Weekly Photo Challenge – Weathered Rock Formations

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Mercy and Will went to Zion National Park in 2016 for Canyonning and rock climbing. They took rock climbing lessons prior to their adventure. It was an awing experience to them.

Zion National Park

Zion National Park in southern Utah is amid the impressive National Parks and National Monuments. The Park’s abundant beauty stops visitors in their tracks and leaving them gaping in awe. The crushing violence of Mother Nature has created the weathered perfection in the heart of Utah.

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The nine-known exposed geologic formations in Zion National Park are part of a super-sequence of rock units called the Grand Staircase. The rock formations represent about 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation in North America.

  • Uplift affected the entire region, known as the Colorado Plateaus, by slowly raising these formations more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) higher than where they were deposited.

  • The faster-moving streams took advantage of uplift-created joints in the rocks. Eventually, all Cenozoic-aged formations were removed, and gorges were cut into the plateaus. Zion Canyon was cut by the North Fork of the Virgin River in this way. During the latter part of this process, lava flows and cinder cones covered parts of the area.

  • High water volume after snowstorm in wet seasons does most of the downcutting in the main canyon.

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Activities

  • Guided horseback riding trips, nature walks, and evening programs are available from late March to early November.

  • The Junior Ranger Program for ages 6 to 12 is active from Memorial Day to Labor at the Zion Nature Center.

  • Seven trails with round-trip times of half an hour (Weeping Rock) to 4 hours are found in Zion Canyon.

  • Lodging in the park is available at Zion Lodge, located halfway through Zion Canyon.

  • Three campgrounds are available. Overnight camping in the backcountry requires permits.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_National_Park#Geology

Weekly Photo Challenge: Weathered

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