October 11, 2010
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| View to south from east to west |
geology: Approximately 1,000 feet beneath the spot where you now stand winds the San Juan River. Originating in Colorado, this river eventually joins Lake Powell.
The silt-laden San Juan has been instrumental in cutting the deep bending chasm directly below. This section is called the Great Goosenecks of the San Juan River.
Geologists consider this part of the river to be one of the finest examples of "entrenched meanders" anywhere in the world.
The meandering pattern originated several million years ago when the river was flowing on a relatively flat plain, much as the present-day Mississippi River.
The San Juan became entrenched when the entire Colorado Plateau was slowly uplifted. Cutting downward, the river followed its initial pattern and thus created the canyon you now view.
The process continues to this day as the San Juan River cuts ever deeper into prehistoric geological formations.
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