Canyons na Escalante

Canyons na Escalante suna ne na gamayya don yanayin ƙasa wanda kogin Escalante da magudanan ruwa suka ƙirƙira — Kogin Escalante. Ana zaune a kudancin Utah a yammacin Amurka, waɗannan siffofi na sandstone sun haɗa da ganuwar canyon masu tsayi, yawa ramukan ramuka, aljihunan ruwa ( sandunan dutsen da ke dauke da ruwan sama na wucin gadi), domes, hoodoos, arches na halitta da gadoji . Wannan yanki — mai tsayi sama da    da kuma tasowa daga  zuwa fiye da  — yana ɗaya daga cikin manyan sassa uku na Babban Staircase–Escalante National Monument, da kuma wani yanki na Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, tare da Capitol Reef National Park yana kusa da gabas.

 Yanayin ƙasa 
Ruwan kogin Escalante yana kan gangaren Aquarius Plateau, a cikin Garfield County na Utah, a yammacin garin Escalante. Kogin Escalante ya fara ne a wurin haɗuwar Birch Creek da North Creek,  tare da kwararar Pine Creek da aka kara a ƙasa da garin.  Kogin yana gudana a cikin nisan    daga mahaɗar Birch / North Creek kafin ya zubo cikin Kogin Colorado a cikin Kane County. Ƙananan ɓangaren kogin, kudu maso gabashin Coyote Gulch, yanzu yana ƙarƙashin Lake Powell.

Yawancin canyons na gefe suna ciyar da babban kogi, wanda ke lissafin girman kwandon. Daga yamma, manyan masu ba da gudummawa sune Harris Wash, Twentyfive Mile Creek, Coyote Gulch, Fortymile Gulch, da Fiftymile Creek, tare da ƙananan Phipps, Fence, da Scorpion, Davis, Clear, da Indian Creeks. Yawancin waɗannan manyan koguna suna gudana daga saman Kaiparowits Plateau ko daga tushe na gefen gabashinsa, Tsarin Straight Cliffs. Har ma da yawa daga cikin masu ba da gudummawa suna gudana daga arewa da gabas, gami da Death Hollow da Calf Creeks, haɗin Boulder da Deer Creeks, The Gulch, Wolverine da Silver Falls Creeks, da Choprock, Moody, Stevens, da Cow Canyons. Koguna daga arewa suna gudana daga Dutsen Boulder, yayin da waɗanda ke arewa maso gabas suka samo asali ne a yankin Circle Cliffs, kusa da Waterpocket Fold a cikin Capitol Reef National Park.

 Ilimin ƙasa 
Yankin sandstone da aka fallasa yanzu a cikin Canyons na Escalante an ajiye su a lokacin zamanin Mesozoic, shekaru 180 zuwa 225 da suka gabata,  lokacin da wannan yankin ya kasance wani ɓangare na babban yanki na dunes. Kusan ƙarshen lokacin Cretaceous, kimanin shekaru miliyan 80 da suka gabata, duk ɓangaren yammacin Arewacin Amurka ya shiga zamanin haɓaka da ginin dutse, wani taron da aka sani da Laramide orogeny. Kwanan nan, ƙarin haɓaka ya kafa lardin Colorado Plateau. Wadannan abubuwan da suka faru na hawan sama sun tayar da Filin Aquarius har zuwa yadda dakarun hawan ƙasa ke aiki a kan Kogin Escalante. Yanayin yanayi mafi kyau a lokacin shekarun kankara na baya-bayan nan na lokacin Pleistocene ya ba da gudummawa ga zurfin yanke ganuwar canyon.

Sandstone da aka fallasa a cikin canyons kusa da Kogin Colorado yawanci daga Glen Canyon Group ne. Rashin ja mai duhu na Coyote Gulch, alal misali, ya ƙunshi Navajo Sandstone. An kafa tsaunuka masu haske na Dance Hall Rock da Sooner Rocks daga mafi girman Entrada sandstone layer. Saboda karkatawar yadudduka a duk yankin, sandstone da aka fallasa a mafi girman tsawo kusa da garin Escalante (misali Deer Creek) na iya kasancewa daga ƙananan yadudduka, Wingate Sandstone . 

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