Transcript Zion National Park Final Power Point

By: Tala Al-saghir
Zion National Park became established in the year of 1909
by President William Howard Taft, as Mukuntuweap
National Park. But in the year 1918 “the locally unpopular
name” was changed to Zion National Park.
President William Taft
Zion National Park was
established so its land and
nature could be preserved
forever. This way people from
all generations and from all
around the world could come
and enjoy themselves and
marvel at Zion’s natural
beauty. Not only was it
dedicated for people’s
enjoyment, but also for their
beneficence. People will be able
to go, study, and learn new
facts from Zion’s geography
and inhabitations forever.
The Narrows
Over the past million
years Zion National Park’s
rocks have gone through
four main geological
formations. They have gone
through sedimentation,
lithification, uplift, and
erosion. And throughout the
years these four main actions
many beautiful and amazing
land forms and features have
been created.
Zion Park use to be a very flat
basin that was near sea. Over the
years many sands, gravels, and
mud eroded from the mountains
nearby. Streams carried them into
the basin and they were deposited
in layers. Over these layers started
adding up. And they became very
heavy. This caused the basin to
sink, so the top level always stayed
near sea level. This action of
sedimentation kept repeating until
over 10,000 feet of sand, gravel and
mud layers gathered and collected.
Over time water started to
slowly filter through the very
packed down sediments. When
iron oxide, calcium carbonate,
and silica started to filter
through the sediments it
started “cementing” them.
With the added pressure from
layers of sediments over a very
long time it was transformed
into stone. Very old seabed’s
transformed into limestone,
mud and clay transformed into
mudstone and shale, and
desert sand became sandstone.
From deep inside the
earth, something began to
push to the surface. It was
a very slow vertical
hoisting of very big
chunks of the crust. The
elevation of Zion started
to slowly uplift from
about sea level to as high
as 10,000 feet over sea
level. The uplift is still
going on right now to this
day.
Over time streams got a
much greater and stronger
speed on their way down to
the sea. This caused the
streams to sharply fall off the
plateau. Since the water was
going so fast it carried a lot of
sediment and very big
boulders on its way. These
streams started to erode the
layers of rock and they formed
many deep canyons. It has
also collapsed layers of
sediment causing the canyons
to become even wider.
Throughout all these
actions new lakes, canyons,
and valleys have been
created. And the key to all
these changes is water. Water
from springs, streams, and
rivers has created what is
now the canyons, mesas,
cliffs, and valleys we see
today. Without water Zion
National Park wouldn’t be
what it is today.
Many different types of
rocks can be found in Zion
National Park. Over millions
of years Calcium Carbonate
cemented all the loose grains
of sand, and it made
sedimentary rock. This
sedimentary rock is very
solid sandstone. Calcium
Carbonate also transformed
the seabed into limestone.
And the mud and clay
turned to mudstone and
shale.
Limestone
Sandstone
The most famous feature in
Zion is the Great White Throne
that towers 2,400 feet up in the air.
It’s second most famous feature is
The Checkerboard Mesa. Another
one of its feature’s is its free
standing arches. There are two
main arches that mainly stand out;
The Crawford Arch and Kolob
Arch. Another amazing and
fascinating feature is The Grand
Staircase. It is a bunch of colorful
cliffs that are set between Bryce
Canyon and The Grand Canyon.
Great White Throne
The Checkerboard Mesa
You can also find the
Cathedral Mountain, The
Temple of Sinawava, The East
and West rims, Angel Landing,
Emerald Pools, and The Altar of
Sacrifice. The Three Patriarchs
are also another amazing land
feature in Zion Park. The Three
Patriarchs are a trio of cliffs that
are named Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. One of the best trails in all
of the United States is the Zion
Narrow. And The Weeping
Rock Trail and The Riverside
Walk are also hiked a lot.
Angles Landing
The land in Zion National
Park, till now, is still slowly
uplifting. Big blocks of its crust
are being moved vertically over
millions of years. The rock
formations in Zion National park
are also still changing. Over a
large time period, the huge and
grand monoliths that are in the
Park will return to being the sand
dunes that they once where. The
layers of sedimentary rock will be
reduced to nothing but layers of
sand. This is caused by weather
and erosion.
One of them main
environmental issues in Zion is
“automobile congestion”. Over
two million people visit Zion
National Park every year. And on a
typical summer day 4,000 to 5,000
vehicles go in and out of the park.
In Zion Canyon there are only 400
parking spaces, while about 2,000
cars drive up there each day.
Another issue is “noise pollution”.
So many cars drive up to Zion
Canyon, the sound of the cars
echoes off of the canyon walls. And
that really disrupts the calming
effect of Zion National Park.
Human waste and litter are
another concern. People who don’t
throw away their trash, are not
helping to conserve the natural
and cultural resources. Vegetation
near the roads and trails is also
being damaged. This is happening
because people, occasionally, do
not stay on the marked trails. And
over time it can lead to less
vegetation, less soil compaction,
and erosion. And it also causes
ugly marks on the landscaping of
the park.
Pine Creek Bridge is one of
their best engineered bridges in
Zion National Park. It was built
entirely out of Navajo
Sandstone and has a cemented
rubble stone core. It was put
there so people could cross
over Pine Creek and while not
ruining the landscape. The park
has also put up recycling bins.
It helps by keeping the park
clean. And while the park
benefits from them it also helps
out the environment.
Pine Creek Bridge
This map includes and
identifies all of the
important landforms
and features in Zion
National park
Websites:
1.
Uhler, John Willian. "Geology." Zion National Park Information. Hill
Climb Media. Web. http://www.zion.national-park.com/
2.
Zion. 1994 InfoWest. Web.
http://www.infowest.com/Utah/colorcountry/Nationalparks/Zio
n/profile.html
3.
"Geologic Formations." National Park Service US Department of the
Interior. Web.
http://www.nps.gov/zion/naturescience/geologicformations.htm
4.
"Zion National Park." Zion National Park. Web.
http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-zion-national-parkenvironment-sidwcmdev_067618.html
Newspaper:
1.
National Park Service U.S Department of the Interior. "Leave No
Trace." Zion National Park Map and Guide, Spring 2010 ed.: 1-12.
Print.
Encyclopedia:
1.
MLA (Modern Language Association) Style: "Zion National
Park." Encyclopedia Americana. 2010. Grolier Online. 9 May. 2010
. Chicago Manual of Style: "Zion National Park." Encyclopedia
Americana. Grolier Online
Http://ea.grolier.com/article?id=0430240-00 (accessed May 9,
2010). APA (American Psychological Association) Style: Zion
National Park. (2010). Encyclopedia Americana. Retrieved May 9,
2010, from Grolier Online
Http://ea.grolier.com/article?id=0430240-00