Zion Narrows
The Zion Narrows are a series of narrow canyons of the Virgin River in Zion National Park in the southwestern US state of Utah . These are rock breakthroughs through the soft Navajo sandstone that were created by the river over millions of years. The Narrows are around 26 km long and can be walked on the Riverside Trail when the tide is low .
geography
The Virgin River arises from two source rivers, the East Fork Virgin and the North Fork Virgin . The Narrows are formed by the North Fork Virgin, which rises in Kane County , Utah at an altitude of 2,800 m and initially flows in a westerly direction. After about 18 km the river reaches Chamberlain's Ranch , the entry point to the trail through the canyon. After three kilometers it crosses the border to Zion National Park and forms a 150 m deep gorge here. In this area there are about 3.5 m high waterfalls, the North Fork Falls . Six kilometers further at the confluence of the Deep Creek , the gorge is already 400 m deep and the river turns south. From here the canyon becomes flatter and wider, the sandstone walls are only 10 to 30 meters high and have trees on both sides. After another four kilometers at Big Spring , the canyon narrows again, the walls get higher and the actual narrows begin. From the west the Orderville Canyon , which is only temporarily watery, flows into the Narrows. The canyon now forms vertical sandstone rocks on both sides of the river and ends after six kilometers and numerous bends. Two kilometers south of the river passes the Temple of Sinawava and reaches the 400 to 800 m wide Zion Canyon with high sandstone formations on both sides that reach a height of up to 730 m above the canyon floor.
geology
When large lakes covered the North American continent in the Tertiary , sedimentary deposits of varying thicknesses formed, including the Navajo sandstone. Depending on the light conditions, this glows yellow, orange, red to purple. The entire area in southwestern Utah belongs to the Grand Staircase , the most important layer of which consists of soft Navajo sandstone and is responsible for the numerous canyons in this area. The harder Kayenta layer underneath prevents further erosion of the canyon floor.
The Navajo sandstone is relatively porous and permeable. The Kayenta formation, on the other hand, is less leaky. Rainwater and meltwater slowly trickle down from the canyon rim until it hits the impermeable Kayenta Formation and is diverted sideways. Finally, it emerges at the foot of the sandstone wall as a spring or seepage water. Such springs and seepage are common in Zion National Park. These are typically alkaline and contain a significant amount of dissolved calcium and other minerals. They form rock deposits called tufa , which are very common on the river bank and higher up the rock. Throughout Zion Canyon, the springs and seeps are responsible for the lush Hanging Gardens , like at Weeping Rock .
The North Fork of the Virgin River has its source at Cascade Falls in the Cedar Breaks National Monument at an altitude of around 2,800 m. Together with its tributaries, it carries massive amounts of sediment on its way to the southwest, which are deposited in the Narrows and further downstream, even as far as Lake Mead, which is 300 m below, about 320 km away. Normal river water causes only 10 percent of the erosion, while floods (flash floods) in spring and heavy rain during thunderstorms make up 90 percent.
The Narrows, an impressive canyon that the river has cut deep into the Navajo sandstone, begin about 10 miles south of the northern boundary of the national park. The erosion of the relatively soft sandstone is particularly spectacular 1.5 km above the confluence of the Orderville Canyon . Here the gorge is only five meters wide at the canyon floor and around 300 meters high.
history
The Anasazi inhabited the area from around 500 to 1200 AD and left rock dwellings and rock paintings throughout the national park. After that, members of the southern Paiute , an Indian tribe from the cultural area of the Great Basin , lived here . Today, Paiute Indians occasionally come to the park for religious reasons, but also to collect rare plants. The Mormon Nephi Johnson was led to Zion Canyon by a Paiute Indian in 1858 and was believed to be the first white man to see the Narrows. In 1861 and 1862, the towns of Virgin and Springdale, south of today's national park, were founded by Mormons. The following year, Isaac Behunin built a hut in Upper Zion Canyon to farm a summer farm there and became the first white settler in the canyon. After 1863, numerous other farmers settled in the canyon. In the early 20th century, David Flanigan operated a transport system in the canyon to move wood from the forests at a height to the canyon floor, which is around 650 m deeper.
In 1872 John Wesley Powell and the geologist Grove Karl Gilbert explored the entire region coming from the Grand Canyon , which they examined and mapped on behalf of the US government. They were the first to pass the Narrows on horseback and named Zion Canyon Mukuntuweap (straight canyon) because they thought it was the paiute expression for this canyon. In 1909, President William Howard Taft signed a proclamation to protect Zion Canyon and the surrounding area. The first road to Zion Canyon was opened in 1917. Under the government of President Woodrow Wilson , the reserve was enlarged, renamed Zion National Monument in 1918 , and a year later received the status of a national park . In the early years of tourism to Zion National Park, visitors were able to cross the Narrows on horseback. From 1960 onwards, hiking on the Riverside Trail became popular through the Narrows.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Trek through the Narrows , accessed September 4, 2013.
- ↑ a b The Narrows of Zion Canyon (PDF; 26.6 MB), accessed on September 6, 2013
- ↑ a b History of Zion National Park , accessed September 6, 2013.
Coordinates: 37 ° 17 '59.97 " N , 112 ° 56' 50.85" W.
