The Geologic Story of Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, Colorado
Kellogg KS. 2004. The Geologic Story of Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, Colorado. National Park Service. Denver, CO. https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1699
This guide is intended to introduce the visitor to the remarkable geological features of the NCA and to explain the processes that created them. The geologic story involves ancient seas that covered the land, uplift of mountains, extensive erosion, faulting, volcanism, and a geologically recent history of deep canyon incision. This guide describes these features in non-technical terms; geological concepts and terms used as the story unfolds are defined at the end of the guide. The NCA shares the same general geologic history as the adjacent Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. For the reader who desires an interesting and in depth (but easy to understand by the non-specialist) explanation of the regional geology and geologic history of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, I refer you to Wallace Hansen’s excellent book “Black Canyon of the Gunnison—in depth” (Hansen, 1987). It provides many additional geological details relevant to the NCA. In addition, three geologic maps covering most of the NCA (Hansen, 1968, 1971; Ellis and others, 1987) show in detail the distribution of the various geologic formations and structural features. An excellent waterproof topographic map, published by National Geographic Society and compiled from U.S. Geological Survey 1:24,000-scale quadrangle maps, covers all except the southernmost part of the NCA; the map shows access to all roads and trails in the NCA.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Kellogg, Karl
- Date of Issue
- 2004
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.3133/pp1699
- Units
- BLCA , HIST
- Keywords
- Ancestral, CO, Colorado, Conservation, Cretaceous, Cretaceous rocks, Dakota Formation, Deposits, ehistory, Entrada sandstone, Geologic, Geology, gorge, Gunnison, highlands, History, Jurrasic, Mancos shale, Morrison Formation, National Conservation Area, Rocks, sedimentary, story, time, Uncompahgre, Wanakah Formation