Flaming Gorge EarthCache
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From this overlook, you will have an excellent view to the west of Flaming Gorge Reservoir and the cliffs of Flaming Gorge.
Flaming Gorge was named by John Wesley Powell during his first voyage down the Green River in 1869. The red canyon wall which you see on the left was one of the first that he saw on his trip.
“The Green River enters the Uinta Mountains by a flaring, brilliant, vermilion gorge, a conspicuous and well-known locality, to which, several years ago, I gave the name Flaming Gorge” (Powell, 1876).
The red and orange coloring comes from hematite, which is the mineral form of iron oxide. This wall is composed of Jurassic and Triassic rocks from three different formations, which were laid down near sea level in environments ranging from mudflats to desert sand dunes.
The wall to your right is composed of two different formations: the Hilliard (or Baxter) Shale, which forms the badlands on the bottom of the wall, and the Blair Sandstone, which forms the sheer sandstone at the top.
To receive credit for this Earthcache, email me the answer to the following questions:
1.) What three formations make up the canyon wall of Flaming Gorge?
2.) How long ago was the Hilliard Shale deposited?
Please consider posting photos of yourself, or the local geology, when you log this EarthCache. Photos can be an additional rewarding part of your journey, but posting them is not a requirement for logging this EarthCache, and is strictly optional.
The above information was compiled from the following sources:
BLM Informational Sign at Site
Hintz, L.F. 2005. Utah’s Spectacular Geology, How It Came to Be.
Hansen, W. 2005. The Geologic Story of the Unita Mountains.
Powell, J.W. 1876. Report on the geology of the eastern portion of the Uinta Mountains and a region of country adjacent thereto: U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey Territories.
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