BRYCE CANYON A Geologic and Geographic Sketch of Bryce Canyon National Park

A GEOLOGIC AND GEOGRAPHIC SKETCH OF BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

FOREWORD

Bryce Canyon National Park is a brilliant jewel set in the midst of a vari-colored, and for the most part, a dull colored landscape. Because of the vivid coloring of the rocks and the peculiar erosional forms, the region has for many years attracted the curious and the sightseeing visitor.

More recently, however, the visitor to Bryce Canyon National Park has not been content to merely gaze at the scenery before him, but has wanted to know the story of the rock formations, and something of the movements within the earth's crust that produced these great plateaus and deep canyons.

Dr. Gregory has found this area to be of great geological interest and he has returned year after year to continue his studies of this canyon and plateau country. Because of the extreme ruggedness of the region, he has been one of the few geologists to venture into this wilderness in search of clues to this geological story. To provide information for those who are interested in the formation of these plateaus and canyons, and the story of the colored rocks, Dr. Gregory has prepared this Geologic and Geographic Sketch of the Bryce Canyon National Park region.

The first edition, printed in 1940, was so well received that the supply was soon exhausted. Thus we consider it a great privilege to here present the second edition of this geologic and geographic story as told by Dr. Gregory.

THE EDITOR

June, 1941.

Bryce erosional forms (top); on the trail in Bryce Canyon (bottom). (Photos courtesy of the Utah Magazine)