Bryce Canyon National Park
Nps.gov: To the Northeast
See the flat-topped feature of Boat Mesa and the angled slope of Sinking Ship set against the stark Pink Cliffs of the Table Cliff Plateau 17.5 miles (28 km) distant. The roughly 30 degree slope of Sinking Ship is evidence of the Paunsaugunt fault line, which travels north-south roughly along the eastern edge of the park. This fault, along with large fields of volcanic rock north of the park, were created as part of the tectonic events that elevated the Colorado Plateau region to its present day elevations and later produced the Basin and Range region to the west. The fault is a normal fault, which means that it was formed by extension--the ground you're standing upon moving down and away from the opposite side of the valley. This movement accounts for the 2,000 foot (610 m) difference in elevation between the Bryce Amphitheater and the Table Cliff plateau, despite these being formed of the same rock layer. Sinking Ship is slightly caught upon this fault, explaining its tilted appearance. Though once a site of intense movement, little activity has been recorded along the fault in the last 9 million years..
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Bryce Canyon National Park
Nps.gov: To the Northeast
See the flat-topped feature of Boat Mesa and the angled slope of Sinking Ship set against the stark Pink Cliffs of the Table Cliff Plateau 17.5 miles (28 km) distant. The roughly 30 degree slope of Sinking Ship is evidence of the Paunsaugunt fault line, which travels north-south roughly along the eastern edge of the park. This fault, along with large fields of volcanic rock north of the park, were created as part of the tectonic events that elevated the Colorado Plateau region to its present day elevations and later produced the Basin and Range region to the west. The fault is a normal fault, which means that it was formed by extension--the ground you're standing upon moving down and away from the opposite side of the valley. This movement accounts for the 2,000 foot (610 m) difference in elevation between the Bryce Amphitheater and the Table Cliff plateau, despite these being formed of the same rock layer. Sinking Ship is slightly caught upon this fault, explaining its tilted appearance. Though once a site of intense movement, little activity has been recorded along the fault in the last 9 million years..
3009a