Molly’s Castle

I don’t know who Molly is or was, but this is an exceptionally fine butte that she got her name attached to. There are several Molly’s nipples, as well as Molly’s stockings (a volcanic dike) in Utah, some associated with the bride of the cowboy John Kitchen. Presumably this was also named in honor of the cowboy’s wife.

 

The fine layering on the butte is the Summerville formation, sediments (shales, silts, and sands) deposited in shallow tidal flats when this area was a shallow ocean 160 million years ago. The white bands are gypsum, which sometimes dissolves and leaches into the other layers. These layers are responsible for one of the more beautiful formations of the Colorado Plateau in my humble opinion.

 

Above the Summerville is the Morrison Formation, deposits of sands formed following a period of uplift and deposition in floodplains and playas.

 

The castle and its associated layers beautifully reflect the late afternoon sun, as does the mini-badlands formation at the base.

 

A stitch of 7 vertical shots

Done