Experience America: Capitol Reef National Park

 

About Capitol Reef:

Capitol Reef National Park lies in Utah’s south-central desert, an oasis of colorful sandstone cliffs, impressive domes, and soaring monoliths. Once called “Wayne Wonderland,” the park got its name in part from the great white rock formations which resemble the U.S. Capitol building, and from the sheer cliffs that presented a barrier to early travelers. Early inhabitants referred to the area as the “land of the sleeping rainbow” because of its beautiful contrasts: multi-colored sandstone surrounded by verdant riverbanks and arid desert vegetation, all nestled beneath deep blue skies. The area was designated as a national monument in 1937 and reclassified as a national park in 1971. The park is open year-round.

Park Geology:

Capitol Reef’s landscape is the result of 200 million years of geologic history and Mesozoic strata. Exposed layers of rock and sediment reveal a varied history of ancient oceans, swamplands and desert climates. The earliest layers were deposited during the Permian period, 270 million years ago, when sandstone settled into a shallow sea bed and limestone deposits were left as the sea deepened. As a sea retreated during the Triassic period the area was exposed to silt, erosion and volcanic ash. Over millions of years slow-moving streams, barrier islands and sand bars left layers of sandstone. As ancient seas like the Western Interior Seaway came and went they left more sandstone, shale and sediment behind. The Laramide Orogeny, a major mountain building event about 70 to 50 million years ago, formed the beginnings of the Waterpocket Fold along a fault line. The uplift of the Colorado Plateau 15 million years ago, the Pleistocene ice age, and erosion from wind and water further developed the Waterpocket Fold monocline.