Geology, self-guided field trip to, Big Cottonwood Canyon

Tiffany Boyce
Geo1010
Summary :
Big Cottonwood canyon was just a simple seabed over 700 million years about, after
countless amounts of tectonic uplifting, glaciers, and ice melt the canyon with its V-like
shape was born. The canyon is part of the Wasatch fault line running north and sound
across the state of Utah. Many rock types can be found in the canyon and it’s a heavily
trafficked human area with many hikes, sites, ski resorts and lakes to admire.

Reflection

Reflection summary:

A problem I ran into while doing this project was the fact that I had injured my self shortly before I was
foot and could hardly walk; so doing this self guided study in the mountains with rough terrain was going to be
and go on a hike and really get into the canyon and explore it and really see what I could see. I love trying to fig
in the way it is. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be as adventures as I wanted so I took a drive up the canyon with som
to worry about the road, I was able to see many structures and was able to pull over at sights that I might had m
canyon well enough with out having to get deep into a hike and be able to see many rock types I didn’t think I w
own surprise I was able to actually locate quartzite right off the road and able to sample it, I was even able to ta

Geology, self-guided field trip to, Big Cottonwoo

Tiffany Boyce
Geo 1010 (M & W 5:30 p
November 28 201
For my self guided field trip study, I went up Big Cottonwood Canyon due to the vast amounts of geolo
canyon is part of the Wasatch front mountain range to the East of Salt Lake City and it other surrounding areas.
as a flat oceanic seabed, tectonic block faulting has raised the sea beds, as well as deeply embedded igneous roc
also deposited sands, muds, rocks of many kind, and even fossils, giving a vast amount of rocks from shale, sla
earthquakes showing the proof. The canyon has many attractive features that bring in many people through out
seeing, as well as the geology of the canyon..

The canyon gives us a great deal of history, we can look into the past and e study the canyon to learn ab
canyon formed. “In Big Cottonwood Canyon, the basins were filled with glacial ice about 10,000 to 30,000 yea
other 9 miles are the result of stream erosion, hence their narrowness. The creek that is off the side of the road a
carved out the canyon as well as the creek bed.” This also gives us proof that the glacier in Big Cottonwood Ca
glacier from Mill D where they two eventually melted. [2] The V shape of Big Cottonwood canyon was formed
glacial ice melting, this creates the narrow and twisting canyon we see today. In the canyon there are many diff
deposits. With in my study I saw a location where a small landslide had taken place, (please see picture 2) at th
this helped the ground move and crumble to create such an event with help from gravity. I stopped and further o
quartzite. Quartzite is a metamorphic rock, and its original state is sandstone and is then altered by heat and pre
together making a stronger material. I did find some additional rocks in the land slide area, but their presence w

The canyon was also formed due to tectonic block faulting; with in driving up the canyon, in a very sho
multiple layer of build up of rocks and minerals, giving some deposits as well as lines moving through the rock
example of my first picture, I could see the lifting of the rock as well as movement of tilting. The very tips of th
(1100 to 544 million years ago) these sea beds slow raised over millions of years due to the uplift of the fault lik
lucky enough to locate any fossils but there have been vast amounts of sea creature fossils found in these moun
fault called the Wasatch fault zone that ranges 70 km through Utah, and connects to the Intermountain Seismic
geologic records. This normal faulting has helped raise the mountains rise to 11,928 feet above sea level. The p
fault scarps, this displaces the material vertically and is largely visible in many places. The faulting has given u
activity that takes place here also give us the chance to study the rocks that are extremely old. [4]

Big Cottonwood Canyon gives humans historical significance, due to many reasons we use the canyon o
Cottonwood Canyon often; we hike the mountains on a daily basis, creating foot trails altering parts of the mou
landscape by leaving trash through out the wilderness. We have also altered the landscape with cabins, shops an
however there are parking lots, streets, and hotels. This is also altering the albedo of the mountain making it eas
run off water down to mountain to increase and decrease at time of the year. Those in the Salt Lake valley are a
in the world; water, ground water to me more specific. Ground water doesn’t just form over night and Utah is e
more water and the canyon helps provide that from the K-U tunnel. [5] Per figure 3 flowing groundwater is pre

REFERENCES

1. http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/122/9-10/1686.short

2. Blackwelder, Eliot. "An Ancient Glacial Formation in Utah." The Journal of Geolo

3. http://people.westminstercollege.edu/departments/science/Old_102_Files/lesson_sc
4. http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2095/report.pdf pags 2-5

5. http://info.ngwa.org/GWOL/pdf/002067346.PDF