Red Castle Ridge

Red Castle Ridge

From L to R 12694, 12825, 12700, and 12338. Peak 12566 is hidden. Smiths Fork Pass Lake (11152') is on the right. From the west ridge of 12407. August-26-2010
ZeeJay
on Sep 19, 2010 4:40 pm
Image Type(s): Hiking
Image ID: 663424

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lcarreau

lcarreau - Sep 20, 2010 10:06 pm - Voted 10/10

I know you're not a geologist,

but let's say you WERE.

Do you think Red Castle used to be one huge,
composite mountain at one time, and over the
eons of time, it eroded into the series of
odd-shaped (yet colorful) peaks we see today?

ZeeJay

ZeeJay - Sep 22, 2010 12:20 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: I know you're not a geologist,

Sounds good to me!

jfrishmanIII

jfrishmanIII - Sep 22, 2010 4:05 pm - Voted 10/10

Re: I know you're not a geologist,

I'm not a geologist either, but the answer is yes. The entire western Uinta uplift is a very cohesive structure and is operating on a regional scale. In some ways, "one, huge composite mountain" is a pretty good description of the entire range. It uplifted basically as one giant dome, and glacial erosion carved the valleys down, leaving behind the peaks and ridges. (Of course, uplift and erosion happen simultaneously, but the dome description is still pretty good.) This shot here gives a very good view of the contiguity of Red Castle's strata with that of the surroundings: http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.php?object_id=659661

This cohesiveness in the western (High) Uintas is in some contrast to the eastern part of the range (Dinosaur National Monument and environs), where you have much more localized folding and uplifting forming features such as Split Mountain.

ZeeJay

ZeeJay - Sep 22, 2010 4:55 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: I know you're not a geologist,

Thanks for the answer jfrish!

lcarreau

lcarreau - Sep 22, 2010 6:19 pm - Voted 10/10

Re: I know you're not a geologist,

Geez! In my initial comment, I was just guessing.

I wonder if I could actually get a job as a
geologist, and make TWICE as much as what I
make now.

Just a thought..

Viewing: 1-5 of 5