Geology of Utah's RiversDespite being the second-driest state in the U.S., a substantial portion of Utah's geologic and cultural history involves rivers, and the effects of flowing water are evident across the state. This book is about the geology of the rivers that shaped Utah's present landscape, the ancient rivers that left their deposits as a part of the mountains, and the mythical rivers that inspired early exploration. Parry approaches his subject from many angles--the mountain building events that provide a source for the rivers, the physiographic provinces that give the modern rivers their character, and the deposits of sand and gravel that formed as ancient rivers flowed. Fossil and modern fish fauna are described to provide a unique guide to some aspects of rivers not available by any other method. The description of rivers is completed with the 'historical' account of rivers that did not exist--the mythical rivers of Utah. Transcending the notion of a traditional geology text, Parry provides detailed commentary on historical exploration and the development of the local scenery. His ambitious scholarship offers a fresh look at Utah's changing landscape throughout geologic time. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Index map of Utah | 4 |
How Rivers Function II | 11 |
Copyright | |
39 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
alluvial anticline Basin and Range Bear River bedrock bend braided river brown trout channel Chinle Formation Cliffs Colorado Plateau Colorado River confluence Creek Cretaceous drainage Duchesne River East Fork eastward Eocene eroded erosion Escalante feet fish flank Formation abbreviations formed Fremont River geologic maps Gilbert Peak glaciation gradient gravel Green River Jurassic Kayenta Lake Powell Laramide limestone meanders Mesa Mesozoic million years ago Moenkopi Formation Morrison Formation Moun mountain building mountain-building events Navajo Sandstone normal faults northwest Paleozoic Permian Precambrian Price River Provo River relief and geologic Reservoir River begins river flows River Formation river system Salt Lake San Juan River sediment sedimentary rocks Sevier Plateau Sevier River Sevier Valley Shaded relief siltstone slope southwest structure surface terraces Tertiary thrust fault thrust sheets Triassic tributary U.S. Geological Survey Uinta Mountain Group Uinta Mountains uplift Utah Virgin River volcanic rocks Wasatch Formation Wasatch Mountains Weber River western Wingate Wyoming