Colorado Plateau Facts: What Is It, How Was It Formed And Much More!
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The Colorado Plateau is an incredible physiographic region of intermontane plateaus spread across the four provinces of Western Colorado.
The Colorado Plateau region exhibits a variety of topographical features that include high desert, deep canyons, rocky mountains, shallow basins, and the river Colorado. The iconic Grand Canyon is also located in the Southwestern parts of the Colorado Plateau, widely visited by travelers worldwide.
Colorado Plateaus are known to be the leading image of the USA as the protected geologic provinces showcase nature's finest topographies in the form of high and low laying rocky plateaus. Besides being home to the Great Grand Canyon section, it includes various other famous landmarks flaunting the region's natural wealth.
The region carries the nickname 'Red Rock Country', suggesting its bright red colored surface and rocky hills.
It is believed that some of the regions and exposed rocks of the canyon are possibly two billion years old! All these make Colorado a special place.
Travel the world through our blogs and learn more about Colorado Springs facts and Colorado blue spruce facts before heading towards the highs and lows of the Colorado plateau!
Formation Of Plateaus
The formation of Colorado Plateaus is believed to have been initiated eons ago following a few processes that scientists believe to be the main reasons for plateau creation. The presence of weathered Precambrian rocks can be found primarily near the Grand Canyon region and various other places.
Tectonic activity is said to be one of the major causes behind plateau formation as the process includes shift and collision of tectonic plates beneath the Earth's crust which is possibly the reason behind such intriguing topographic variation.
However, tectonic uplift is not the only cause of the Colorado Plateau formation.
The fast pace of a river is strong enough to push through the thick layers of ancient volcanic regions and mountain ranges to form intricate canyons and river basins.
Climate change has also made it difficult for the plateau and its rocks to maintain their shape as the rate of erosion and rainfall as the weathering is slowly deteriorating the surfaces.
It is called a plateau as it looks like a table.
Colorado Plateau Province
The Southwestern region of North America, USA, is home to the Colorado Plateau which is spread across four corners including regions such as the Western edge of Colorado, Southeastern Utah, Northern Arizona, and the Northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Colorado Plateau province is divided into six divisions.
The northernmost section of Uinta basin, the highest part, that is, the High Plateaus of Utah, the Grand Canyons section, the South part with canyonlands section, sharing an indefinite border with Navajo section, and the Southeastern section of Datil lying towards Arizona and New Mexico are all part of the six divisions.
All of these provinces have diverse topographical features and characteristics caused by varying natural forces full of valleys, high mountains, and mesas in a single region, a hard-to-find feature anywhere around the globe.
The High Plateau
Colorado Plateaus constitute an extended region of plateaus amid which the High Plateaus of Utah are the highest of all. The region is based in central Utah and ascends for up to 11,000 ft (3,353 m). The high plateau regions are bounded by the Southern Rocky mountain range, including the San Juan mountains and La Sal mountains.
The flat-lying surfaces of these plateaus are made up of sedimentary rocks and young igneous rocks. Along with the presence of the Colorado River, Utah also homes the biggest salt lake in the West of North America.
The salt lake is believed to be the largest remnant of inland seas.
North America's one of the most prominent landscapes, the Grand Staircase, can also be found in Utah. The Grand Staircase is made up of a series of stair-like cliffs-walled plateaus mounting northward from the Grand Canyon and heading Southward towards Utah.
Colorado Plateaus Parks
The US's largest number of national parks are located in the Colorado Plateaus. Nine national parks are situated to protect and emphasize the beauty of the Colorado Plateaus for visitors coming from all regions of the world.
These parks are led by the national park service to conserve the natural and cultural resources of the land.
These nine national parks include Bryce Canyon national park, Zion Canyon national park, Arches national park, Mesa Verde national park, Capitol Reef national park, Grand Canyon national park, Gunnison national park, and Petrified national park. These Colorado Plateau national parks have distinct features worth visiting while going to Colorado and neighboring places.
For example, arches national park, located in Eastern Utah, has mammoth rocks, while the Bryce Canyon attracts visitors to witness large sandstone creations, also known as Hoodoos.
Conserving The Plateaus
Conservation of Colorado Plateaus is a matter of a great deal. National park service is the leading figure that strives hard to keep Colorado Plateaus and their regions safe and sound.
Plateaus, being home to unthinkable natural wealth, is also witness to the unpredictable behavior of Earth for millions of years. People feel a sense of reverence seeing sight as incredible as these plateaus, making it necessary to save and protect it further from uncertain situations.
A recent project to maintain and promote Plateau conservation has incorporated the idea of sustainability across regions and populations. The Colorado Plateau Foundation is set up to follow the cause and the foundation currently aims to engage with tribal and regional populations to share the sustainability goals.
A slow and steady process promises to save and share nature's magnificence for the upcoming generation.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Colorado Plateau facts, then why not take a look at facts about salt flats, or Colorado history facts?
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