Cathedral Gorge
Cathedral Gorge State Park is in eastern Nevada near the Utah Border. The gorge began with explosive volcanic activity that, over time, deposited layers of ash hundreds of feet thick. The source of this ash, the Caliente Caldera Complex, lies to the south of Cathedral Gorge.
About five million years after the eruptions ceased, block faulting, a fracture in the bedrock that allows the two sides to move opposite each other, shaped the mountains and valleys prevalent in Nevada today. This faulting formed a depression, now known as Meadow Valley.
Over time, the depression filled with water creating a freshwater lake. Continual rains eroded the exposed ash and pumice left from the volcanic activity, and the streams carried the eroded sediment into the newly formed lake.
The formations, made of silt, clay and volcanic ash, are the remnants of that lake. As the landscape changed and more block faulting occurred, water drained from the lake exposing the volcanic ash sediments to the wind and rain, causing erosion of the soft material called bentonite clay. It looks a bit like Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks, but the colors are muted -- this area is not on the Colorado Plateau.
Hope you have a great day whenever you see this. Thanks for stopping by and for all of your kind comments -- they mean a lot to me.
© Melissa Post 2015.
All rights reserved. Please respect my copyright and do not copy, modify or download this image to blogs or other websites without obtaining my explicit written permission.
Cathedral Gorge
Cathedral Gorge State Park is in eastern Nevada near the Utah Border. The gorge began with explosive volcanic activity that, over time, deposited layers of ash hundreds of feet thick. The source of this ash, the Caliente Caldera Complex, lies to the south of Cathedral Gorge.
About five million years after the eruptions ceased, block faulting, a fracture in the bedrock that allows the two sides to move opposite each other, shaped the mountains and valleys prevalent in Nevada today. This faulting formed a depression, now known as Meadow Valley.
Over time, the depression filled with water creating a freshwater lake. Continual rains eroded the exposed ash and pumice left from the volcanic activity, and the streams carried the eroded sediment into the newly formed lake.
The formations, made of silt, clay and volcanic ash, are the remnants of that lake. As the landscape changed and more block faulting occurred, water drained from the lake exposing the volcanic ash sediments to the wind and rain, causing erosion of the soft material called bentonite clay. It looks a bit like Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks, but the colors are muted -- this area is not on the Colorado Plateau.
Hope you have a great day whenever you see this. Thanks for stopping by and for all of your kind comments -- they mean a lot to me.
© Melissa Post 2015.
All rights reserved. Please respect my copyright and do not copy, modify or download this image to blogs or other websites without obtaining my explicit written permission.