Cataract Canyon

Cataract Canyon wani kogi ne mai tsawon kilomita 46 (74) na Kogin Colorado wanda ke cikin Canyonlands National Park da Glen Canyon National Recreation Area a kudancin Utah. Ya fara ne a wurin da Colorado ta haɗu da Green River,  ƙarshen sa na ƙasa shine haɗuwa da Dirty Devil River. Ƙananan rabin canyon yana nutsewa a ƙarƙashin Tafkin Powell lokacin da tafkin yake a cikin tsawo na ruwa na yau da kullun na ƙafa 3,700 (1,100 m).

 Ilimin ƙasa 
Kogin Colorado ya yanke Cataract Canyon zuwa cikin Colorado Plateau, babban tsawo na nahiyar wanda ya ƙunshi yawancin Kudu maso Yammacin Amurka. Har zuwa kimanin shekaru miliyan 80 da suka gabata, Colorado Plateau yana kusa da matakin teku. Fiye da miliyoyin shekaru, jerin teku na cikin gida sun keta kuma sun koma baya daga yankin, wanda ya haifar da jerin shimfidar dutse da aka ajiye a kwance. Kimanin shekaru 70 zuwa 80 da suka gabata, jerin abubuwan da suka faru na ginin dutse da ake kira Laramide orogeny sun ɗaga dukan yankin. Kogin Colorado daga baya ya yanke ta cikin dutsen, yana fallasa su. Tsohon dutse mafi tsufa da ake gani a cikin Cataract Canyon shine Tsarin Paradox, wanda aka ajiye kusan shekaru miliyan 320 da suka gabata.

 Tarihi 
'Yan asalin ƙasar, mai yiwuwa na Al'adun Fremont, sun zauna a yankin Canyonlands tun kafin mazauna Turai su isa. An samo zane-zane da rushewar dutse, aƙalla shekaru 800, a cikin Cataract Canyon . 

Saboda wurin da ke nesa, wani lokaci ne kafin masu binciken Turai da mazauna su isa yankin. Kogin Colorado da kogin sa sun kasance mafi yawan cikas ga tafiya fiye da makoma da za a bincika. Mutumin Turai na farko da aka rubuta don isa Cataract Canyon mai kama gashi ne mai suna Denis Julien a cikin 1836. Julien ya zana sunansa a cikin bango na dutse a cikin ƙananan ɓangaren Cataract Canyon, kodayake yanzu Lake Powell ya rufe wannan rubutun.

Binciken farko da aka shirya don tafiya a duk tsawon Cataract Canyon shine Powell Expedition a 1869, wanda John Wesley Powell ya jagoranta, tsohon soja na Yaƙin basasa mai makami daya wanda ya kaddamar da jiragen ruwa na katako kusa da Green River, Wyoming">Green River, Wyoming kuma ya yi tafiya a cikin Green River zuwa haɗuwa da Kogin Colorado a saman Cataractanyon. Rashin ruwa na Cataract Canyon ya tsoratar da Powell da mutanensa. Binciken ya kwashe jiragensu a kusa da kowane saurin a cikin canyon, aiki mai wahala da wahala. Saboda wahalar da ke tattare da rapids, Powell ya ba da sunan canyon Cataract Canyon. Bayan ya fita daga Cataract Canyon, Powell ya ci gaba da tafiyarsa ta hanyar Glen Canyon, yanzu Tafkin Powell ya mamaye shi, kuma a ƙarshe Grand Canyon kafin ya ƙare tafiyarsa kusa da bakin Kogin Virgin.Down the Great Unknown: John Wesley Powell's 1869 Journey of Discovery and Tragedy Through the Grand Canyon, by Edward Dolnick, Harper Perennial, 2002, 

Sauran masu gudu a kogi ba da daɗewa ba suka biyo baya. Nathanial Galloway ya yi tafiye-tafiye da yawa ta hanyar canyon a cikin 1894. Galloway daga baya zai fara amfani da dabarun motsa jiki har yanzu ana amfani da su a yau. 'Yan uwan Emery da Ellsworth Kolb sun yi tafiya ta cikin kwarin a shekarar 1911. Daga bisani 'yan uwan Kolb sun kafa ɗakin karatu a kudancin Grand Canyon, inda suka nuna bidiyo na ayyukansu da ke gudana a cikin kogin Colorado. Buzz Holmstrom ya yi tafiya ta solo ta hanyar Cataract Canyon da Grand Canyon a cikin 1937, daga ƙarshe ya ƙare a sabon ginin Hoover Dam. Mai sayar da kayan kasuwanci na farko da ya ba da tafiye-tafiye ta hanyar Cataract Canyon shine Norman Nevills a cikin 1938. Zuwan rafts na roba ya faru ne a farkon shekarun 1950 tare da wadatar rafts na goma daga yakin duniya na biyu. masu gudu a cikin kogi sun sami rafts na roba da sauƙi don motsawa kuma sun fi gafartawa fiye da takwarorinsu na katako. Tare da wannan sabon kayan aiki, yawancin masu sayar da kayan kasuwanci sun fara gudanar da Grand Canyon da Cataract Canyon.

 Rashin ruwa mai tsabta 
Cataract Canyon ya kasance sanannen wurin rafting na farin ruwa a yau. Rapids a cikin kwarin ana ɗauka gabaɗaya "babban ruwa", tare da hali mai kama da waɗanda aka samu a Grand Canyon . Cataract Canyon an kididdige shi a kan Class I-VI International Scale of River Difficulty, sabanin Grand Canyon, wanda aka kimanta a kan sikelin daya zuwa goma. Hakanan, ba kamar Grand Canyon ba, kwararar Kogin Colorado ta hanyar Cataract Canyon ya isa ƙasa daga dam wanda gabaɗaya ba a tsara shi ba. Kogin na iya kai matsananciyar matakan yayin ruwan ruwan bazara a cikin shekaru bayan yawan dusar ƙanƙara a ko'ina cikin kogin Colorado. A lokacin matsakaiciyar gudun ruwan bazara, kogin Colorado zai yi kololuwa a kusan    . Matsakaicin kwararar da aka yi rikodin na    ya faru a ranar 27 ga Mayu, 1984.  Rapids na Cataract Canyon ya zama da wahala a magudanar ruwa sama da    da matsananciyar gudu sama da    . 

Yawancin rapids a cikin Cataract Canyon ana kiransu ne kawai daga sama zuwa ƙasa kamar Rapid 1, Rapid 2, da dai sauransu. Koyaya, wasu rapids a ciki na canyon suna da sunaye daban-daban saboda wurin su ko sanannun su. Musamman sanannun su ne "Big Drops", saiti na rapids guda uku a cikin gajeren lokaci mai suna "Big Drop 1", "Big Drop 2" da "Big Drop 3". A lokacin ruwa mai yawa, waɗannan rapids guda uku suna gudana tare don samar da babban sauri. Wadannan rapids suna dauke da manyan siffofi na ruwa, ciki har da "Little Niagara", "Satan's Gut", da "The Claw". A lokutan babban runoff, Hukumar Kula da Gidajen Kasa wani lokacin tana kafa sansani a ƙarƙashin manyan saukad da kuma amfani da jirgin ruwa don sauƙaƙe ceto na rafts da fasinjojin su. Koyaya, an fahimci cewa duk masu gudu na kogi da ke ƙoƙarin Cataract Canyon a kowane matakin kogi ya kamata su sami damar ceto kansu kuma ba su dogara da NPS don tallafi ba.
Cataract Canyon a tarihi ya ƙunshi rapids da yawa, waɗanda a halin yanzu suna nutsewa a ƙarƙashin Tafkin Powell kuma an binne su a cikin tafkin. "Gypsum Canyon Rapid" da "Dark Canyon Rapid' an dauke su da wuya sosai don kewayawa.

Tafiye-tafiye na kogi da ke gudana Cataract Canyon dole ne su gudana daya daga cikin sassan ruwa a sama da haɗuwar Green da Colorado Rivers. Yawancin kungiyoyi sun fara aiki a Potash (a kan Kogin Colorado) ko Mineral Bottom (a kan Green River) kuma sun kwashe kwanaki biyar a kan kogi kafin shiga Cataract Canyon. Tafiye-tafiye na motoci na iya yin tafiya zuwa Cataract Canyon a cikin ɗan gajeren lokaci, sau da yawa rana ɗaya. Baya ga ruwa mai laushi a farkon tafiyar, duk kungiyoyi dole ne su ratsa Tafkin Powell kafin su kai ga fitarwa a Dirty Devil River ko Hite Marina. Dangane da matakin ruwa a Tafkin Powell, har zuwa mil 35 (56  na ruwan tafkin na iya haɗuwa da kungiyoyin da ke fita daga canyon.

Yawancin masu sayar da kayan kasuwanci suna ba da jagora ta hanyar Cataract Canyon. Wadannan tafiye-tafiye sun bambanta tsakanin kwana daya zuwa shida kuma suna amfani da jiragen ruwa masu motsi da wadanda ba masu motsi ba. Dole ne kungiyoyi masu zaman kansu su sami izini daga Hukumar Kula da Gidajen Kasa kafin su fara tafiya ta Cataract Canyon.

 Manazarta 

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