was a relatively flat basin near sea level 275 mil- lion years ago. As sands, gravels, and muds eroded from surrounding mountains, streams carried these materials into the basin and deposited them in layers. The sheer weight of these accumulated layers caused the basin to sink, so that the top surface always remained near sea level. As the land rose and fell and as the climate changed, the depositional environ- ment fluctuated from shallow seas to coastal plains to a desert of massive windblown sand. This process of sedimentation continued until over 10,000 feet of material accumulated.
Lithification
Mineral-laden waters slowly filtered through the compacted sediments. Iron oxide, calcium carbonate, and silica acted as cementing agents, and with pres- sure from overlying layers over long periods of time, transformed the deposits into stone. Ancient seabeds became limestone; mud and clay became mudstones and shale; and river sand and sand dunes became sandstone. Each layer originated from a distinct source and so differs in thickness, mineral content, color, and eroded appearance.
Uplift
In an area from Zion to the Rocky Mountains, forces deep within the earth started to push the surface up. This was not chaotic uplift, but slow vertical hoist- ing of huge blocks of the crust. Zion’s elevation rose from near sea level to as high as 10,000 feet above sea level.
Uplift is still occurring. In 1992 a magnitude 5.8 earthquake caused a landslide visible just outside the south entrance of the park.
Erosion
This uplift gave the streams greater cutting force in their descent to the sea. Zion’s location on the west- ern edge of this uplift caused the streams to tumble off the plateau, flowing rapidly down a steep gradi- ent. These streams began eroding and cutting into the rock layers, forming deep and narrow canyons. Grain by grain the Virgin River has carried away several thousand feet of rock that once lay above the highest layers visible today.
The Virgin River is still excavating. Upstream from the Temple of Sinawava, the river cuts through Na- vajo Sandstone, creating a slot canyon. At the Temple, the river has reached the softer Kayenta Formation below. Water erodes the shale, undermining the over- laying sandstone and causing it to collapse, widening the canyon.
Volcanic Activity
Volcanic vents, created as a result of the weakening of the Earth’s crust during uplift, allowed lava flows and cinder cones to form. Cinder was piled several hundred feet high in classic cone shapes and lava flowed into valleys. Cinder cones and black basalt flows are visible west of Rockville and on Kolob Terrace."
Waymark is confirmed to be publicly accessible: yes
Access fee (In local currency): .00
Requires a high clearance vehicle to visit.: no
Requires 4x4 vehicle to visit.: no
Public Transport available: yes
Website reference: [Web Link]
Parking Coordinates: Not Listed
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Visit Instructions:
No specific requirements, just have fun visiting the waymark.