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Encyclopedia > Canyonlands
Canyonlands National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Location: Utah, USA
Nearest city: Moab, Utah
Coordinates: 38°12′0″N, 109°56′0″W
Area: 337,597.83 acres
  (337,570.43 federal)

1,366.21 km²
Established: September 12, 1964
Visitation: 393,381 (in 2005)
Governing body: National Park Service
A portion of the Great Gallery in Horseshoe Canyon
A portion of the Great Gallery in Horseshoe Canyon
View from the Green River Overlook
View from the Green River Overlook
View from the Grand Viewpoint Overlook
View from the Grand Viewpoint Overlook
Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, with washer-woman arch in background
Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, with washer-woman arch in background

Canyonlands National Park, located near Moab, Utah and the Arches National Park, was designated as a National Park on September 12, 1964. The park covers 527.5 mi² (1,366 km²). The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales, UK A national park is a reserve of land, usually declared and owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. ... Image File history File links Locator_Dot. ... Image File history File links US_Locator_Blank. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... Moab is a city in Grand County, Utah, United States. ... Portal:Currentevents September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 757 KB) Summary This portion of the Great Gallery, found in Horseshoe Canyon, is an example of a Barrier Canyon Style pictograph (painted rock art). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 757 KB) Summary This portion of the Great Gallery, found in Horseshoe Canyon, is an example of a Barrier Canyon Style pictograph (painted rock art). ... There are two places known as Horseshoe Canyon. ... View from the Grand Viewpoint Overlook, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, Island in the Sky district. ... View from the Grand Viewpoint Overlook, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, Island in the Sky district. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (4408x1581, 946 KB) Summary Subject: Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA Author: Michael Rissi, 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (4408x1581, 946 KB) Summary Subject: Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA Author: Michael Rissi, 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU... Moab is a city in Grand County, Utah, United States. ... Arches National Park preserves over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to a variety of unique geological resources and formations. ... Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales, UK A national park is a reserve of land, usually declared and owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. ... Portal:Currentevents September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here areas between 1,000 km² and 10,000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ...


Canyons carved into the Colorado Plateau by the Colorado River and Green River partition the area into three major districts: The Colorado Plateau, also called the Colorado Plateaus Province, is a physiographic region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. ... Colorado River in the Grand Canyon from Desert View The Colorado River is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately 1,450 mi (2,333 km) long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. ... The Green River, a tributary of the Colorado, is shown highlighted on a map of the western United States. ...

  • Island in the Sky to the north
  • The Needles to the south-east
  • The Maze to the west

In addition to the three major districts there is a detached unit to the north, called the Horseshoe Canyon Unit. There are two places known as Horseshoe Canyon. ...

Contents

Geography

The Island in the Sky and Needles districts are accessible via paved roads from U.S. 191 which passes through Moab. The Maze is the most remote of the three districts and is only accessible from the west (Utah 24 or 95) via unpaved roads. There are no road connections between the districts within the park and traveling between them may take two to six hours by car. U.S. Highway 191 is a spur of former U.S. Highway 91 that has two branches. ... Moab is a city in Grand County, Utah, United States. ...


Island in the Sky is a broad and level mesa to the north of the park between Colorado and Green river with many spectacular overlooks over the White Rim, a sandstone bench 1200 feet (365 m) below the Island, and the rivers which are another 1000 feet (304 m) below the White Rim. Several mesas near Los Alamos, New Mexico. ... Colorado River in the Grand Canyon from Desert View The Colorado River is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately 1,450 mi (2,333 km) long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. ... The Green River, a tributary of the Colorado, is shown highlighted on a map of the western United States. ...


The Needles district is named after the red and white banded rock pinnacles which dominate it but various other forms of naturally sculptured rock like canyons, grabens, potholes, and a number of arches similar to the ones of the nearby Arches National Park can be found as well. Unlike Arches National Park, however, where many arches are accessible by short to moderate hikes or even by car, most of the arches in the Needles district lie in backcountry canyons and take long hikes or four-wheel-drive trips to reach. Arches National Park preserves over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to a variety of unique geological resources and formations. ... The Jeep Wrangler is a 4WD vehicle with a transfer case to select low range or high range 4WD. The Lamborghini Murciélago is a 4WD/AWD that powers the front via a VCU if the rear slips. ...


This area was once home of the Ancestral Puebloan Indians of which many traces can be found. Although the items and tools they used have been largely taken away by looters, many of their stone and mud dwellings are well-preserved. The Ancestral Puebloans also left traces in the form of petroglyphs, most notably on the so-called Newspaper Rock near the Visitor Center at the entrance of this district. Ancient Pueblo People, or Ancestral Puebloans is the preferred term for the group of peoples often known as Anasazi who are the ancestors of the modern Pueblo peoples. ... Petroglyphs on Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument, southern Utah, USA Petroglyphs are images incised in rock, usually by prehistoric, especially Neolithic, peoples. ... Newspaper Rock Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument is located in some 25 miles (40 km) north and west of Monticello in eastern Utah, western United States, and south and west of Moab. ...


The Maze district west of the Colorado and Green rivers is the most remote and inaccessible section.


The detached unit to the north, the Horseshoe Canyon unit, contains large panels of rock art made by hunter-gatherers of the Late Archaic Period who predated the Ancestral Puebloans. The most notable panel in the canyon is named the Great Gallery. There are two places known as Horseshoe Canyon. ...


Geology

Main article: Geology of the Canyonlands area

A subsiding basin and nearby uplifting mountain range (the Uncompahgre) existed in the area in Pennsylvanian time. Seawater trapped in the subsiding basin created thick evaporite deposits by Mid Pennsylvanian. This, along with eroded material from the nearby mountain range, become the Paradox Formation, itself a part of the Hermosa Group. Paradox salt beds started to flow later in the Pennsylvanian and probably continued to move until the end of the Jurassic. Some scientists believe Upheaval Dome was created from Paradox salt bed movement, creating a salt dome, but more modern studies show that the meteorite theory is more likely to be correct. The exposed geology of the Canyonlands area is complex and diverse; 12 formations are exposed in Canyonlands National Park that range in age from Pennsylvanian to Cretaceous. ... The term sedimentary basin is used to refer to any geographical feature exhibiting subsidence and consequent infilling by sedimentation. ... The Himalaya as seen from the International Space Station A mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers. ... The Pennsylvanian is an epoch of the Carboniferous period lasting from roughly 325 Ma to 299 Ma (million years ago). ... Evaporites are water-soluble, mineral sediments that result from the evaporation of saline water. ... // The image above is believed to be a replaceable fair use image. ... Upheaval Dome is a meteor crater in Utah, United States. ... A salt dome is formed when a thick bed of evaporite minerals (mainly salt, or halite) found at depth intrudes vertically into surrounding rock strata, forming a diapir. ... Willamette Meteorite A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives an impact with the Earths surface without being destroyed. ...


A warm shallow sea again flooded the region near the end of the Pennsylvanian. Fossil-rich limestones, sandstones, and shales of the gray-colored Honaker Trail Formation resulted. A period of erosion then ensued, creating a break in the geologic record called an unconformity. Early in the Permian an advancing sea laid down the Halgaito Shale. Coastal lowlands later returned to the area, forming the Elephant Canyon Formation. An ammonite fossil Eocene fossil fish of the genus Knightia Petrified wood fossil formed through permineralization. ... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Red sandstone interior of Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona, worn smooth due to erosion by flash flooding over millions of years Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. ... Shale Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock and other particles) by the agents of wind, water or ice, by downward or down-slope movement in response to gravity or by living organisms (in the case of... There is a billion year gap in the geologic record where this 500 million year old dolomite lies on 1. ... The Permian is a geologic period that extends from about 299. ...


Large alluvial fans filled the basin where it met the Uncompahgre Mountains, creating the Cutler red beds of iron-rich arkose sandstone. Underwater sand bars and sand dunes on the coast inter-fingered with the red beds and later became the white-colored cliff-forming Cedar Mesa Sandstone. Brightly-colored oxidized muds were then deposited, forming the Organ Rock Shale. Coastal sand dunes and marine sand bars once again became dominate, creating the White Rim Sandstone. Alluvial Fan in Death Valley An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing stream flattens, slows, and spreads typically at the exit of a canyon onto a flatter plain. ... The Cutler is a rock unit that is spread across the U.S. states of Arizona, northwest New Mexico, southeast Utah and southwest Colorado. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ... In geography, a bar is a linear shoaling landform feature within a body of water. ... This article is about the sand formations, for other meanings see Dune (disambiguation) Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by eolian (wind-related) processes. ... The most fundamental reactions in chemistry are the redox processes. ...

Druid Arch in the Needles District
Druid Arch in the Needles District

A second unconformity was created after the Permian sea retreated. Flood plains on an expansive lowland covered the eroded surface and mud built up in tidal flats, creating the Moenkopi Formation. Erosion returned, forming a third unconformity. The Chinle Formation was then laid down on top of this eroded surface. Two druids, from an 1845 publication, based on a bas-relief found at Autun, France. ... The Moenkopi is a formation that is spread across the U.S. states of New Mexico, northern Arizona, Nevada, southeastern California, eastern Utah and western Colorado. ...


Increasingly dry climates dominated the Triassic. Therefore, sand in the form of sand dunes invaded and became the Wingate Sandstone. For a time climatic conditions became wetter and streams cut channels through the sand dunes, forming the Kayenta Formation. Arid conditions returned to the region with a vengeance; A large desert spread over much of western North America and later became the Navajo Sandstone. A fourth unconformity was created by a period of erosion. Wingate Sandstone is a geologic formation in the Glen Canyon Group that is spread across the Colorado Plateau province of the United States, including northern Arizona, northwest Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. ... Erg Chebbi, Morocco In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives very little precipitation. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...

Rock formations in the Needles district
Rock formations in the Needles district

Mud flats returned, forming the Carmel Formation and the Entrada Sandstone was laid down next. A long period of erosion stripped away most of the San Rafael Group in the area along with any formations that may have been laid down in the Cretaceous period. The Carmel Formation is a geologic formation in the San Rafael Group that is spread across the U.S. states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, north east Arizona and New Mexico. ... Entrada Sandstone capped by Curtis Formation in Capitol Reef National Parks Cathedral Valley The Entrada Sandstone is a formation in the San Rafael Group that is spread across the U.S. states of Wyoming, Colorado, northwest New Mexico, northeast Arizona and southeast Utah. ... The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ...


The Laramide orogeny started to uplift the Rocky Mountains 70 million years ago and with it the Canyonlands region. Erosion intensified and when the Colorado River Canyon reached the salt beds of the Paradox Formation the overlying strata extended toward the river canyon, forming features such as The Grabens. Increased precipitation during the ice ages of the Pleistocene quickened the rate of canyon excavation along with other erosion. Similar types of erosion are ongoing, but occur at a slower rate. The Laramide orogeny was a period of mountain building in western North America, which started in the Late Cretaceous, 70 to 80 million years ago, and ended 35 to 55 million years ago. ... Moraine Lake, and the Valley of the Ten Peaks, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... The Pleistocene epoch (IPA: ) is part of the geologic timescale. ...


References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Canyonlands_National_Park

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is a Cabinet department of the United States government that manages and conserves most federally owned land. ...

External links

Parks of Utah
National Parks
Arches National ParkBryce Canyon National ParkCanyonlands National ParkCapitol Reef National ParkZion National Park
National Monuments
Cedar Breaks National MonumentDinosaur National Monument • Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument • Hovenweep National MonumentNatural Bridges National MonumentRainbow Bridge National MonumentTimpanogos Cave National Monument
State Parks
Northern Region
Antelope Island State ParkBear Lake • Camp Floyd State Park • Deer Creek State Park • East Canyon State Park • Great Salt Lake State Park • Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail • Jordanelle State Park • Hyrum Lake State Park • Red Fleet State Park • Rockport State Park • Starvation State Park • Steinaker State Park • Utah Lake • Wasatch Mountain • Willard Bay State Park
Central Region
Fremont Indian State ParkGoblin Valley State Park • Green River State Park • Huntington State Park • Millsite State Park • Palisade State Park • Scofield State Park • Territorial Statehouse • Yuba Lake State Park
Southern Region
Anasazi Indian State Park • Coral Pink Sand Dunes State ParkDead Horse Point State Park • Edge Of the Cedars State Park • Escalante State Park • Goosenecks State Park • Gunlock State Park • Iron Mission State Park • Kodachrome Basin State ParkNewspaper Rock State Historic Monument • Otter Creek State Park • Piute State Park • Quail Creek State Park • Sand Hollow State Park • Snow Canyon State Park
Municipal parks
Ft. Buenaventura • Lost Creek Reservoir • Jordan River Parkway • Minersville Reservoir • Veterans Memorial Park • This Is The Place Heritage Park

  Results from FactBites:
 
Lodging Canyonlands National Park|Canyonlands National Park Information|Canyonlands Moab Utah History (1648 words)
Canyonlands National Park preserves 527 square miles (848 square km) of colorful sandstone canyons, mesas, buttes, fins, Canyonlands and spires in the heart of the Colorado Plateau in Southeastern Utah.
Canyonlands National Park preserves one of the last, relatively undisturbed areas of the Colorado Plateau, a geological province that encompasses much of the Colorado River and its tributaries.
The foundation of Canyonlands' ecology is its remarkable geology, which is visible everywhere in cliff profiles that reveal millions of years of deposition and erosion.
Canyonlands National Park, Utah; Island in the Sky and The Needles (548 words)
Canyonlands National Park covers a vast area of rock wilderness in southeast Utah, centred around the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers.
The Canyonlands area was only designated a National Park in 1964; before this most of the terrain was unvisited, and also largely unvisitable.
The Maze section of Canyonlands, west of the rivers, is the wildest and remotest section of the national park, and possibly of all Utah.
  More results at FactBites »


 
 

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