Fantasy Canyon
Encyclopedia
Fantasy Canyon is a Bureau of Land Management
-managed area located about 27 miles (43.5 km) south of Vernal, in Uintah County, Utah
. Even though the area is only about 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) in size, it contains some of the most unusual geologic features in the world. The site was officially documented by early explorer and paleontologist Earl Douglass, who recorded the area by other names such as “The Devil’s Playground” and “Hades Pit.” He published photographs of this area in a 1909 publication called “The Columbian Magazine.”
, south to the Book Cliff Divide, north to the Uinta Mountains
, and was about a half mile deep.
Fantasy Canyon is along the east shore of what was once Lake Uinta, where the sediments eroded from the surrounding high lands. Sediments were deposited and the once loose sands, silts, and clays were forged into sandstone and shale. Because of different rates of weathering, the more durable sandstone remained while the more easily weathered siltstone and shale washed away, yielding this spectacular scenery. Today’s geologic formations of Fantasy Canyon will eventually give way to weather and then topple and erode into sand, but new formations will appear as the topsoil washes away. Because the delicate formations are so fragile the area is referred to as “Nature’s China Shop.”
There are inch-wide black vertical northwest – southeast running veins in the formations. This material is called "Gilsonite" (hydrocarbon), named after U.S. Marshall Samuel H. Gilson. Gilsonite was discovered in the early 1860s, but it was not until the mid-1880s that Gilson began to promote the mineral as a waterproof coating for wooden pilings, as an insulation for wire cable, and as a unique varnish.
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
-managed area located about 27 miles (43.5 km) south of Vernal, in Uintah County, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Even though the area is only about 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) in size, it contains some of the most unusual geologic features in the world. The site was officially documented by early explorer and paleontologist Earl Douglass, who recorded the area by other names such as “The Devil’s Playground” and “Hades Pit.” He published photographs of this area in a 1909 publication called “The Columbian Magazine.”
Geology
The rocks of Fantasy Canyon were deposited during the Eocene Epoch. They date from around 38 to 50 million years ago. During the geologic period, the Uinta Basin was occupied by a large lake called Lake Uinta. The lake extended 120 miles (193.1 km) west to Heber City, 30 miles (48.3 km) east to Rangely, ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, south to the Book Cliff Divide, north to the Uinta Mountains
Uinta Mountains
The Uinta Mountains are a high chain of mountains in northeastern Utah and extreme northwestern Colorado in the United States. A subrange of the Rocky Mountains, they are unusual for being the highest range in the contiguous United States running east to west, and lie approximately east of Salt...
, and was about a half mile deep.
Fantasy Canyon is along the east shore of what was once Lake Uinta, where the sediments eroded from the surrounding high lands. Sediments were deposited and the once loose sands, silts, and clays were forged into sandstone and shale. Because of different rates of weathering, the more durable sandstone remained while the more easily weathered siltstone and shale washed away, yielding this spectacular scenery. Today’s geologic formations of Fantasy Canyon will eventually give way to weather and then topple and erode into sand, but new formations will appear as the topsoil washes away. Because the delicate formations are so fragile the area is referred to as “Nature’s China Shop.”
Mineralization
There are black ribbons of coal-like material along the small washes on the trail or as horizontal stripes in the rocks. This magnetic material is called magnetite (iron oxide). It is the only mineral which shows strong magnetism. Magnetite was named for Magnes, a Greek shepherd, who discovered the mineral on Mount Ida, Australia. He noted the nails of his shoes and the iron ferrule of his staff clung to a rock.There are inch-wide black vertical northwest – southeast running veins in the formations. This material is called "Gilsonite" (hydrocarbon), named after U.S. Marshall Samuel H. Gilson. Gilsonite was discovered in the early 1860s, but it was not until the mid-1880s that Gilson began to promote the mineral as a waterproof coating for wooden pilings, as an insulation for wire cable, and as a unique varnish.